Wolf King

The name of the city gate official is Dominique, from Cronin, and he is just over 50 years old.He used to be an adventurer when he was young. 16 years ago, the city of Valentine issued a recruitment order regardless of his background. He had a family to take care of, so he resolutely gave up his adventure career and went to Lord Philip.

This year is Dominique's ninth year as the gate official of the North City Gate. Over the years, he has seen all kinds of races, all kinds of adventurers, travelers, and even dealt with dragons who are famous for their greed. ...But this is the first time I have encountered such difficulties.

Dominic's eyes stayed on the non-human symbolic ears on both sides of the talking youth's head for a few seconds, and then shifted his eyes to the suncloth clothes on the other party's body, unable to recover for a long time...

"This is your rule, is there no problem? If there is no problem, order the car a little more, and we can go into the city after paying the money." Seeing that the man in armor didn't say anything, Xiao Yun urged him confidently—it is allowed in the rules, Even the IRS, the most powerful tax agency on earth, has nothing to say about reasonable tax avoidance. You can be more impeccable than the US Taxation Bureau!

City Gate Officer Dominique: "...(o 言 o)" I have never seen such a brazen person!

Isaac's face was numb, and Hannah's face was broken.

The snow wolves have purity written all over their faces...

After the air froze for a few seconds, Dominic took a step back and said dryly, "No problem, sir."

Xiao Yun immediately turned his head and shouted: "Pull the cart over, hurry up, don't waste time."

The adventurers stepped forward shyly to help push the cart——the astonishment and admiration of the surrounding people from all ethnic groups almost drove the good-looking adventurers crazy!It's more embarrassing than running wild in the street!

Twelve silver coins were paid for the goods of the twelve-carriage, which was 600 copper coins, and eight catties of genuine cold-eat rabbits were lost. Margaret took it four times to bribe those elf warriors enough to sell the information on Ananas City - not that he was stingy, but that this kind of worthless money was really worthless. the difference!

"Since it is a big commercial city, merchants should be encouraged to move goods. What kind of city gate fee is there? It really hurts the enthusiasm of others to do business. What does the city owner of this place think?" Xiao Yun rushed dissatisfiedly while counting silver coins to pay Talking about Isaac.In modern times, you have to pay tolls for running around with your goods. After all, the local government has built flat roads for you to use. With Valentine’s poor road construction, who has the face to collect tolls!

Isaac looked at the sky speechlessly: "...Mr. Ayun, Valentine's city gate tax is already the lowest in the Kingdom of Cronin, and the lowest city gate tax in other cities is also half of all commodities." (about [-] one-third)

"So the economy of this country is really not good. This is not called fishing out of water. The fish fry in the pond are all fished out to cook soup as soon as they are thrown in!" Xiao Yun was even more disgusted.

Dominic who collected the money: "..."

The veteran inspecting the goods next to him: "..."

The carts of the Snow Wolf Clan are loaded with wool, food, tableware, tables, chairs and benches. The inspection is a process; when the three cubs carrying the goods pass by, they lie down and let them be inspected. The guards push me for a long time In the end, the oldest veteran bit the bullet and stepped forward to look through it, then quickly backed away.

"Don't lie down so seriously, the stomach is so dirty when it touches the ground! Why don't you even do face-saving projects, what will happen if you clean the city gate more..."

Watching this strange team walk away amidst the murmurs of the foreign youth, a group of city guards were completely unable to recover...

"Domini, is this snow wolf clan the snow wolf clan in the travel notes?" A young city guard asked blankly, "The red leaf race that will turn into a huge white wolf in the travel notes of the elf ranger?"

"...It should be." City Gate Officer Donimike nodded stiffly.

"Isn't Hongye particularly bold and generous, why is the real Snow Werewolf like this!" The young soldier's expression collapsed, feeling particularly disillusioned.

"It's not surprising. Not all snow werewolves are red leaves. There are not many elves as knowledgeable and wise as Kleist. The bards who live near my house don't know much about it except singing at night to disturb people's sleep. .” The veteran next to him interjected.

"No, I think it's just that the snow werewolf is special..." Dominique wiped his sweat, "Huh? Wait, what did the knight call that snow werewolf just now?"

Valentine is a huge ring-shaped city built on top of a mountain. The area at the foot of the mountain belongs to the lower city, mostly populated by civilians. After entering the north city gate, the busiest ring road in the lower city appears in a row. in front of people.

As the only open city in the Kingdom of Cronin, and benefiting from the commercial vitality brought by the port, Valentine's Lower Town is not directly equivalent to the endorsement of slums like other cities-although the overall building complex is relatively old, the streets It is quite spacious, and can accommodate four carriages side by side. There are row upon row of businesses along the road, and the clothes on the newcomers are relatively clean and complete. Apart from the largest number of human races, you can also see many non-human races, or participate in commercial activities, or in the street. wandering around.

Although there are many alien races, the three cubs carrying goods in the team are still the most conspicuous presence everywhere. The bustling street was quiet for a moment because of the appearance of this group of people...

Xiao Yun looked around at the streets that barely reached the infrastructure level of the urban-rural fringe of China's 28th line, and turned to look at Isaac: "Where is the poorest place in the lower city?"

"...The area in the lower city and the south city." Isaac paused for a moment before saying.

"Let's go!" Xiao Yun heroically motioned for Isaac to lead the way.

Isaac subconsciously raised his feet and took a few steps before he realized: "Mr. Ayun, there is a bit..."

"Let's go. If we want to recruit people to go overseas, the residents of this place are full of red faces and nourished by their small days, so how can they have the hard work to go to sea to work?" Xiao Yun waved his hand.

Isaac thinks about it, it really makes sense...

Going south along the ring-shaped main road in the downtown area, the further south you go, the fewer businesses there are, the simpler the buildings on both sides of the street, and the clothes worn by passers-by on the road gradually appear patched; walk for half an hour and go around to the poorest downtown area In the southern part of the city, Xiao Yun seemed to have seen the slums of the third world countries that he had only seen on TV in a trance-blue stone brick buildings were replaced by loess walls and wooden houses. There are some shelters that can be obtained; some houses seem to be covered with a wooden frame of discarded canvas, which is crooked and has a bit of the original snow wolf tribe...

There are almost no businesses in this place. Even if there are any businesses, they are hawkers setting up stalls on the roadside. The better wooden houses are taverns and gambling houses; Numb-looking beggars can be seen everywhere, and in the deep alleys on both sides of the road, from time to time there are scantily dressed and cheaply dressed women looking out.

Isaac frowned, and Hannah was also a little uncomfortable. They didn't like to come to this kind of place where sewage was flowing, garbage was everywhere, and robbers, thieves, beggars and prostitutes were everywhere; although adventurers were regarded as vulgar and rude by those nobles Unstable people, they can still afford the consumption in Midtown.

However, Xiao Yun's eyes were bright, and he frequently cast friendly glances at those idle people on the side of the road. After walking for a while, he saw a piece of clearer ground, and then pointed at it: "This is it, come and set up our recruitment office. stand up!"

Naturally, the Snowwolves would not question Ayun's decision, and the adventurers also silently stepped forward to help... Isaac, who was most likely to persuade Xiao Yun, didn't say a word.

Isaac also has dignity, and he is also very tired when he is always slapped in the face.

The table and the desk are opened, and the stove made of the inner layer of the iron bucket is stuffed with charcoal to make a fire, and the barrel-shaped pot and iron pan with the same shape as the stove are placed on it, and the jars filled with various spices are lined up in front of the desk. A few tables were assembled into a long table, and a small Maza was placed around the long table—yes, it is the Maza that everyone knows, a traditional Chinese handicraft product, the legs are crossed as a bracket, and canvas or hemp rope is stretched on it, etc. It can be folded up, the cheapest and most portable small seat, and it has not been eliminated in modern times.

The group of them was busy here, attracting the attention of many idlers on both sides of the street. The local residents quietly peeped out from the strange-shaped residences, and some bold ones even walked out of the house and stood at the entrance of the alley or directly Walk to the street and watch from afar.

Xiao Yun didn't let the three cubs recover, but he didn't allow them to fight in such a dirty place, so they each gave out a bag of candy to sit beside them obediently, and even put animal skins under the wolf's buttocks ...Wolf form doesn't take too much effort to scrub, but it's a little bit cleaner.

Of course, this is done to avoid unnecessary troubles. With the three big wolves squatting like this, those idle people who are ready to move... Uh, the suspected local gangsters didn’t dare to come and make trouble; The recruitment activities of the wolf tribe save countless things, but it is not interesting to pretend to be a pig to attract low-level forces to play in the face. If you can save a little trouble, you can save a little trouble.

The charcoal fire is lit, the pot is heated up, and a large pot of oily spicy rabbit diced is poured down. As the temperature of the oil rises, the aroma with the strong and pungent smell of spices soon permeates; Local residents walked out of their homes, or leaned against the wall, or shrank in the corner of the street, and countless pairs of hot eyes were cast on this group of strange foreigners...

Xiao Yun saw that the preparations were about the same and there were a certain number of onlookers, so he shook his head at Isaac and said, "Come on."

Isaac: "Uh..."

"Don't babble, there is a handsome guy who is handsome, he is upright, and he is a knight. Who else can be more convincing than you? Come on, come on." Xiao Yun urged.

Isaac had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk to the counter, stood up straight, with a look of determination on the execution ground: "Dear residents, fellow compatriots, the Snow Wolf Clan is here to recruit—"

"Are you memorizing your lines, pay attention to your attitude, attitude!" Xiao Yun yelled at the back, "Be kind, friendly, and kind, and speak plainly!"

"..." Isaac broke his heart and gave up the treatment, "Attention everyone, the Snow Wolf Clan is here to recruit workers, with full board and lodging, and a monthly salary of five silver coins! The work location is on the west coast of the Northern Continent Grassland, and the round trip fee The Snow Wolf Clan takes care of it, working eight months a year, and in winter, everyone will come back for the winter—"

Five silver coins!

There was a sudden commotion among the onlookers, and the salary in the central city was only three or four silver coins, which is not a job that ordinary people can get, and it will be drawn by the labor union in the downtown area... If you can earn five silver coins a month, life is simply not easy. Know how much better it can be!

But... It's the first time that foreign races come to recruit workers, even in Valentine, the most open place in Cronin, and they still ask to go to work away from home. Although the residents are excited, they still choose to wait and see. People dare to step forward.

Xiao Yun disliked Isaac's airs, turned his head to look at the team of adventurers, and raised his hand to greet the two brothers: "Edward, Wayne, you two come here."

Brother Knight is Hannah's capable general. Unfortunately, Xiao Yun memorized their names, and he always remembered them both consciously and unconsciously during practice. Seeing that they were named again, other adventurers cast sympathetic looks.

"Mr. Ayun." The shield knight Edward didn't care about his mood, his attitude was quite polite.

"The two of you go to the crowd to promote at close range, and focus on the benefits of our snow wolf clan, and explain to them that we only recruit today and tomorrow, and we will leave after recruiting 500 people, so that those who want to sign up should seize the opportunity , there is no such shop after passing this village... Those who sign the employment contract on the spot can bring the whole family to our place to have a good meal! We will also give you a hundred catties of vermicelli as a settling allowance!"

Brother Knight was born at the bottom, he was a street vagrant when he was a child, Hannah taught him martial arts, and Hannah gave him his name, he doesn't have Isaac's awkwardness, remember Xiao Yun's words Then they walked out of the recruiting office, one to the left and the other to the right, separately lobbying those local residents who were excited and frightened.

The monthly living expenses of the residents in this block are barely enough for the price of a book "Travel to the Mainland". Their knowledge of the Snow Wolf Clan is limited to a few words from the people who work in the upper city. The recognition of the outstanding supporting roles is quite low, and it is definitely not good to use this as a signboard.Brother Knight, who has been homeless on the street for many years, knows what these residents care about. He is looking for those residents who are simple-faced, rough-handed, and have children around them, and they lobby directly:

"Do you know vermicelli? The kind of food made with special technology mentioned in the travel notes once, this kind of food can't be eaten in the southern continent, we adventurers often eat it in the northern continent. Two to three liang of vermicelli can cook a full A full bowl of vermicelli is enough for an adult to eat for a meal... If you sign the employment contract, the Snow Wolf Clan will pay a one-time payment of [-] catties of vermicelli. There are four people in your family, right, so you can eat with savings Two months!"

"Don't worry, the snow wolves know that you care about your family's survival. Your monthly salary can be exchanged for equivalent food with the snow wolves. The snow wolves have a very good relationship with the transportation department of the Adventurer's Association. You can trust them Help transport it back, your family can go to the pier to pick it up..."

"Safety? Don't worry at all. The place where you work is next to the Elven Port. There is no safer place than there!"

"The Snow Wolf Clan still has a lot of work to do. They only recruit for two days. If they recruit 500 people, they may end early—"

Shield Knight Edward's eloquence is not bad. Not long after he selected a resident with a child to start persuading, many people surrounded him. As he explained the benefits of the Snow Wolf Clan one by one, the resident with the child The sight of the men turned towards the Recruitment Office of the Snow Wolf Clan became more enthusiastic.

The South City resident with the child is named Sam. He was originally a farmer in the Bolton Territory next door. When he was 15 years old, he followed the villagers from the same village to Walker to survive. He lived in the Lower City for ten years.

The feudal enfeoffment system of land power adopted by Cronin is undoubtedly the most reliable and convenient for the top nobles. A pig sitting in the position of the lord can live a relaxed and luxurious life; in contrast, the life of the bottom civilians is the purgatory model That's it... the serfs are bitter, and the free people are not much better. After paying the lord's tax, the food left over to feed the family is barely enough. It's no wonder that Valentine came here after opening his arms. Large population - the population has increased nearly a hundred times in 30 years, which is a miracle in any world.

However, although Valentine's business activities are free and prosperous, he can't absorb so much manpower, especially in the South City of the lower city. The only way for most ordinary residents to survive is to register with the union and wait for the union to arrange to go to the pier Being a coolie... Although the trade union will take away a lot of money, at least you can support yourself and your family.

Now this month is the off-season for shipping trade, and the work of coolies on the docks has to take turns. Many residents' families have run out of food, and they have to let their women start meat business—even so, it is difficult to alleviate the embarrassment. It is because they cannot attract many "guests".

Sam’s family has not reached that point yet, but it is his turn to work at the dock two days a week, and such a thin income makes him and his family have to tighten their belts to live; adults can bear it, but children can’t bear it. Sam, who is exporting food, has been relying on drinking water to fool his belly since yesterday, and now his arms holding his daughter are a little weak, not to mention the salary of five silver coins, it is just a hundred catties of Anjia food and a full meal for the whole family The treatment made Sam extremely excited.

But...if he leaves, only his wife will take care of the two children at home, which makes it difficult for Sam to move.

Just when Sam was hesitating, a foreigner from the recruitment office of the Snow Wolf Tribe threw a large pile of diced meat into the oil pan. The wind blew towards the crowd, and the sound of "Gululu" swallowing saliva suddenly resounded.

"Father..." The daughter who had been quietly lying on Sam's chest raised her head to look at her father, biting her fingers, her little face full of longing.

A well-behaved daughter would not yell at her father coquettishly, which made Sam quickly make up his mind when he was sad. After humbly bending down to thank the knight who explained to them, he got out of the crowd and strode to recruit workers from the snow wolf tribe. walk around.

Among those who listened nearby, there were already people who were very itchy, but they couldn't make up their minds to take this risk. Seeing Sam move, countless people's eyes focused on Sam——

Sam made up his mind and walked to the desk in one breath. When he saw the fierce adventurers standing behind the desk and those alien races with astonishing sizes, his face turned pale instantly, and he took half a step back involuntarily.

Seeing the situation, Xiao Yun quickly turned to Sal.

Sal immediately walked out of the crowd and greeted Sam with a friendly smile: "Hey, buddy, don't be nervous, come sit here and talk."

Sal's lingua franca had a Bolton Territorial accent, and Sam recognized it right away. He stared at him in amazement, and after realizing it, he hugged his daughter tightly and bowed: "Good day, my lord."

"You are also from Bolton, what a coincidence!" Thrall's attitude became more friendly, he pulled up a saddle and sat down, and waved to Sam again, "I'm not some kind of master, just call me Thrall. Sit down Come on man, your daughter is so cute, what's her name?"

Mentioning his daughter, Sam's nervousness eased a lot, and he slowly moved over embarrassingly: "She doesn't have a name yet..."

Before the nobles who offended the Bolton Territory were exiled, Sarna was also a popular figure on the street. He relieved the other party's guard with a small exchange of greetings, and used his own experience in the snow wolf tribe to show his own experience to emphasize how much the snow wolf tribe is to the human race. He is friendly and skillfully brings the little girl over to sit on his lap and feed him—although he doesn't have much to deal with the cubs, but Thrall is not sloppy in coaxing and feeding the cubs.

Dressed in low-key luxury with connotation (sun cloth), demeanor and demeanor quite aristocratic (Sarzu is more generous anyway), the master is so approachable and expresses his love for his children so directly. Sam is overwhelmed with gratitude and exchanged greetings He gave a clear account of his family background, half-pushed and half-scheduled and signed the contract of sale... er... the labor contract, and left his daughter as a hostage, carrying a hundred catties of vermicelli in the company of adventurers Running home to call my wife and children...

Sam's family of four sat at the long table ferociously, sipping powder, chewing bones and meat, and the crowd who were still watching finally loosened up, and they rushed to the recruitment office of the Snow Wolf Clan in groups...

Xiao Yun folded his hands on his chest, and bumped his shoulders against Isaac who shouted dryly, and Xiao Yun told him to shut up with disdain: "See, that's the right attitude to do things. Your handsome temperament is not as good as yours, but it is better than you, tsk tsk~"

Isaac glanced at Sal, who was surrounded by a group of local residents, spitting, and silently turned his face away.

Captain Hannah, who was not asked to "pick up guests" because of her swollen face (...), gave Isaac a sympathetic look.

There are thousands of households in the South City area of ​​the Xiacheng District, and there are thousands of young and middle-aged men, but most of them have never dared to sign up because of too many scruples, too little courage, and unwillingness to leave their hometowns to go to sea. This group of people worked for a year to bring their salaries back and then followed suit... So the recruiting took more than three hours, and only about 500 people signed the contract, which was still a little far from the goal of [-] people.

Xiao Yun is a guy who can't wait two days for things that can be done in one day, so he forced Isaac to take the knight brothers to go around the streets to publicize, calling out those who are still lying at home and starving...

"In addition to the quota of [-] male workers, we also recruit female workers. We count as many as we can come. We must pay attention to shouting out this point." Xiao Yun warned that wool textiles for the low-end market require a large number of weavers, and small cats are completely It is not enough, and the tribe has to expand the warehouse for raw wool again and again. If it can carry two ships of female workers back, then there is no trouble at all.

"Wait, it's not okay to call all the female workers to the male..." Xiao Yun glanced at the adventurer team again, "All the female workers come out, Hannah, you go too."

Captain Hannah: "..." Isn't it safe to have a sloppy face?

In order to prevent these guys from working hard, Xiao Yun asked the grassroots patriarch to follow along to "supervise"...

On the periphery of the crowd, several gloomy-faced men watched a snow werewolf and several adventurers leave the "recruitment office" and sneak into the alley, winked at each other, and retreated quietly.