socalfunplaces Chapter 7 Uninvited Guest
Chapter 7 Uninvited Guest
This is Lowell's head!
Luo Xu's face turned deathly pale, and he suddenly felt nauseous.
Galon's face was grim; he knew this meant that the plan to seek help from Onila had failed.
"I told you, anyone who tries to play tricks will die!" the bandit leader shouted, his eyes filled with ruthlessness.
The bandits opposite were bolder than in the morning; they stopped two or three meters away from Luo Xu.
The bandit's single-edged sword gleamed coldly in the sunlight, as if it would pounce at any moment, causing the villagers to shrink back.
Luo Xu's palms were sweating, and fear was spreading wildly in his heart, but he did not take a single step back.
"If you take a step back, everyone else will take ten steps back." He still remembered Walter's words.
I must not back down!
Luo Xu gripped his spear tightly, his eyes fixed on the bandits opposite him.
If these thugs dare to charge at him, he will pierce their bodies with his spear.
Seeing the villagers behind the militiamen gripped by fear, the bandit leader on horseback grinned.
"Brothers, let's go and let them think it over."
After letting out a strange cry, the group of bandits left triumphantly.
An old man suddenly rushed out of the crowd, picked up Lowell's head from the ground, and cried out, "My son!"
Galon scanned the panicked faces of the crowd, and this time he finally lost his composure:
"I know what you're thinking, but only by uniting can we defeat those bandits..."
"Why don't we just pay protection money?" a villager interrupted him. "After the autumn harvest, we can plant winter rye and get through this."
"you……"
Galon was about to reprimand him, but then realized he wasn't the only one with this idea, and said helplessly:
"I can't make this decision by myself. You all go back and think it over carefully. Then, go to the open space in the center of the village at dusk to vote on the decision."
"There's something you need to think about clearly: they're a bunch of ruthless robbers who kill without blinking an eye, and they have no integrity whatsoever."
After saying this, Galon left quickly, his mind heavy with worry. The villagers also dispersed one after another, each with a troubled expression on their face.
The old man holding Lowell's head walked unsteadily, his back hunched over badly.
"Did you blow the bone whistle?" Walter walked over and asked.
"Yes, Captain."
"Well done, Rosius." Walter patted Rosius on the shoulder, a slight smile playing on his lips.
This incident did not affect the militia's patrol mission, and soon only Rosu and Jeffrey remained south of Lantas village.
As Luo Xu returned to the low slope, preparing to continue his sentry duty, an unexpected person appeared behind him.
"Rossiy".
Luo Xu turned his head and saw that it was actually Alina. Her hair was stuck to her face, and there was still dirt on her hands, so she had obviously just finished working in the fields.
She didn't come alone; Marcus and Leah were standing at the village entrance, looking this way.
"Sister Alina, what brings you here?" Luo Xu asked in confusion.
"Did you have a good lunch at the hotel?" Alina handed her a coarse cloth bag.
Inside the coarse cloth bag was a small piece of dark bread and a dozen or so boiled chestnuts.
"Sister Alina, I've already eaten at the hotel." Luo Xu wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he left the coarse cloth bag behind.
This was Alina's kind intention; going back now would seem too distant.
Alina looked into Luo Xu's eyes, as if trying to confirm whether he was lying, and Luo Xu did not avoid her gaze.
Alina didn't delve into the matter further; instead, she asked with concern, "How did you end up joining the militia?"
"The daily wage for joining the militia is 30 dinars. I can pay off my debt to Galon in just two days."
"This is too dangerous."
Seeing Alina's worried expression, Luo Xu felt a warmth in his heart.
He suddenly remembered that when he first transmigrated, his coarse cloth trousers had been accidentally torn with a large rip. He had no needle or thread, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask the villagers for help.
No one was willing to talk to him at the time, except for Alina who took a needle and thread and sewed it up for him.
"I won't let the bandits harm you..."
Luo suddenly stopped mid-sentence and quickly changed the subject: "Sister Alina, you shouldn't leave the village these next few days. Those bandits are keeping a close eye on you."
Alina looked at Luo Xu, her chestnut eyes misting over, and said in a hoarse voice, "Then you should be careful."
"Yes, I will."
After escorting Alina back to the village entrance, Luo Xu stood on the low slope again.
"Ding! Your reconnaissance skill experience +1, next level: 5/50."
A gust of autumn wind blew by, rustling the wheat fields. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the sun was already hanging in the west.
Luo Xu opened the Mount & Blade interface.
[Scout] 6 Distance to the next level: 2/72.
His reconnaissance skills improved quite quickly because there were more small animals in the southern plains than expected. He gained a lot of experience just from the rabbits and birds hiding in the bushes.
"Rossi, Jeffrey."
Walter walked over with a spear in his hand, followed by three villagers.
"Captain Walter, this is..." Luo Xu pointed at the three villagers, a look of confusion on his face.
"These three men are here to stand guard in your place," Walter explained to Luo Xu.
After discussing it with Galon, they decided to have some villagers who were willing to resist the bandits take over the night patrols in place of the militia.
After a certain period of time, a new group of villagers will take turns working.
This way, the village can be kept on guard while the militia can get sufficient rest.
Luo Xu thought about it and felt that this was indeed a good idea.
The militia is the core force in fighting against bandits, and it is crucial to keep them in combat readiness.
"You guys go have dinner first," Walter said, then paused, adding with a complicated expression, "Oh, by the way, two soldiers arrived this afternoon. They're at the hotel now; Jeffrey, keep a close eye on them."
"Yes, Captain."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xu abruptly stopped in his tracks.
The Southern Empire and the Khuzait are currently locked in a fierce battle, so how could two soldiers have deserted their posts and come to Lantas Village?
Could they be deserters?
He quickly stopped Walter and asked, "Did they say why they came to Lanta Village?"
"I asked them, and they said their troops had been scattered and were preparing to go to Oenila to await reorganization," Walter said.
Luo Xu nodded, now basically certain that the two men were deserters.
Qusert is located northeast of the Southern Empire. If one were to travel to Oenila for reorganization, there would be no need to take a long detour to the village of Lantas, west of Oenila.
However, Luo Xu couldn't voice this conjecture yet, as a "stranger" he couldn't explain why he was so familiar with the map of the Southern Empire.
"Do they know about those bandits?" Luo Xu asked.
"I don't know either."
Seeing Walter shake his head, Luo Xu didn't ask any further questions.
Jeffrey wanted to stay behind and give the three villagers some important instructions, but Luo Xu had a bad feeling about it, so he went to the inn ahead of him.
When Luo Xu arrived at the entrance of the stone-built inn, he noticed that there were two more horses in the stable next to it.
They were the most common mainland riding horses in the Southern Empire, and they bore many scars.
As soon as Luo Xu entered the hotel, two burly men in the corner immediately raised their heads and cast wary glances at him.