Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

For the next seven days, Peter, along with Tom and Jerry, followed Master Tomcat to learn swordsmanship.

Peter's swordsmanship proficiency increased rapidly, reaching level 12 after a week; Tom and Jerry also reached level 2 in swordsmanship.

Peter had only 10 silver coins left in his possession, so he decided to take his leave and continue to accumulate wealth so that he could buy plate armor as soon as possible and learn the "Master's Counterattack".

During these seven days, the attention and enthusiasm of Marika and many Gypsy women also brought Peter a happy kind of trouble.

He longed to embark on a romantic love story, but lacking funds and confidence, he could only feign ignorance and remain silent in the face of Marika's subtle hints. Furthermore, while Guy and Tipo no longer objected to their sister's contact with Peter, they feared that once things progressed, they would likely force Peter and Marika to marry for the sake of family honor, just like in the original storyline.

Marika is certainly beautiful and has a cool personality. But it's hard to accept giving up so many other potential suitors for one girl.

I'm such a jerk.

If Guy and Tibo discover his true nature as a scumbag, wouldn't they mobilize all the young men in the camp to kill him?

So, to save his life, Peter had no choice but to pretend to be a gentlemanly, aloof man.

To break this deadlock, ultimately, one needs strength and wealth. Once you have hundreds of armored warriors under your command and tens of thousands of silver coins for pocket money, what does having three wives and four concubines matter?

Under the dual pressures of the Church's manipulation and the right to inherit their lands, these illiterate lords in medieval Europe could only marry one wife, but had a bunch of lovers and fathered many illegitimate children, living a life of secrecy.

If we were to return to ancient times, or even to Europe, we should aspire to have "three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines."

I said that even God couldn't stop me from saying it!

But the prerequisite is having money and ability.

Currently

Low-key.

.......

Before leaving the nomad camp, Peter bought some grains, salt, oil, spirits, and wine, as well as some dried herbs that were hard to find in the current season, from the camp chief's wife, Araka.

For example, Paris polyphylla, Angelica dahurica, St. John's wort, mint, nettle, etc.

"Peter, I didn't know you were knowledgeable about herbs. Do you even know how to make medicine?"

Araka, the camp's herbalist in charge of the camp's health and hygiene, could tell from the herbs Peter had chosen that he was an expert.

"I know a little bit."

Peter smiled in response. European herbalism and Chinese medicine share some similarities, yet are vastly different, and later embarked on completely different paths.

Chinese medicine has a continuous lineage, from Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs to the Compendium of Materia Medica. Over thousands of years, it has accumulated a complete set of theories of traditional Chinese medicine and has conducted in-depth research on the medicinal properties and combinations of various herbs.

European herbalism was relatively simple. After the Middle Ages, theology suppressed medicine. Apart from a few books preserved in various monasteries, folk books were basically burned. Folk herbalists could only pass on their knowledge orally, but they still could not escape persecution.

Because 80% of herbalists were women, they were also known as witches. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII, through a decree and the publication of "The Hammer of Witches," labeled witches as heretics, initiating a three-hundred-year witch hunt that resulted in the burning of nearly 5 people, 4 of whom were women. European herbalism completely declined.

Of course, there are also some male herbalists who present themselves as alchemists or physicians, opening alchemy shops in towns or acting as private doctors for important figures. They just don't live a respectable life.

In the Middle Ages, the most common way for people to treat illness was to pray in church or have bloodletting performed by monks in monasteries. Seeking treatment privately—does that mean you're not being devout to God?

Later, in the church-led witch hunts, in addition to 40,000 witches, there were also 10,000 male witches. These male witches were alchemists and healers.

Fortunately, it was 1403, and while witches were discriminated against, they were at least not being hunted down. Peter, being a man, was not yet labeled a heretic for studying herbalism and alchemy.

"This is very rare, little Peter. Believe me, everything in the world has a spirit, and some herbs contain mysterious powers to heal and save lives. Study hard; this is especially important for you."

Aranka encouraged them.

"I will, thank you."

Peter also felt that these potions seemed to be particularly effective on him. While ordinary people with mortal bodies would experience a slow and gradual effect after drinking the potions, Peter saw changes almost immediately visible to the naked eye.

After bidding farewell to Arkansas, Peter and his two companions carried supplies northward, intending to visit Bodina's family, who had helped them. Just like their self-created family motto: A debt of gratitude must be repaid.

After navigating a rugged hillside, we could see smoke rising from the roof of Bozhenna's herb hut in the distance.

You can still smell the aroma of boiling in the air, the same aroma that Peter smelled when he came for help seven days ago, an aroma that made him feel at ease.

But the scene before me was not so pleasant.

Two Cumans dressed in fish-scale armor were seen outside the courtyard, cursing and kicking the door intermittently. The wooden door of the herb hut was tightly shut.

Two Cumans were catching chickens and chasing pigs in the yard, making it look like the Japanese invaders had entered the village.

The Cumans were Turkic nomads from the steppes of Eastern Europe who began migrating across the Carpathian Mountains to settle in Hungary from the 11th century onwards. However, their largest migration occurred after the Mongol conquests. In 1238, the Cuman Khan was defeated by the Golden Horde, and more than 4 Cuman cavalrymen fled into Hungary. Because of their differences in language, beliefs, and customs from the local people, they maintained their tribal nomadic lifestyle and were often employed by nobles as mercenaries.

"asshole!"

Peter immediately drew his one-handed sword, and Tom and Jerry put down their supplies and took the bows and arrows from their backs. They did not rush forward, but instead observed from a distance, using the vegetation for cover.

"Sir, recently the Trossky region has been frequently visited by Cumans, who are said to have come from Hungary with that usurper king. Their equipment and combat strength are far superior to ordinary bandits. They are not easy to deal with."

Tom is simple-minded, but he is very brave when facing enemies.

Jerry was a bit timid by nature, but he still possessed considerable courage in front of his master. He analyzed, "The Cuman combination is troublesome—their scale armor offers strong protection against slashing attacks, their shields can deflect arrows, and their scimitars are suitable for close combat. It's said that these Cumans come from the eastern grasslands, and archery is their specialty. Most fatally, they have a numerical advantage; there are four Cumans on the other side, while we only have three."

After Tom and Jerry finished speaking, they both looked at Peter, waiting for their adults to make the final decision. If it were before, as poachers, they would have already quietly slipped into the dense forest and escaped; direct confrontation was not a poacher's forte.

But now things are different. They are now the master's attendants, and the hope of changing their fate is right before their eyes. In addition, these past few days, the knight has eaten and lived with them, and even paid for someone to teach them swordsmanship. An idea called "loyalty" has been imprinted in their hearts. Even if they were to die for their master today, they would not hesitate.

"Ding! Tom's loyalty +1"

"Ding! Jerry's loyalty +1"

.....

Peter looked seriously at Tom and Jerry. The two still had many attribute points and skill points left to use. He had previously thought he wouldn't accept rewards without merit, and would wait until they achieved something before giving them a reward. But now that they had encountered a powerful enemy, he had to give them some advance benefits.

With a serious expression, he made a decision and said to the two of them, "After spending these past few days together, you have passed my test. It's time to tell you some secrets."

"secret?"

Tom and Jerry looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Actually, I am not an ordinary knight, but a divine knight blessed by God!"

Peter spoke solemnly, but Tom and Jerry felt a little awkward. They also believed in God, but God hadn't performed any miracles for thousands of years. They just habitually said "God bless you," but how much of it was truly devout was hard to say.

"My lord, we follow you because you do not despise our origins, are willing to provide us with protection, and truly treat us like human beings. Whether you are a blessed knight of the gods or not, we are willing to die for you!"

The two brothers immediately pledged their loyalty, which was actually what they truly felt.

Peter continued solemnly, "I am not lying. Now, both of you kneel down, and I will enhance your strength with God's blessing."

Tom and Jerry knelt down on one knee, still somewhat skeptical.

Peter opened their character panels, prioritizing increasing their strength and speed, with archery as the main skill. Improving their level 2 swordsmanship further wouldn't be very effective; it was better to focus on their strengths.

After their attribute and skill points were increased, a warm current immediately surged up from the soles of their feet, making them tremble with pleasure.

Name: Tom

Level: lv8 (128/800)

主属性：力量18、敏捷15、活力11、智力11、魅力7

次属性：爆发10、防御10、闪避10、口才8、视野12。

技能：剑术lv2、箭术lv19、陷阱lv6、製作lv3、饮酒lv2

Talent: Poacher (White Talent. Years of poaching have adapted him to forest life and honed his archery skills. In the forest, he gains +2 Agility and +1 Archery.)

Loyalty: 82

Remaining points: 0 attribute points, 0 skill points

-----

Name: Jerry

Level: lv7 (64/700)

主属性：力量17、敏捷15、活力11、智力11、魅力8

次属性：爆发10、防御10、闪避10、口才12、视野13。

技能：剑术lv2、箭术lv17、陷阱lv5、製革lv4、骰子lv6

Talent: Poacher (White Talent. Years of poaching have adapted him to forest life and honed his archery skills. In the forest, he gains +2 Agility and +1 Archery.)

Loyalty: 85

Remaining points: 0 attribute points, 0 skill points

-----

"God be with you!"

"I am willing to die for you, sir!"

After using up all the attributes they had accumulated, their physical abilities increased dramatically. Their archery skills even improved to level 17 or higher, crossing the threshold into the advanced stage. Their combat power was incomparable to what it was before. Feeling the tangible changes in their bodies and the increase in their strength, Tom and Jerry were incredibly excited. God had truly smiled upon them; their loyalty had risen to over 80 points and was still increasing.