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The morning sun dispelled the darkness in the forest and took away the worries that lingered in everyone's hearts.

After the battle last night, everyone was busy cleaning up the battlefield, and at the same time, guarding against the enemy's return, so most of them did not continue to sleep.

Now that the sun was out, everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Some who were really tired and sleepy began to catch up on sleep.

Some of the mercenaries began to prepare breakfast, while Captain Sarroux was still arguing with Merchant Oliver about the compensation for the casualties.

In fact, both sides had already agreed on the standard of compensation before they set off. The reason why they were arguing now was entirely because of an unlucky person who was mistakenly killed by his own people.

Oliver insisted that this person was the responsibility of the Firefox Mercenaries and should not be paid for by him, so he quarreled with Sarroux.

Colin did not care about the matter at this time. He was squatting by a fire, leisurely drinking "water" from a kettle.

The rising sun was a little dazzling, so Colin lowered the brim of his hat a little, almost completely covering half of his face.

Then, he took out the sheepskin scroll and crossed out the sentence he wrote yesterday: "Human blood can help with advancement."

This was because he found that the blood that he secretly got from the corpse of a bandit last night had no effect on increasing his strength. Just like deer blood, other than satisfying his appetite and replenishing his energy, it did not have the same effect as Knight Carter's blood.

Perhaps the blood of ordinary people had no effect. Only the blood of professionals could help with advancement.

Moreover, it probably needed the blood of professionals who were of a higher level than him to have an effect.

Thinking of this, Colin unconsciously glanced at the only rank 2 warrior here — Captain Sarroux.

Then he shook his head.

Let's not talk about whether he could beat Sarroux.

Even if he could, he did not want to kill an innocent person in order to advance quickly.

Colin felt that he still had a bottom line.

While his thoughts were running wild, Colin found that the argument between Oliver and Sarroux had finally ended.

The chubby merchant was walking towards Colin, looking a little unhappy. It seemed that he had not gained the upper hand in the dispute just now.

As they approached, Oliver glanced at Sarroux's silhouette and complained to Colin, "What a troublesome fellow!"

Colin looked at the merchant who had proudly said that he would sponsor an army the day before. Now, he was haggling over every penny because of a mercenary's pension. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Forget it, I'll just treat it as appeasing the people. After all, there's still a long way to go before we reach Fallen Eagle City. It's not a wise choice to fall out with the Firefox Mercenaries now."

"I know. If I hadn't considered this point, I wouldn't have given in to that old fellow Sarroux! "Oliver obviously understood this point, but he was still unwilling to accept it and complained in a low voice.

"Do you want to try the jerky I brought? It's much better than bread." Then, the fat merchant became generous again.

Colin accepted Oliver's kindness with a smile and chatted with him casually.

After everyone had finished their breakfast and rested for two hours, the merchant group packed up their tents and prepared to set off again.

At this moment, Sarroux suddenly stopped everyone. He then laid down on the ground and pressed his right ear to the ground.

Seeing this, Colin frowned slightly.

His hearing in the day was far inferior to at night, so he couldn't hear any abnormal movements.

On the other side, Sarroux suddenly jumped up from the ground and roared, "Horse! Hooves! Quick! Everyone, be on alert! "

Following Sarroux's shout, the entire campsite was in chaos.

Oliver's face instantly turned pale.

He knew the severity of the situation.

This was different from the attack last night. The bandit group couldn't afford to raise horses. If the people coming now were enemies and not friends, it would be very troublesome …

"Ta ta ta …"

As time passed, Colin finally heard the sound of hurried hooves.

The ground began to tremble slightly, which made the mercenaries even more flustered. Even Big Beard Sarroux's roar couldn't calm them down.

Colin squinted his eyes and saw a grey line suddenly appear in the forest not far away. It was like a sharp arrow rushing towards the campsite.

It was a group of cavalry!

There weren't many of them, only about twenty of them.

But looking at their overwhelming momentum, Colin had no doubt that the defensive position that the Fire Fox Mercenaries had put together with all their might would immediately crumble if they charged at them.

This was the terrifying pressure of the King of War in the era of cold weapons!

Rumble!

The ground rumbled.

The cavalry was approaching.

The mercenaries were trembling.

Oliver closed his eyes in pain.

Sarroux carried a huge half-shield and stood at the forefront of the defensive line like a boulder.

Colin couldn't care less about the glaring sunlight. He sighed helplessly, took off his triangular hat, and pulled out the one-handed sword from his waist.

Just as everyone was preparing to fight to the death, the charging cavalry suddenly stopped about thirty meters away from the campsite.

"Neigh — —"

A series of horse cries could be heard as twenty warhorses stood in the air.

Good horsemanship!

Colin couldn't help but praise in his heart.

At the same time, his tense mood relaxed a little.

They shouldn't be enemies anymore.

But, seeing how they didn't slow down at all and came to a sudden stop, it was obvious that they wanted to show off their strength to the Firefox Mercenaries.

So, they might not have any good intentions.

Oliver, the shrewd merchant, also noticed this point. He didn't take the initiative to step forward, but instead signaled for Sarroux to go forward and negotiate.

Sarroux was helpless. After all, he had received a commission and was obligated to help Oliver solve any problems he encountered along the way.

So, he could only put down his half-shield and sword and step forward empty-handed. At the same time, he shouted:

"Friends on the other side! I am the captain of the Firefox Mercenaries, Sarroux. I am escorting some goods from the Tulip Chamber of Commerce to Fallen Eagle City. Is there anything I can help you with? "

The cavalry on the other side didn't react, as if they had suddenly turned into statues.

The forest was silent. The wind seemed to have suddenly stopped, and the air was so heavy that it was suffocating.

Sarroux suppressed the fear and uneasiness in his heart and braced himself to continue forward.

After taking a few steps forward, he finally saw the insignia on the chest of the cavalry leader. He immediately gasped in shock: "Sir, are you a knight of the House of Saint Hilde?"

Sarroux's loud voice also reached the rear. So, a small commotion broke out among the mercenaries.

But at the same time, everyone couldn't help but lower their weapons to the ground. It was as if the name "Saint Hilde" had a terrifying magic that made people not dare to be enemies.

Yes.

On the Empire's Northern Frontier, the name "Saint Hilde" was a symbol of absolute authority.

Even the Empire's royal family didn't have such terrifying appeal and influence here.

"Clang."

The leader of the cavalry finally moved. He lifted the mask of his helmet, revealing a pair of cold eyes. He nodded at Sarroux, acknowledging his identity.

Then, he took out a scroll of parchment from the pouch in front of his saddle and threw it at Sarroux's feet. At the same time,

he announced with an unquestionable tone:

"Under the orders of the Duke Of Saint Hilde's son, Marquis Charles, you have been urgently recruited."