When it was almost time to eat, Simon and his group finally arrived at the final destination of the merchant Aubrey, Wiesbaden.

At this time, the sky was shining brightly and cloudless. The bright sunshine was scattered on the earth, bringing some warmth to the guys with cold dew on their bodies.

Wiesbaden Town is indeed the same as everyone's guess, and is rich and grand compared to other places.

Above the city wall made of stones and tall and hard logs, colorful flags fluttered in the wind. Towering towers were scattered at the four corners of the exterior wall of the town, and from a distance, you can vaguely see the tower with huge Roman light crossbows.

In the open space in front of the walls of Wiesbaden, like the city of Cologne, a deep trench surrounded the town. A simple wooden bridge made of several thick logs connected the dirt road to the city gate cut by the trench.

In front of the trench, there is a row of small earth slopes, probably made of the remaining earth and rocks that the workers dug out of the trench. Two rows of sharpened branches were inserted crookedly on the row of small earth slopes, forming a "thorn forest" that is enough to make any siegeman feel tricky.

"drive!"

After carefully slowing down through the small wooden bridge on the trench, Simon raised his head and clearly saw on the tall gatehouse of Wiesbaden, there were several soldiers wearing clean long-sleeved leather armor and good-quality leather gloves, holding light crossbows, leaning lazily against the walls. The eaves helmets on their heads reflected a dazzling light under the sunlight, which made Simon squint his eyes.

Below the gate tower, the guards standing guard on both sides of the gate door hole held straight pointed spears, mail turbans, thick soft armor and nailed iron cloth armor, raised their heads slightly, and looked at each traveler trying to enter the town.

After a simple negotiation by the fat man, the guards and the tax collector let go of the road. Smelling the stinky smell of urine feces that was so strong that it was suffocating, Simon and his group slightly slapped their horses, waiting for Aubrey, a businessman who was still paying taxes at the city gate.

When Aubrey rode his travel horse and took the remaining caravan guys and guards to get along with Simon and others, everyone knew that it was time for parting.

"Sir Simon, thank you for your companionship and thank you for your blessings, we finally arrived in Wiesbaden safely. This is the wardrobe you deserve." The merchant Aubrey looked very happy. As he spoke, he got off the horse with the help of a friend. While walking towards Simon, he untied the big purse he had just not returned to his waist, and took out a bulging small purse from it that had been prepared long ago.

"May God bless you again!" Simon smiled, asked the fat man to take the purse and nodded slightly.

"Sir Simon," the caravan escort Pedi, then he took his bag from the carriage of Aubrey, and walked towards Simon with his spear. "I want to accompany you to Dresden to see the style of the entire Kingdom Power Center. You know, I am definitely a qualified travel guard, and you only need to provide me with a salary as a caravan guy."

Simon stroked his beard, looked at the young man's firm face, felt his desire from the bottom of his heart, and nodded to Pedi after a little thought.

Pedi proved himself in that forest encounter. Simon believed that only four people in his group would be difficult to resist if he encountered danger like the last encounter. He and Pedi had been in contact for a while and had a basic understanding and understanding of him. Not to mention anything else, at least this is much more reassuring than recruiting several caravan guards whom they had never met in the tavern in Wiesbaden.

In this way, when I was resting in the tavern at noon today, Simon asked the owner of the tavern with a big beer belly to add an extra straw bed to the room where the attendants had only three straw beds to rest and live.

For the tavern owner, it was just a matter of getting the guy to carry a pile of hay and a dirty linen blanket from the warehouse; for Pedi, starting today, he will travel a long and arduous journey with Simon until he arrives in Dresden.

It was already afternoon. The chef of the tavern wiped the sweat beads from his head, put the last grilled pork chop that the last guest asked for on a wooden plate, then shouted the name of the dish, placed the dish on the counter, took the dirty rag next to him to wipe the table, wiped his oily hands, untied his apron, and prepared to go to the small chair in the backyard to bask in the sun and take a nap.

Unexpectedly, at this time, the owner of the tavern with a hurried face quickly walked down the creaking wooden stairs. It is undeniable that the owner of the tavern wanted to go downstairs quickly, but he was always worried that his center of gravity would be unstable and he would fall down. The chef, who had just finished wiping his hands, couldn't help laughing at the funny look of the owner of the tavern.

However, after the funny big-bellied tavern owner walked through the narrow aisle between the drinkers and the tables and chairs and came to the chef and said a few words, the chef's smile frozen and he couldn't laugh for a long time.

"Oh, it's a hell. This noble lord is really good at eating at a time." The chef's joy disappeared without a trace. He frowned and sniffed, sighed, shook his head and pouted, walked back to the pot, and began to prepare lunch for Simon and his party.

"Sir, the wine you want." A boy who had not yet completely changed his voice and had not yet taken off his childishness held up a tray and placed five glasses of local beer on Simon's table.

Simon picked up the wooden cup, took a sip of beer to moisten his dry throat, and looked around.

This tavern is no different from the taverns elsewhere, whether it is torches inserted by the walls, animal skins hung by the windows to block the wind, or the bustling travelers, merchants and mercenaries in the tavern.

Just now, Simon just sat down, a sharp-eyed swordsman who had been leaning against the wall and waiting boredly came over.

The swordsman wore a dark green hood on his head, a long-sleeved mail covered with war marks, and a dirty linen wrapped around his wrist. He knew at a glance that he must have been a veteran who survived under the erosion of war again and again.

"Sir, do you need a guard? I can guarantee that in the entire kingdom, you will never find a second mercenary team as brave as our Red Fox Mercenary Squad." This swordsman has a golden beard and curly beard, and has a long scar on his face, which is really impressive.

"I'm not short of manpower for the time being." Simon was very alert to such a guy with unknown origin who looked no different from an ordinary mercenary.

With the lesson that the traitor named Gejill in Aubrey's caravan almost destroyed the caravan, it was difficult for Simon to have even a slight favorable feeling for such mercenaries who came to sell him, even if he looked strong and reliable.

"That's a pity." The swordsman shook his head and walked away boredly. At the same time, the meal Simon asked for was also brought up by the tavern mate.

Next was the boring meal time. Simon was really not satisfied with the food made by the chef in this tavern. However, just as Simon wanted to fill his stomach and go upstairs to rest, his ears were attracted by a bard who was telling a story not far away.

"In the far away Principality of Anjou, there was a conservative noble family, who still implemented the ancient equalization system of property. Even the ladies of their family could be divided into fine equipment, a good war horse, and a wealthy land after the death of the old Count." The bard told the story in his unique tone, not only Simon, but also the mercenaries next to him and the local townspeople were attracted.

"Ahem, I have to explain this story in advance. This story was told by a bard from the Principality of Aquitaine in Aachen, the kingdom of the West Frankish kingdom. At that time, the French language with a strong accent was like a estrus boar with an iron barrel on his head howled in the muffled sound. I was really useless to hear the story," the bard shrugged helplessly. Everyone present couldn't help laughing. The pub was filled with joy. "So if you hear other versions of this story from other bards in the future, please don't think I am a big liar with nonsense."

"Of course, Christine, we all believe you, let's talk!" a townman in a dark red wool robe with dry mud raised his wine glass and shouted.

"Okay, I'll start talking, ahem. In the conservative family I just talked about, a long time ago, the virtuous countess gave birth to a beautiful girl. The old countess was very happy and gave her a beautiful family ancestor name, Matilda. But the difference between this girl and other quiet and gentle noble ladies was that she was very interested in martial arts since she was a child. When other children just entered the age of learning to ride horses, the lance in her hand was already better than the boys of the same age in nearby territories."

The story of the bard is already very fascinating at the beginning. Simon even saw the wooden wine glasses held by several townsmen wearing tattered felt hats next to him for a long time without taking a second sip. Everyone is used to listening to the magnificent epic war poems and the romantic love story between the Knight Princess. At this time, he suddenly heard an unusual and unheard of "anti-routine" story, which is hard to make people uninterested.

"In this way, Matilda grew up day by day on horseback and in the sword swing, until the age of the old earl who wanted to find her a husband. Matilda was not opposed to the old earl's idea, but she made a very strange request. She said that all men who wanted to pursue her must beat her, and whoever could defeat her would have her... Cough, my throat was so dry, and I had finished drinking."

Suddenly, there was a booing sound in the tavern where the minstrel was so quiet that only the bard spoke. One of the generous travel merchants stood up and called two glasses of honey to give to the smiling bard without saying a word. And more of it was a heated discussion among the townspeople, and everyone wanted to know what happened later.

Simon couldn't help laughing, remembering the first time he met the bard Ludwig, who used this trick of fashion thirsty to make people refill him. Thinking of this, Simon couldn't help but be curious about how he was doing after being separated from Ludwig for so long.

"Ah, with the wine of this kind gentleman, I felt much better in an instant. Cough, and then I went on to say that Matilda was a famous beauty in that territory. He gave the title Wild Rose, which means that he had a beautiful face like a rose, but also had a thorny character and martial arts like a rose. In any case, after hearing this strange request, the nobles in the surrounding territory were all ready to try, and wanted to show their skills and hold the beauty back."

"Hey, I guess there's a handsome prince behind her who won her, and then the story ends?" said a bald mercenary wearing a leather vest, roughly and roughly, at the corner of the tavern.

"No, no, no, my friend, you think too simple. Matilda fought more bravely than the shield girl in the most crazy Viking barbarians. The young men who participated in the selection returned one by one, and in disappointment, they helped each other leave the Earl's Corps. Even a young knight who had won the championship of the Duke's martial arts competition was at a disadvantage and was finally eliminated."

"Interesting." Simon had already finished the food on the plate without realizing it. But to his surprise, he felt that the taste was as delicious as chewy wax. The food that was tasteless but was a pity to discard was so delicious. Rather than saying that the food was delicious, the story of the bard was very delicious for him.

At this time, the audience in the tavern was silent, obviously this was the result they had never expected.

"The old count was extremely anxious about this unexpected result, but the Duke was very interested after hearing it. He wanted Matil to reach his palace and be his inner knight. What was even more surprising was that Matilda refused the Duke's sincere invitation without hesitation. He wore a well-equipped equipment, rode a war horse, brought a bag of silver coins, bid farewell to his family and friends, and began her journey to the mainland." After drinking the first glass of honey wine given to him by the merchant, the bard put down the empty wooden cup and picked up the second glass of secret wine.

Everyone in the tavern was stunned and savored endlessly. Matilda simply subverted all their stereotypes of women. She was not only strong, straightforward, but also very free and easy.

"Matilda embarked on a journey and left her beautiful figures in many places. She had followed pilgrims, worked as a mercenary, and entered a caravan. During the journey, she experienced the warmth and coldness of the world, suffered many losses, and killed many people. Her heart, which was originally hot, gradually became cold. Until one day, she had an accident in a lone journey in the Kingdom of Italy, and the horse was frightened. Poor she fell down hard from the horse's back and fell into a coma." The bard was very good at grasping the rhythm, sometimes with a passionate tone and sometimes with a heavy tone.

When the bard talks about tension, everyone raises his heart to his throat. Except for some guys who sneer at such non-traditional women and a few psychopaths, all the other listeners with good intentions do not want anything bad to happen to this maverick little girl.

"When Matilda opened her eyes again, she found that she was lying in a simple canopy made of branches and leaves in the woods, with her horse and a strange black travel horse tied not far away. Next to her, a strange black-haired man was adding firewood to the bonfire, and the iron pot on the fire was constantly gushing out a charming fragrance. Matilda hurriedly checked her body and found that the man did not do anything out of the way during his coma. At this time, the man found that Matilda was awake, so he filled a bowl of fragrant meat porridge with his wooden bowl and handed it to her."

The Bard's second glass of wine was almost over, and Simon knew that the story was coming to an end.

"In the days that followed, Matilda gradually recovered, and she also became more and more familiar with this strange young man with black hair and black beard. It turned out that this man was the second son of a baron in the Principal of Provence. Elcle Elcle. When the old baron died, his stingy brother actually gave him only a sword and asked him to get out. He was so angry that he stole a chain mail and a traveling horse in the family equipment library and stables. After stealing a beekeeper a beekeeper, he ran away from home. His brother seemed extremely generous after learning the news, because no one was competing with him for the baron's inheritance rights. So

, and drove the horse and the bee carriage to the east to the Eastern Roman Empire, but fell off the team halfway. Elcre found Matilda in a forest in the Kingdom of Italy, and rescued her, taking care of her all the way on the journey later. This romantic and melancholy Provence man was like poison, charming Matilda. He was careful and gentle, thick and thin, reliable, and fond of justice. He was simply the prince charming in Matilda's mind. Ha, although Elcre's horse was black." After drinking the second glass of wine, the bard burped, pulled a chair and sat down comfortably.

Under the light of torches, the slightly drunkards in the dim tavern listened quietly to the story. Even the chef who originally wanted to sleep in the sun was holding the door frame and narrowing his eyes slightly. The magnetic voice of the bard gently stroked everyone's restless heart, making people feel so peaceful and beautiful at this moment.

"Although Matilda learned all kinds of swear words during the journey, and his words and deeds had nothing to do with the lady from the noble family, Elcle, who had been fed up with intrigue, also fell in love with this beautiful, straightforward, enthusiastic and courageous girl. Until one day, when the two of them camped on the grass on the roadside left by the ancient Roman Empire, Matilda pulled Elcle's sword out of the scabbard, threw it on the ground, and drew out the sword and set out his posture. Just when Elcleda was puzzled, Matilda's sword chopped at him..." The bard turned his head and everyone's heart was raised to his throat again.

At this moment, it seemed as if time had frozen. Apart from the sound of torches being slammed and the noise coming from outside the tavern, there was no sound.

"Elklay instinctively blocked Matilda's attack, but the brave Matilda before seemed to have changed. In Elcle's surprise, the sword in Matilda's hand was actually knocked away by his block. Matilda suddenly rushed towards Elcleda, who had not yet figured out the situation, but in the end, he greeted Elcleda with a fierce kiss. That's right, he defeated her so easily. With her, Elcleda did what many men dreamed of at that time!"

"oh!"

The drinkers and guys in the tavern came to their senses, breathed a sigh of relief, and laughed.

The time of solidification seemed to have returned to flow. The townsmen drank the wine in the glass, put down the wine glass and shook their frosty and sore arms. The traveler who admired the bard's wine began to eat the grilled pork chops on his plate. Although the pork chops had become very cold now, the merchant didn't care.

The tavern has returned to its usual liveliness, but the topic of discussion has changed from a vulgar joke to a romantic story I just heard.

"Hey, Kristen, how did they end up?" A town citizen who was so intoxicated that he opened his eyes widened, with endless desire in his eyes, eager to know the next story.

"The story always ends. They later met the bard of the Principal of Aquitaine in the tavern in the Port of Toulon, told the poets their story, and then embarked on a pilgrimage. God knows where they went, maybe Jerusalem, Canterbury, or Santiago?" The bard also had a regret, but could only shake his head helplessly.

"Okay." The townsmen withdrew their eyes in disappointment, but it was already satisfying to hear such a wonderful story today.
Chapter completed!