ALL NOVEL Chapter 14 Survivors
The seventh day when the circus arrived at the Fortress of Piek.
The show for civilians is over. The tipi tent remains on Fountain Square for now.
The soldiers who were fighting against the bandits outside would be divided into different batches and return to the city to rest.
So, just wait for the messenger guard to come over and inform everyone that the show is ready to start.
In the early morning, the rays of the rising sun bloom from the horizon, covering the sky and clouds with a golden coat. The sunlight penetrates into the gaps in the curtains, gently waking up the sleeping travelers in the hotel.
Xia Zuo left the sweet dreamland.
Poppy and Snake, who were in the same room, got up early and went for a walk in the city.
Now I guess I just walked out of some restaurant. While praising the delicious breakfast, I walked to the place of entertainment.
The two of them would stay up late playing in the tavern like all unmarried bachelors of old age do.
Play dice, play cards, and arm-wrestle with others to earn some free drinks. Occasionally, he would find a beautiful girl, stay out all night, and come back the next day to catch up on his sleep with dark circles under his eyes.
In this land, there are only these forms of entertainment.
"Dong dong dong"
There was a knock on the door.
Xia Zola opened the door and saw Audrey standing outside:
"Sister, good morning. Isn't it too early for class? I haven't had breakfast yet..."
His eyes and words gradually froze, he looked up and down Audrey's outfit, and said with admiration:
"Sister, you are so beautiful today."
Audrey put on light makeup to hide the tougher lines on her face, her hair was tied into a ball on the back of her head, and there was a shining silver pendant next to her neck.
The turbulent waves were wrapped in white silk underwear, revealing a deep ravine. The 1.9-meter-tall figure was paired with a long slit skirt, and the slender calves were looming under the skirt.
"Little guy, come with me to the pub in a moment. Go and change into more formal clothes."
Audrey pushed the boy into the room and closed the door.
With a confused face, Xia Zuo opened the suitcase where he kept his clothes, looking for clean and decent clothes.
After performing in a city, Audrey would wander around the streets.
Xia Zuo followed behind to help her carry clothes and packages, and occasionally bought some books and replacement clothes.
A few minutes later, Xia Zuo put on a brown short robe decorated with strings and walked out of the bathroom, "Is it okay to wear this?"
"Yeah~ ok"
Audrey smiled and nodded, crossing one leg and sitting on the edge of the bed:
"Little guy, originally I wanted to go alone. But I thought you were quite smart and had a good memory. You might be able to help, so I came to rope you in."
"What exactly is it?"
Xia Zuo sat down at the desk and found some slices of bread to fill his stomach.
Audrey took a breath, the waves on her chest trembled slightly, and memories flashed through her eyes.
“During the years when I was running around for points from the Fighters Guild, I briefly joined the kingdom’s army.
"One of the sergeants who returned to the fortress a few days ago was a former comrade. We agreed to meet in the tavern today to reminisce.
"I just wanted to inquire about the status of the battle between the army and the bandits, so as to prepare for the next reincarnation performance."
Xia Zuo ate the bread and glanced at Audrey again...
The other party's carefully dressed appearance clearly showed that his former comrade's status in the army was not low.
"I've eaten. Do you want to leave now?"
Audrey took the boy's hand and walked outside.
"I will introduce you to him, um...as my brother. You must remember everything he said. This is a rare opportunity to understand the war."
…
There is a consensus within the circus: their new flamethrower, Xia Zuo, is a boy who doesn't like to waste his time in recreational areas.
In fact it is.
Xia Zuo once went to a tavern with Snake and the others.
There are many types of chess boards to choose from.
Although you can get money if you win, the experience gained is too little, almost like cooking a dish.
What's more, after losing, you have to lose money, lose experience, and waste time.
It is obviously not cost-effective to gain experience through recreational means.
The pub that Audrey came to today was much more upscale than the ones Xia Zuo had visited before.
In the lobby on the first floor, booths separated by wooden boards and curtains replace the long benches and square tables found in ordinary pubs.
Customers chatted in low voices amidst the clear and long music of the piano.
The bartender on the bar is neatly dressed, with a bow on his collar, and his deliberately groomed beard is even more delicate than Xia Zuo's hair style.
Xia Zuo couldn't help but comb his hair with his hands and straighten his short robe before following Audrey into the corridor and into a private room.
A middle-aged man with scars on his cheeks sat upright at the dining table.
As soon as he saw the radiant Audrey, he stood up with a smile and said hello, "Audrey, you are really more charming than before."
"Wilson, it's been a long time since I saw you. You still look as good as ever."
Audrey stretched out her hand and shook it lightly, then looked at the boy beside her, "This is my brother Xia Zuo. Xia Zuo, this is Uncle Wilson."
"Uncle Wilson, hello~"
Xia Zuo showed a ceremonial smile and threw the Detection Technique at the other party.
[Character name] Wilson
[Identity] Military personnel of Piek Fortress
【HP】? ?
【Strength】7
【Agility】9
【Endurance】6
【Vitality】3
【Perception】6
【Will】6
【Spirit】2
【Charm】5
[Character Specialties]
【Breathing method effect】? ?
Wilson's attribute distribution is similar to that of Audrey and others, both with high strength and agility.
People who practice breathing techniques have this characteristic.
Except for Vers, he has a more prominent will attribute.
"Hello, little one. Let's sit together."
Wilson helped Audrey and Xia Zuo pull out their chairs and ordered the waiter to bring tea and snacks.
Two comrades who had worked together first recalled their past military experiences, and then talked about their respective current situations.
It is not difficult to know from their conversation.
Wilson used to be the captain of a certain mobile team, responsible for rushing to rescue emergencies everywhere, driving away bandits or culling wild animals.
Audrey was one of his team members, the only female one.
The two met again after several years.
Audrey became the ringmaster of the circus.
Wilson repeatedly made military exploits in the army and became the third-in-command of the Pieck Fortress Army - the clerk, responsible for recording all matters in the army and providing advice to the commander.
Audrey stroked Xia Zuo's hair and said to Wilson sadly:
"Old man, let me tell you the story of this boy..."
In a calm tone, she recounted how Xia Zuo was kidnapped by the villain alchemist for experimentation and was eventually rescued by the circus.
Wilson soaked in Audrey's words.
When he heard that among the boys in the cave, only Xia Zuo escaped alive and walked in the forest for two days, Wilson looked at the boy with admiration in his eyes.
"Very brave, Xia Zuo."
A smile spread across Wilson's prim face.
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Wilson. I have moved on from this sadness."
Xia Zuo kept a polite smile and nodded in response.
Wilson stood up, crossed the table and patted Xia Zuo on the shoulder, with an appreciative look on his face:
"When you are 18 years old, you are welcome to join me as a soldier. We need great guys like you here."
"That won't do, Wilson. Xia Zuo is the fire breather in our circus."
Audrey chimed in with a chuckle.
Wilson's smile froze, then shook his head slightly, and joked with a pity tone:
"Little guy, I didn't expect you to have this ability. Audrey is so lucky."
Audrey picked up the tea cup and took a sip, covering the corners of her proud mouth with the cup.
"How are you doing, old man."
“a mess”
A hint of helplessness flashed across Wilson's face, "Something seems to have happened in the wilderness south of the kingdom. The behavior of the bandits is completely different from before."
Audrey and Xia Zuo looked at each other and listened sideways.
Wilson put his arms on the table and crossed his fingers as if thinking, "Audrey, do you still remember how we suppressed the bandits at that time?"
Audrey said with a smile:
"I play the role of a peasant woman doing laundry and picking up vegetable baskets, you pretend to be a hard-working man with mud legs, and the others cover their faces with scarves and work in the fields. When the bandits come, we launch an attack together to catch them off guard."
Wilson nodded slowly, "In the past, the bandits just wanted to enter the village to find some food, take away a few cows, or take away the villagers' money bags and clothes.
"The villagers can either unite and drive away these half-starved bastards, or simply surrender to the outnumbered bandits. In any case, the casualties in the village will definitely not be as tragic as they are now."
Wilson's tone gradually became serious:
"In recent months, the bandits don't seem to be coming for the supplies in the village at all.
“As soon as they entered the village, they attacked the villagers, killed and looted them all, and then set fire to the village.
"Every time the city fortress received an alarm and sent troops to the scene, it was a scorched scene."
Xia Zuo frowned and had a vague guess.
It seems that a hostile force is manipulating the rogues to harass the Piek Fortress in an attempt to disperse the fortress' forces and consume the effective strength of the army.
The number of villages in Rosak province is very, very large.
The circus motorcade drove along the commercial road and passed a village every twenty or thirty kilometers.
With so many scattered strongholds, it is very difficult to set up permanent troops in all of them.
Under normal circumstances, the guards in the village are mostly a few garrison soldiers, plus a group of militiamen wielding hoes and pitchforks.
Throughout the entire Rossak Province, the main military forces are concentrated in various fortresses.
Once there is banditry somewhere, the soldiers stationed in the village will ride horses to the nearby fort to sound the alarm, and then the military camp in the fort will send troops out of the city to suppress the bandits.
The relationship between bandits and villages is more like that of a sickle and a leek.
Only living villagers are good villagers. Dead villagers cannot produce food and other materials.
For rogue bandits, there is no benefit to killing villagers except being sent to the guillotine.
Audrey also thought of this, "Isn't there anyone alive in the villages destroyed by the bandits?"
"No."
Wilson shook his head and said:
"As you know, the army wants to clean up the ruins and clean up the corpses to prevent the plague. We have carefully searched the scene and there are no survivors."
"Uncle Wilson, I should be considered a survivor."
Xia Zuo was not sure and his tone was erratic.