Ch. 91 - Negotiation

By the time Aberleigh had eaten for the first time in a real sense. There were no more bodies in this forest except for the blood all over the ground. Paladin looked at Tony, who was still vomiting, and Kaleqi, who was sitting on a tree trunk on one side to calm his mind. He was no longer in the mood to pay attention to these people. He walked out of the forest and went back to the tent to lie on the quilt.

Some people say that sleep can give people calm and relaxation. But Paladin could not sleep when he was most irritable. He has not slept for more than two months. Usually it was fine, but now he had just killed a man and found a fatal weakness under this extreme power. But he can not sleep! He couldn't even eat! A grievance has nowhere to vent, Paladin even had an impulse to get up and roast the entire camp! So Paladin lay with his eyes open until dawn.

When the first sunlight in the early morning shot into the tent, Paladin immediately squinted. The familiar all-seeing eye on the forehead immediately emerged. Fleetingly, the famous Paladin sat up disheveled. "Oh, you're awake early, Father!" At that moment, a soldier with a spear in his hand wearing chain armor lifted open the tent, saw Paladin who had woken up, and could not help but ask unexpectedly. Paladin immediately revealed a smile, put the cross on his body, took the scepter, said very piously: "As a servant of God, every morning pray to the true God, calling the name of the true God Enos. It is the most basic."

This sergeant was surprised and gradually showed respect in his eyes and said, "Your Excellency, Auxiliary Bishop, please change your clothes and come out. Our lord, Lord Count Torch, would like to invite you to breakfast." Hearing this, Paladin was also stunned. Although he was puzzled by what such a great nobleman wanted him for, he said politely on the surface, "Please wait a moment, I will come after I change my clothes."

He immediately changed into a new, lacy and gorgeous robe. Put away the purely decorative scepter. With an effort to put on a mild expression, he walked out of the tent. "Your Excellency the Bishop, where are you going?" Just out of the tent, apparently Tony also just woke up and saw Paladin in a formal dress, could not help but ask. "Oh, the Count's invitation. You do your morning homework first." He said and gave the former a look, Paladin smilingly followed the soldier to go to that distant tall tent. But his heart is very unhappy. What he is most afraid of now is that people invited him to eat. Because he could not eat anything at all. If it's just clear water, he can barely drink a little bit. But any food once eaten, he will certainly be extremely nauseous and would vomit it out.

Under the soldiers' respectful escort, Paladin walked into the gorgeous tent. At first glance, he saw the long table set up inside, Bunnales, Count Torch was cutting a piece of smoked pork on a plate. Next to it were fresh fruit and white bread. "Lord Count, you called me?" Paladin very respectfully met the Count with the etiquette of a nobleman. But the count did not look up, just stretched out his hand in the side as a shake and said: "Paladin ah, come over here. You have not eaten breakfast, right."

Paladin smiled and sat down, and said in an apologetic voice, "Don't misunderstand, I never eat breakfast. At this time, I am praying to the true God Enos." Hearing these apparently excusing words, the earl unquestionably hmmed. After chewing the pork in his mouth and swallowing it, he put down his knife and fork. Picked up the napkin on his chest and wiped his mouth. Turned his head to look at Paladin. At this moment, the shoulder-length golden hair can't hide the count's pair of divine and far-reaching eyes. But under such gaze, Paladin still smiled. Not impressed at all.

Until half a sound, the Count suddenly humming a smile, continued to pick up the knife and fork to eat when, self-consciously said: "Auxiliary Bishop His Excellency, you know a mercenary called Harvey?" Speaking of this, he also deliberately added: "A face beard, bad temper. A mercenary who loves to play smart and wears iron armor most of all." Paladin pupils quickly contracted, but kept a smile on his face and shook his head: "Harvey? I'm sorry, honorable count. I do not know this man." "Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. Things don't develop only by the eyes, but also by the mind." Earl Torch immediately shook his hand and said something profound, while Paladin still smiled and shook his head to deny knowing Harvey.

Seeing that Paladin deadly denied, the count who apparently had some information but did not get angry, but instead showed an appreciative smile and asked an inexplicable sentence: "His Excellency the auxiliary bishop, do you know how much it costs to lead this army of eight hundred men of mine to fight the war?" Paladin faintly froze, then frowned in thought. "An army of eight hundred men, food, daily necessities, military pay, armor, weapons, etc.. It should cost eight thousand gold coins." Paladin came up with an ambiguous answer. After all, he had never come into contact with these things and did not understand them at all.

Only to see Count Torch nodding, very melancholy whispered: "My army of eight hundred people, before and after, in two months cost me ten thousand gold coins!" Paladin was a little surprised, not only at this huge number, but also at why the Count was telling himself these things. But he heard the Count continue helplessly: "I am the Count of the Principality, but the territory I inherited from my father is much larger than this title. I own a large city, a dozen towns, and more than thirty villages. Half of these territories are divided into the nobles under my hand. Half of the taxes they submit are taken every month, and the other half is turned over to the Grand Duke."

Speaking of this, as if a rare grievance, the count took a sip of water and said with a sigh, "In a month, with just taxes. I was able to get seven hundred gold coins. Plus the profits obtained by the merchants under my hand, the foreign trade of the important iron ore mines in the territory. There is also the trade and taxes from the border magical beast forest to and fro. I can also share a little, a month also has a thousand nine hundred gold coins. But I also want to spend, also want to decorate the facade, more to pay the officials underneath. What I really get in my hand every month is only five hundred gold coins."

Paladin seemed to understand the Count's meaning. Just see the count continued: "Although I am a count. But my torch clan has not been on the battlefield for generations. Always been placed in the back waiting for the battle report from the front. I don't know how to fight a war, and I don't know how to handle a war. More than that, I have never seen a war. That's right, you will die in battle, but as a nobleman, isn't the battlefield a place to make achievements for the glory and reputation of the family? Look at the Marquis of Carmon, the territory is just a castle and a big city. The wealth you can have is even more shabby! But they have three thousand private soldiers under their hands! It's one of the main battle forces of our duchy."

The Count's frown was deep, perhaps because this problem has bothered him for a long time: "The Carmon clan has been on the battlefield for generations, although from time to time there are sons killed in action. But because of years of training and experience, repeated from generation to generation, he has under his hands in the battlefield to kill the enemy to gain gold and skills of mature soldiers! Most of his soldiers' equipment are self-contained. It doesn't cost his marquis a penny at all! I have not been in battle and want glory and status. I also have no allegiance to elite soldiers and primus inter pares. So, O Paladin. Do you recognize Harvey now?"

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