Chapter 33: Talents

“Oh! Do those people have problems?” George frowned.

Knight Val explained, “Not really. If they were truly planning something shady against our team, I would never have let them in.”

“What is the reason then?” George felt a bit strange.

“They are deserters!” Knight Val said with some disdain. As a member of a military noble family, he had a natural hatred for deserters. Unfortunately, in this era, joining the army was not always voluntary in some places. The appearance of deserters was inevitable, and ordinary people usually did not care much about such things. Mr. Val’s instinctive attitude was simply because his position determined his thinking.

George thought it over and over and reached a conclusion: “Mr. Val, those deserters probably are not from the Duchy of Nohan.”

“Of course, if they were, I would have dealt with them long ago and wouldn’t have kept them until now. Besides, the atmosphere and treatment here make it very unlikely for deserters to appear. Judging from their habits, they must be from the Pamir United Emirates.” Knight Val gave a definite answer.

Soldiers in the Duchy of Nohan held very high status and received good treatment. Every year, local young people fought fiercely to join the army. Unless someone offended someone in the army or committed an unforgivable mistake, there would never be any deserters.

This was just like before he traveled through time. In some places, income was low, or there were quotas for government jobs. People here joined the army with great enthusiasm, even going through connections and backdoors. In other places where the economy was developed but there were no good arrangements for retired soldiers, aside from some special troops, most conscripts were troublemakers who had not done anything major but were sent for re-education. Later, it was said they would change to a contract system, but George never saw the results before he arrived here.

George quickly flattered, “You are so knowledgeable.”

Knight Val saw through George’s intention and explained this knowledge to him: “It is nothing serious. Strictly speaking, they are slave soldiers. The magic tattoos on their bodies are very obvious. Slavery is legal in Pamir. They might be afraid of being caught and returned, so they ran across several countries to make a living here. Their scimitars are used very well. The stance they unconsciously showed during the inspection and the way they packed goods both had strong regional styles. I just don’t know how they escaped.”

‘Slave soldiers’ means an army made of slaves bought or captured. Generally, they are trained starting from their teenage years. In their local environment, it is convenient to recruit them, training costs are low, and they are often used as sharp spearhead troops. Their chances of surviving on the battlefield are only slightly better than those of suicide squads. Plus, the few chances to escape slavery are very rare. These are the reasons why deserters appear. However, the Pamir nobles were not without strict precautions, so truly successful escape cases were very few. In this world where individual strength differences are huge, these guys who only learned basic battle formations are not like the Mamluks before he traveled through time, who could turn the tables and sing the song of freedom.

Since they were not a poisonous fruit, George felt much more relieved: “So that means they won’t cause us trouble.”

“It is really hard to say. If they don’t meet a Pamir group, there will be absolutely no problem. Anyway, once they reach Karada, they will not stay in our team.” Mr. Val seemed quite relaxed.

Hearing this, George quickly said, “Then as soon as we enter Karada, let them go. There are quite a few caravans from Pamir in Karada at this time of year.”

“No way! That’s such a coincidence?” Knight Val looked completely surprised.

George held his head and said, “Mr. Val probably doesn’t care much about these things. The spices from the Southern Islands of Pamir are very famous. Every autumn is the peak season for selling spices. Usually, at this time, there are at least three Pamir caravans in Karada. At this point, we cannot just kick them out. We must at least finish this journey, otherwise, it looks like we are afraid of Pamir.”

The winter in the Duchy of Nohan was also quite cold. Every autumn, they would start slaughtering livestock on a large scale to reduce the herd size and arrange enough fodder for winter. This world had no refrigerators, so they had to use pickling to preserve food. Without spices, pickled food usually did not taste very good, and for nobles, it was even harder to swallow. So, every time this season arrived, it became the peak season for buying spices. How could Pamir, famous for its spices, not join in?

“Actually, even if we meet them, there is not much of a problem. It is just about passing the buck and arguing. It is just troublesome. No one would fight over such a thing.” Knight Val shrugged helplessly. “But this time, I did find a good Adventurer. George, have you considered taking him in?”

George felt a bit surprised: “Oh! A good Adventurer? But Adventurers are not always reliable! Besides, his strength might not be that strong.”

“My judgment is never wrong. That guy is named Cortez. He was probably a Squire before. Although I don’t know why he ended up in this state now, judging from his willingness to take on debt for his partner, his character is still quite good.” Knight Val said.

George felt Knight Val’s actions were becoming less and less reliable: “What does it mean to take on debt? Did you investigate him specifically?”

“I am not that boring! One of his companions was seriously injured and was about to die. Without my Magic healing spells, he definitely would not have lasted three days. For this, he signed a Contract to work off the debt. He and his companion did not share the same faith as me. So, he owed a total of 300 Gold Coins. It will take a while to pay off the debt, so we can examine him slowly during this period. Although that guy has wasted some years, his foundation is still there. Moreover, I feel that this unhappy life has not extinguished the fire in his heart. If guided properly, he might have a chance to become a Formal Knight in the future.” As he spoke, Knight Val proudly stroked his beard.

“Since you have planned everything, I have no reason to refuse.” George knew Knight Val was making plans for himself and felt moved. “But what does that guy look like?”

“He is easy to recognize. Among this group of Adventurers, only he has a distinctive yellow beard.” Mr. Val said with a smile. “By the way, Bar told me that you had some problems while meditating last night. Here! Take this, it will be good for you.”

Saying this, Knight Val handed over a strap made of some unknown material. This strap was woven with thin green and dark yellow threads forming strange runes. It felt very comfortable in the palm, like a jade stone that had been played with for many years.

“What is this?” George looked at Knight Val in confusion.

“This is a Focus Headband, made from Elf leaves. In the coming days, when you meditate, tie it on your head. It will help you let go of unnecessary thoughts more easily during meditation.” Knight Val quickly explained. “By the way, I am just lending this to you. Remember to return it when you feel you have recovered.”

George felt a warm stream flow through his heart: “I think by the time we reach Karada, I probably won’t need it anymore.”

Knight Val stood up and gently patted George’s head, saying, “Don’t try to be tough, just solve the problem properly first. Who can be sure about spiritual matters? Anyway, this thing is not very useful to me, so just keep it for a while longer.”

“What about Hiren? Shouldn’t this be useful for him?” George stroked the headband with his left hand and looked at Knight Val with his head tilted.

Knight Val waved his hand: “That silly guy has nerves as thick as a rope. He doesn’t need this at all.”

“Then I will thank you first. I will return it as soon as possible.”

“Don’t be so shy. I have things to do and must go first. Remember to rest these two days. Mental recovery cannot be rushed.” Before leaving, Mr. Val specially reminded him.

George shook his head with a bitter smile and reflected inwardly: ‘A single lie has made them act like this. Sigh! Am I being too unfair? These are people who care about me. But the System is my biggest secret. More importantly, I don’t know its origin. I feel it cannot have appeared out of nowhere. Who is behind it? Why did it choose me? This water is always so deep. If I tell them, it might be a blessing or a curse, and it is hard to decide.’

“Never mind, stop thinking. The more I think, the more tangled I get. Let’s just try this thing to see how it works.” Giving up his self-interrogation, George prepared to verify the specific effect of this headband.

Following Knight Val’s instructions, he tied it on his head with a slip knot. However, after a while, he felt no different. Did it really need meditation to take effect? But he used the Visualization Method. Who knew if it would work?

George did not rush to test it this time. Instead, he took off the headband, took a cloth from the cabinet in the carriage, wrapped it up, and put it close to his body. Family knows family matters best. He knew clearly that he was just overworked. If he spent the whole day doing nothing like this, it would be a waste of time.

Therefore, George did not rest peacefully as Knight Val instructed. Instead, he arranged his cultivation according to his daily schedule in the Territory. Of course, he skipped all intense combat training. He felt like an old man in his seventies or eighties cultivating his mind and body. This even brought a round of teachings from Knight Val. Why bother? However, this was a good opportunity to recognize all the newly recruited Adventurers. Especially the yellow-bearded man, Cortez. Previously in the Tavern, George only thought he was an experienced Adventurer, but now he could confirm that the other party was indeed someone with a special story.

Leisure time passed faster than imagined. The sun had turned from yellow to red, with less than half of it left above the horizon. After a whole day of adjustment, George’s physical and mental condition had basically returned to normal. He should be able to train as usual tomorrow. But that depended on whether the Knights agreed.

Night fell. George tied the headband again and began to meditate. Different from usual, George entered the state much faster this time. It must be the effect of this headband.

No, wait. Something was really wrong. It felt like something resonated with his Soul.