Volume 2: Empire Chapter 182: Southampton Town
Qingkong placed the coffee on Luke's desk and asked with concern, "Are you really determined to go to Tedega Hills alone? I'll go with you when I come back from the Moonlight Court."
Luke took a sip of coffee and replied, "It will take too much time to wait for you to come back from the Moonlight Court. It will take time to arrange for the angels and the Golden Men to build the temple and the World Bank branch, as well as to arrange the defense of the World Tree. When the work of the Moonlight Court is done, the Northern Spring War should be over. By then, I will have to deal with the Northern Legion with Agatha and will not have the energy to investigate the Abyss Temple."
Qingkong was still very worried: "I will accompany you whenever you go to Dongdu. This time we are going to investigate the Abyss Temple, which is more dangerous than Dongdu.
The secrets of the abyss can actually be slowly investigated."
Luke considered it.
The changes to the Book of Disaster require changes to our previous understanding of it, and more details unknown to players need to be discovered.
Today Qingkong met Dean Wilred , but the old dean was not willing to talk much about the Book of Disaster, so Qingkong did not get more information from the old dean.
In this world, the people who know the Book of Disaster the best are the Abyss Apostles. They even tried to copy the Book of Disaster using the same method, but they failed. However, they know that the Book of Disaster is different from ordinary occult encyclopedias.
Therefore, Luke decided to take advantage of this time to secretly go to the Tedega Hills to investigate the information related to the Book of Disaster.
But Qingkong had her own things to do and couldn't go to Tedega Hills with me.
He and the Abyss Temple and the Celtic Duke are definitely enemies who will fight to the death as soon as they meet. Qingkong is not exaggerating when he says that this journey is more dangerous than Winter City.
So she came specially to persuade him.
But after a period of careful consideration, Luke still insisted on this decision: "After this period of time, it will be difficult to have free time, and the Duke of Celtic and the Abyss Temple will definitely not expect me to go to Tedejia Hill at this time. In addition, I am very familiar with Tedejia Hill, and I can pass the Abyss Temple dungeon with my eyes closed."
"But you were controlling me at that time."
"Not much of a difference." Luke pointed to his head. "With my current strength and the strategy in my mind, I won't encounter any danger that I can't handle."
Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Qingkong had no choice but to say, "Since you insist, I will not stop you. Who are you going to take with you, and in what capacity?"
Luke replied, "This time we are investigating the Book of Disaster, and we need to be flexible. Bringing other people with us will only lead to accidents. I am going to the Tedega Hills as an adventurer. It would be even better if I could join the local adventurer team."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning..."
"I'm very far away from you this time, you must protect yourself."
"Don't worry!"
"I'll be watching you through the stars."
The next day, Luke quietly left Raging Waves City and boarded a ship heading south. He would sail around the coastline of the empire and enter the largest private territory in the empire from the southern primeval forest of the Tedega Hills.
After returning to Saint Lun City, Qingkong announced loudly that he would return to the Moonlight Court with Meteorite. At the same time, he invited the angels and the Golden People to go to the Moonlight Court to continue discussing the issue of compensation.
…
Southampton is one of the many towns along the southern coastline of Tedega Hills. There are many such towns between the southern forests and the coastline of Tedega Hills, forming a pearl-chain town belt that connects Tedega Hills with the outside world.
Especially during the war, when the other directions of the Tedega Hills were blocked by the Empire, the southern town belt became an important foreign trade port for the barbarians.
Even though the Imperial Navy patrolled from time to time and even occupied some larger towns, it still could not stop smuggling. A large amount of goods were transported to these towns through various routes, and then broken down into small pieces and sent through the dangerous primitive jungle into the Tedega Hills.
Southampton is such a town. It is not large and feels a bit like a town in a western movie. The main industries of the town are animal husbandry and hunting. The barbarians are very talented in domesticating large livestock. The hill cattle raised by them are all big and fat, and the beef is very popular.
At the same time, there are countless treasures in the primitive jungle, including precious medicines, animal skins and bones needed for alchemy, which has given rise to many adventurer teams. They risked their lives to enter the jungle just to get rich overnight.
Luke arrived at the town of Southampton on a small cargo ship.
Everything was not much different from the game. Next to the dilapidated port was a beef slaughterhouse, and a small path mixed with mud and cow dung led into the town.
The burly barbarian cowboys turned into a tavern while counting the money they had earned from selling cattle, and women on the street were posing there with cheap makeup on. From time to time, gunshots and shouting came from a corner, but the people in the town seemed to be accustomed to this kind of thing and continued to do their own things.
"What's your name? What are you doing in Southampton?"
As soon as he stepped off the ship, Luke was stopped by an Imperial Marine.
These third-line navy soldiers still wore old-style uniforms, red woolen double-breasted uniforms, and triangular sailing hats. There was also a pure sailing clipper parked in the town's port. Not all places were like the Raging Waves City. Except for a few main corps, the second-line and third-line armies of the imperial army were still very backward in equipment.
Luke took out the prepared certificate: "Mr. Officer, my name is Luke, I am an adventurer, and this is my adventurer qualification certificate."
The soldier looked at Luke's clothes.
Big leather boots, durable canvas clothes and pants, a vest with many pockets, and a cowboy hat. The belt around his waist was full of bullets, and there was a revolver in the holster on his waist... a very standard adventurer's outfit.
"B-level adventurer, it seems you are quite capable." The soldier checked Luke's ID again and was surprised by the adventure level marked on it: "I didn't expect such a small place would attract a high-level adventurer like you."
Luke replied: "I was commissioned by my employer to go to Tedega Hill to find something. I do things for money..."
Luke took out a bill and handed it to the soldier.
The soldier looked around and returned the ID to Luke, taking the banknote.
“Good luck on your adventure!”
The soldier left to check on the others, and Luke packed his documents and walked through the mud towards the town.
As a senior agent of the Secret Service, Luke knew very well that the blockade of the Imperial Army here was purely a formality, otherwise all kinds of smuggled goods would not have been able to flow into the Tedega Hills so unscrupulously.
But the empire had no choice. No one could expect soldiers with such equipment to fight for such a pitiful salary, especially when facing barbarians who were naturally brave.
Luke pushed open the door and walked into a pub, then went straight to the bar and sat down.
"Give me a glass of real ale, a grilled steak and a pickled cucumber." Luke ordered skillfully and glanced at the interior of the tavern.
There are not only barbarians in Tedega Hills, but also human footprints in every corner of the world. In Tedega Hills, the ratio of humans to barbarians can reach one to one, and in coastal towns like this, the ratio of humans is even higher.
There are many commissions posted on the tavern's information wall, and some adventurers gather in front of the information wall to choose commissions that suit them.
A glass of pure ale, grilled steak and pickled cucumbers were placed in front of Luke by a barbarian woman with long hair, and then the woman looked at the human in front of her unscrupulously.
"Hey, little cow, are you an adventurer too? Your skin is as smooth as butter. This adventuring job is not suitable for you. Why don't you take a part-time job with me? I guarantee that the tips alone will be more than what you earn from adventuring."
Luke picked up the steak and ate it. He said to the barbarian woman, "Barbarati, if your husband knew that you flirted with human men again, everyone in the town would hear your screams tonight."
The barbarian Barbara was obviously very afraid of her husband. She looked at Luke curiously and said, "How do you know my name? I'm sure this is your first time in Southampton."
"You guessed wrong. I've been here many times, but not in this look."
The barbarian became alert: "Are you a wizard?"
Wizard is the name given by the barbarians to the abyss mages. Because the abyss mages possess supernatural powers, they are respected by the barbarians but also feared by them.
Luke smiled and did not answer, but said: "I am going to the Blood Oath Temple. Do you have a suitable commission to help me with the travel expenses?"
Barbarati the barbarian observed Luke: "The Blood Oath Temple is in the barbarian's holy mountain. What is your purpose in going there?"
Luke put down the steak, took out a towel to wipe his greasy hands, and then took out a letter of authorization from the inside pocket of his vest.
"My employer is a barbarian doing business abroad. His name is Mr. Fekechik. His home is in the Blood Oath Temple, also known as the Holy Mountain. My mission is to bring something back home for Mr. Fekechik. It would be even better if I could complete another task on the way."
Barbara looked at the letter of authorization.
It was indeed a commission from a barbarian named Fekochik. It did not say what was needed, only that his family knew.
The barbarians were much more relaxed. The outbreak of war caused many barbarians to lose contact with their families, and some barbarians with money would entrust human adventurers to pass on information.
"You can try your luck with Miss Coconut. Maybe her adventurer team is short of manpower."
Luke followed Barbara's instructions and found an adventurer named Coconut, who was indeed very "Coconut".
Coconut has the blood of a barbarian, but her body is not as strong as that of a barbarian. She is tall, well-proportioned, and has fair skin, much like a model at the fashion week in Raging Waves City. Her clothes are also very avant-garde and bold, with a pair of 1.2-meter-long legs wearing leg rings on both sides, with two short swords inserted in them.
"Thank you, Mrs. Barbara." Luke took his food and wine and came to the table where Coconut was. "Can I sit here, Captain Coconut?"
At this time, Coconut was studying a map with her team members. Hearing Luke's request, Coconut put the map away calmly, then said with a smile: "Of course, is there anything that the Coconut Adventure Team can help you with? Our fees are very fair."
Coconut thought that Luke was his employer who came to discuss a commissioned task.
Luke sat down and said, "I was introduced by Madam Barbarati. My name is Luke. I have a commission to go to the Blood Oath Temple. I heard that your adventure group has a mission along the way, so I wanted to ask if you are short of manpower."
When Coconut heard that Luke was not the employer who was discussing the commission, he immediately lost interest: "I'm sorry, Mr. Luke. When we decided on the mission, we had already determined the personnel, and we are not short of manpower now. If you want to follow our team to the Blood Oath Temple, I'm afraid you will have to pay a small fee."
Luke took out his adventurer certificate and said, "I am a Class B adventurer certified by the World Adventurer Association. I think my participation will definitely add some insurance to your mission."
When they saw Luke take out the adventurer's certificate, Coco and her teammates became a little uneasy.
Because although they call themselves adventurers, they are actually just mercenaries who do things for money. They are a ragtag army that is not recognized by the World Adventurer's Association.
The adventurer's certificate meant that the man in front of him was a regular soldier, and a B-rank adventurer at that, someone that these miscellaneous guys looked up to.
Coconut carefully examined Luke's credentials, then returned them with an enviable look on his face: "Mr. Luke, I'm afraid the money we made from this mission won't be enough to pay for your labor."
Luke put away his certificate and said proudly, "Then take this opportunity to take on more missions that can be completed on the way to the Blood Oath Temple. The joining of a B-level adventurer is a very rare learning opportunity, and also a very rare opportunity to make money. We should make a good profit."
Coconut was originally thinking about how to reject the adventurer in front of him, but after hearing what he said, his mind was instantly opened.
yes!
B-level adventurers are absolutely incredibly strong. Not only do they possess enviable skills, but their rich adventure experience is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
If a B-level adventurer joins temporarily, there is no need for your adventurer team to stick to the current mission. You can be bolder and take on more high-bounty missions. Then you will have the money to pay the B-level adventurer, and you can also take the opportunity to make a fortune.
Coconut immediately smiled and shouted to Barbara, "This gentleman's fee is on me!"
Then Coconut extended his hand to Luke: "Welcome to join Coconut's adventurer team, but before you join, I need to conduct some assessments on you. This will help us understand your strength and facilitate cooperation on the mission.
You have no objection, right? "
Luke knew that Ye Guo wanted to test his strength to prevent himself from being a liar. He smiled and shook hands with Ye Guo: "Of course I have no objection. I hope your strength is not too weak, otherwise it will drag me down."
Luke acted very arrogantly and spoke rudely, as if you were taking advantage of me.
Although Coconut didn't have a very good first impression of this human, she still tried to keep smiling for the sake of money.
