The sun in the morning had not yet fully risen, and the sky was fiery red in the distance, which made Simon a little dazed for a moment, and felt like he saw the sunset.

There were almost no people on the street early in the morning. Except for some merchants and caravans who were packing up equipment outside the hotel like Simon and his party, and a night watchman who had just yawned and walked past with dark circles, there was no one on the street, and it was as quiet as time had stopped.

Seeing the rippling morning light reflected on the Rhine River by the city, Simon couldn't help but miss the beautiful village of Folde on the riverside far downstream, his territory, his lord's villa, and his warm little bed.

Since the road leading to Frankfurt to the east is not a business road, it is naturally more narrow and difficult to walk than the road running from south to north through Koblenz, which has been a busy business road since ancient times.

On the way from Koblenz to the vineyard mentioned by the caravans in Frankfurt, the trees on both sides of the road were thick and dense, overgrown with weeds, and rarely visited. Simon was a little worried about encountering ambush by the robbers, so he specifically told the fat man and the cowards of the caravans to be vigilant. Fortunately, they had not encountered any attacks along the way.

"Hey, Gejil, we agreed last night that we all went to the bathhouse to have fun together. Where did you go halfway?" In the timid merchant's team, wearing a rusty sleeveless chain mail, a dirty helmet on his head, and a dirty leather glove. He always put his hands next to the hilt of the sword at his waist. The bearded caravan guard who was walking next to the hilt of the sword at his waist turned his head and asked a guy walking next to the pack horse.

"I, I'll go to another tavern to have a drink." The guy named Gejil obviously didn't expect that he would be asked suddenly. After a moment of speech, he replied to the caravan guard's questions expressionlessly.

"Oh? It's really strange. Why don't you have enough drinks in the hotel we are staying before going to the bathhouse?" The caravan guard vaguely felt something was wrong, but the guy who ran away halfway last night was his own business, and the guard didn't ask much.

"I miss home, miss my wife, miss my children." Guy Gejil looked up at the sky above the road that was not covered by branches and leaves on both sides, looking very tired.

"Okay." The caravan guard felt a little bored and ignored this guy Gejill.

However, if the caravan guards were careful enough, he would be surprised to find that when he met a tax officer and town guards who went to the small village to collect taxes two days ago, the guy named Gejier was also missing as last night.

"Master, it's foggy." Miller looked at the forest in the fog with some anxiety. At this time, the mountains and forests were filled with thick fog, and clear dewdrops hung on the leaves between the trees and grass, reflecting the golden rising sun.

Simon could hear the sound of streams flowing in the distance, and from time to time, he could hear various birds singing on the big trees on both sides. Whenever Simon and his party rode their horses past some trees beside the road, there were always some birds flying away on the branches above their heads, with their wings chirping and flying away, occasionally leaving a few feathers of different colors.

"Let's wait here first. I think it would be too dangerous for Ruth to go with the caravan during this period, otherwise it would be too dangerous for the only four of us to open the road in front." Simon frowned, always feeling that there was an unknown danger behind the fog among the trees.

Compared to being passed by a nobleman who watched him and his group travel with a caravan with strange eyes, Simon would rather choose safety.

After Simon and others repaired the caravan on the spot for a while, they heard the sound of cowardly merchants' caravans from far to near.

"Who is in front of you?" The caravan guard who was walking in front "sniffed" and pulled out the sharp sword at his waist, looking at the vague figures in the middle of the road not far away. His voice became a little weird because of nervousness.

For a moment, the caravan guys, who were already nervous, stopped the horses in panic, picked up the guys and hid behind the caravan. Several other caravan guards raised their shields and spread them around the caravan, in case that the vicious and evil roadblockers would suddenly rush out from the grass on the side of the road.

"It's us, Mr. Aubrey!" Miller's extremely recognizable voice relieved the caravan guards and the guys - after all, they were chatting and laughing in the bath with Miller last night.

"Sir Simon, why did you stop?" Aubrey, the cowardly businessman, poked his head out from behind the carriage, saw the person in front of him, and asked in confusion.

"It's foggy now, and no one knows what is hidden behind the fog in front. Master Simon said that if we gather together and walk through this dangerous road, it might be safer." Miller smiled and said loudly to the cowardly figure behind the carriage.

"That's really great." Merchant Aubrey took a sip of honey and moistened his dry throat. At this time, he realized that the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat.

The caravan continued to move forward, but no one talked. Everyone was energetic and alert to the surroundings, fearing that the sudden attack would kill their lives.

Simon noticed that a caravan guard who was following his right hand was very young, and seemed to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. He was wearing cheap cotton armor, a patched filler hat, holding a round shield with sunken and scratches in his hand, and a scarred face with a little childishness.

"Child, what's your name?" Simon was a little curious about how this young man became a caravan guard.

"Sir, my name is Pedi." The young man seemed a little nervous, but it was better than the farmers whose fear of the nobles had been engraved into their bones.

"When did you live a life of using swords to make a living?" Simon turned his head and looked at the somewhat uneasy young man.

"To be honest, if you don't mind, I'd like to tell you how I went from a wealthy self-cultivator to a poor warrior." Pedi, a young caravan guard, looked up at Simon. He was a pair of eyes full of blood, but had experienced vicissitudes and stories.

"Yes, no matter what good and bad things you have done before, at least we are on the same front for the time being." Simon didn't mind at all.

"Well, Sir, I come from a rich little village in the Principal of Poitu. Our family was originally a local free farmer. In addition to a relatively large land, we also raised two cows." The thoughts of the young caravan guard Pedi drifted back to the distant West Frank Kingdom ten years ago, his hometown. "Where my father would wear light armor when the war broke out, and as a light cavalry, he could sometimes bring back some trophy. And the old Sir of our territory was also a kind and kind lord, and the people loved him very much. In short, although my mother died of illness when I could take up farm tools, those days were definitely the best time in my life."

"What happened later?" Simon opened the kettle with interest and took a sip of red wine.

"Later one day, my father went out to fight with the old lord. But a month later, they did not come back. The fat strange lord came back, who took over the land. Before I could recover from the great grief of my father's death, the damn new lord was going to collect a huge inheritance tax from me that I could not afford to sell my family's property." Speaking of this, the caravan guard Pedi clenched his fists. To this day he could not forget the injustice and shame he had suffered back then. "They not only took away all my money and food, but also took away my land, two cows, and all the farm tools. This was not enough, far from enough. The steward of the new lord said that I had to become a serf of the new lord, and redeem the taxes, and my descendants would also be slaves for generations!!!"

"It's so damn!" Simon and several other caravan guys were moved and cursed with a tense face.

"My father had learned some martial arts on the battlefield before, and he taught me before he died. That winter night, I dug out a few silver coins and a sharp armed sword in my backyard for emergency use. After killing the housekeeper and a private soldier guarding the stable, he rode a traveling horse of the new lord to escape from the Principality of Poitu overnight." The words of the caravan guard Pedi were a little relieved, but Simon could feel that he still regretted not being able to kill the new lord with his own hands.

"And you joined the caravan?" a guy asked expectantly, like a traveler who would never hear enough stories.

"Not that fast," Pedi shook his head, his fur-cap-filled laces shaking, "I escaped to Anjou first, but I knew that those who came to capture me would soon catch up, so after replenishing some food and horse feed, I went to Paris, then Flanders, and finally escaped all the way to the German Kingdom, temporarily living in Lübeck. As I spent almost all my money on the journey, I had no choice but to sell the horses of the stolen new lord, bought a piece of equipment at Lübeck's market, and began my career as a caravan guard."

"A wise choice, as a wandering caravan guard, it is as difficult as if your enemy wants to find you. But then again, your new lord is just a jazz. He has no need to spend a lot of money, material resources and financial resources to take off your head for the death of a housekeeper and private soldier. That is not realistic." Simon analyzed with the reins in one hand and twisted his beard with his hand.

"You are right, Lord." Caravan escort Pedi nodded with a smile. It seemed that he also thought he had completely escaped from the evil new lord's pursuit.

"What is that!" Suddenly, a shout resounded throughout the team, directly interrupting the low conversation between Simon and the young Pedi.

"Warning!" Simon shouted loudly, taking the shield from behind and staring at the front. Through the hazy white fog, you can see that there was a man sitting in the middle of the road in the distance, and there was a faint crying sound from that direction.
Chapter completed!