Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

4 month 28 day.

The sun rose as usual.

Peter, however, remained unconcerned about the public outcry and formulated a plan to continue farming and steadily develop his strength.

First, all reserve members of the combat team will be promoted to full-fledged members, each receiving a daily salary of 1 pfennig. A funeral will be held for one fallen comrade, and one person will be transferred from the carpentry team to fill the vacancy.

Second, a simple wooden hut was built at the crossroads, with a row of sunshades and rain shelters, and a large pot was placed there. The 16 combat team members were divided into A and B squads, taking turns to guard the crossroads.

The simple wooden hut served as a rest area for the combat team members and a medicine storage room; the sunshade and rain shelter provided a place for passing merchants to rest; a large pot simmered with chamomile, dandelion, and other herbs to cool the body and quench thirst. It's business to provide service to customers, there's nothing shameful about that. But if you're unwilling to pay, then don't blame us for being impolite.

Third, the logistics team increased the production of medicines to meet sales demand.

Fourth, new members were added to the carpentry team. The 20 captured village guards and 15 German mercenaries were disarmed and, under the supervision of the combat teams A and B, began felling trees and building houses. Four more Viking longhouses were also constructed. Brother Martin was responsible for brainwashing them, encouraging them to complete the task of felling 500 trees as soon as possible to cleanse themselves of their sins.

Fifth, clearing land for farming. This is currently the most important task. If there are too few prisoners, more can be captured, but once the season is over, oats cannot be planted.

"There are still too few capable people."

Peter lamented that there were some things he, as the leader, had to do personally. For example, recruiting talent.

"Hello, I heard you have delicious pickled cabbage here, is that right?"

Peter found a goofy-looking boy in a straw hat in a remote canyon cave. This boy was none other than Pepa, known as the "Sauerkraut Fairy." His sauerkraut was merely a delicious side dish for ordinary people. But for the protagonist, it was a life-saving elixir that restored 15 health points with each bite. And for his semi-data-driven subordinates with their character panels activated, it could also heal them if given by the protagonist!

The key point is that this sauerkraut can be preserved for a long time.

"Yes, stranger, would you like to try some? My mom always says my pickled cabbage is the best."

The boy, wearing a straw hat and a green shirt, answered without any hesitation. He didn't even ask Peter how he found himself in this desolate wilderness.

"Of course, I'm Peter Griffin. I'm here in search of the best sauerkraut."

Peter chuckled, "Did your mother teach you how to make sauerkraut?"

"Yes, you can call me Pepa. My mom taught me how to make pickles when I was little, and I was really good at it. But she said I was as stiff as a rock, and then she kicked me out."

Sauerkraut Pepa happily led Peter deeper into the cave and brought out a jar of sauerkraut she had made herself.

"I'm sorry to hear this news."

Peter offered a casual word of comfort. From their brief conversation, it became clear that Sauerkraut Pepa was intellectually disabled, which was perhaps why his mother had abandoned him.

"You're such a kind person. How about a bite?"

Sauerkraut Pepa opened the jar, and a unique pickled aroma wafted out; it didn't smell bad at all.

"certainly!"

This was precisely Peter's purpose in coming here. He took a bite, chewed it carefully, and found it crisp and refreshing.

"Ding! Health +15"

Moreover, it was very effective on him; Peter deliberately injured himself before going into the mountains, and his lost health was restored to full.

"This tastes amazing."

Peter gave a thumbs up.

"Hehe, this isn't even the best. I'm from Bella, where the cabbage used to make the best sauerkraut is."

Pepa, pleased with the praise, scratched his head and smiled proudly.

"Bella? It's a city outside the Troski territory. Are you outsiders?"

Peter was a little surprised; he had assumed his opponent was a local villager when they were playing the game.

"Yes, we are from out of town. My mother said that the Hungarians and Cumans have invaded and are burning villages and killing people everywhere, so we came here by horse-drawn carriage."

Pepa seemed lost in memories, and a look of fear appeared on her face.

"Those foreign invaders were truly despicable. By the way, do you still have any sauerkraut? I'd like more."

Peter quickly changed the subject; Pepa clearly only had the intelligence of a child, and he couldn't let him remain in fear.

"Haha, if you want some more, I can give you some more. But I don't have much stock left, because I'm out of cabbages."

Pepa, who had recovered, touched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Peter asked, "Why don't you grow some yourself?"

"The canyon is full of rocks, so cabbages can't grow on trees."

Pepa laughed, as if to say, "You don't even know this?"

"In that case, why don't you come with me? I have plenty of land where you can grow lots of cabbages."

Peter began to employ his seduction techniques.

"No, Mom says I'm as stiff as a stone, only fit to be with stones. She tells me never to come out."

"Where is your mother? Perhaps I can persuade her."

Pepa is mentally challenged. His mother has been patient in raising him and has always encouraged and praised him for making delicious sauerkraut. She has been cultivating his survival skills. It is indeed strange that such a mother would suddenly say that she doesn't want him anymore.

"I don't know. When those Cumans rushed towards our temporary camp, she just told me to get out of here, that I was like a stone, that she didn't want me anymore, that I only deserved to be with stones, and that I should never come out of this stone canyon."

Pepa said somewhat sadly.

"Ah~"

Peter was startled; he hadn't expected such a hidden story. Suddenly, he understood why the mother had abruptly driven Pepa away. A slight unease settled in his heart; the Cumans, who invaded Bohemia, lived by plunder and were brutal in their methods. That mother was probably already...

"Mr. Peter, can you really convince my mother to let me leave? I've been here too long, and I'm so lonely..."

Pepa said with a pitiful expression, like a child.

"I will convince her, and I believe she will definitely want you to come with me and have a better life."

Peter gently patted Pepa on the shoulder.

"You're such a good man, Mr. Peter. My mother always says that if you meet someone who's willing to pat you on the shoulder, you should make sauerkraut for them, the best sauerkraut."

"Your mother is right. Come on, let's go to my camp. I'll tell your mother the good news later."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

----------

Peter rode his horse back to camp with sauerkraut peppa and some of his sauerkraut jars. As he passed through a grove of trees, he suddenly saw a man covered in blood lying under a tree by the roadside, seemingly about to meet his maker.

"Oh, he's so pitiful, let's help him."

Kind-hearted Pepa said anxiously.

"Okay, that's what I think too."

Peter dismounted and, with Pepa's help, helped the man up. Surely there wouldn't be any staged accidents like this in this day and age. "What happened to you?"

"I fell from that damn tree. Thank you, kind people, may God bless you."

The injured man was wearing a homeless hat, a short-sleeved jacket, and tattered trousers. He looked like Henry with glasses and his face was covered in blood, clearly indicating that he had hit his head.

Pepa looked up at the tall oak tree, so thick it would take two people to hug it, and asked innocently, "Why did you climb that tree?"

"I saw something glowing up there, and I thought it was gold, so I tried to pick it up. But instead of getting any treasure, I fell and almost lost my life."

The injured man said regretfully.

"Cabbages don't grow on trees, nor does gold."

Pepa, still naively explaining things to the other party.

"Thank you for reminding me, I understand now. If possible, could you help me stop the bleeding? I feel a little dizzy."

The injured man sighed and said, "How could I not know? I was just clinging to a sliver of hope."

"sure."

Peter took a roll of bandage from his pouch and bandaged the injured man, then took out a marigold extract and forced it down his throat.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I feel much better, but I don't have the money to pay you for the medicine."

Lak looked somewhat embarrassed.

"It's alright. Compared to a human life, money can be repaid slowly."

Peter generously indicated that he wasn't in a hurry, but he didn't say it would be free, because he suddenly had a wicked idea.

"Thank you, kind people. You are the best people I have met in a long time. I am a poor guy named Lark, an employee at a nearby farm. You may know me."

Lak thanked him again with relief.

"Absolutely not."

Peter and Pepa shrugged.

"Okay, I thought everyone knew about my unfortunate history."

Lark joked, "My parents named me Lark when I was born, hoping it would bring me good luck throughout my life. But God has always been testing me. When I was a child, I had a strange illness, and my parents spent all their savings to find me a doctor who claimed to have a perfect cure."

"See, isn't this good luck?"

"That seems to be the case, but the doctor was struck by lightning and died on his way to get the medicine. We couldn't afford other doctors, so my illness dragged on for six months."

"Cough cough, that doesn't mean you were born unlucky. You survived, which is quite fortunate," Peter comforted him.

"The worst was yet to come. I dreamed of becoming a knight since I was a child. When I grew up, I wanted to buy myself a horse. I kept saving money, but I could never save enough."

"You are not alone." Peter understood this deeply. Horses were expensive, and if he hadn't become a bandit, he wouldn't have had the money to buy one.

"I confided in my kind neighbor, and he said that if I gave him all my money, he could win me back twice as much at the bar."

"You can't trust what a gambler says."

"But he said he was very confident that he could fool those drunkards because he had a lead die."

One isn't enough; you need at least three to be confident.

"And then? You gave him the money?"

"That's right, I never saw him or that money again. I'm so unlucky, aren't I?"

Perhaps he was caught cheating and was beaten to death.

"This isn't bad luck, it's stupidity. Gamblers are all scum with no bottom line; you shouldn't have believed them," Peter complained.

"Who can argue with that? My dream of buying a horse was shattered, so I used a gros to beg the horse dealer to let me ride it at least once, just to fulfill my childhood dream."

"This is not excessive."

"Who knew that when I was trotting on the road on my horse, the old horse broke its leg, and by the time I found someone to help, it was already dead."

"So fragile. You just mentioned Old Ma, right? How old is he?"

"That's no longer important. Then the Malaysian businessman made me lose money, and it took me three whole years to pay it off."

"Without a doubt, you've encountered a swindler. Everyone meets people like that in life, just to varying degrees. You should change your perspective: you were lucky that the horse died but you didn't. God was actually looking out for you."

Peter continued to comfort him.

"Later, I fell in love with a pretty girl in the village. When I finally mustered up the courage to confess my feelings to her, I discovered that she had accidentally eaten poisonous mushrooms picked in the forest. I spent all my savings to save her."

"Um... what happened next?"

She became my wife.

"Then you should be very lucky."

"No, it's not over yet. I saw a poor stray puppy on the roadside, and it kept following me. So I took it home and adopted it. But when its teeth came in, it bit my left leg and then ran away."

"Okay, this sounds like the story of the farmer and the snake."

"That wasn't the worst part. When he ran away, he scared away the sheep of the landowner Jaxsey. When I was helping him find the sheep, I unfortunately encountered a pack of wolves, who bit my right leg."

"A stray dog ​​bit my left leg, a wolf bit my right leg. You really are..."

"Right, my entire leg turned black, and I couldn't walk for a whole month. My wife took care of me for that entire month."

"You have a good wife."

"Just as I was getting better, she cooked a lot of food in a pot, then told me she was going to the coachman's station to buy things, and never came back, taking all the money from the house with her."

Peter remained silent, unable to comment.

"As soon as I recovered and was able to get out of bed, I was caught by the bailiffs. They said that Mr. Jaksi had sued me, saying that he had three missing sheep and that I had to pay for them. I had clearly found them for him that day. But the bailiffs wouldn't listen to my explanation. I had no money to pay, so I had to go to Jaksi's farm to work and pay off my debt. Today I saw a glittering light in the tree and thought it was gold sent to me by God."

Peter looked up and saw golden light shimmering among the shadows of the trees, but it wasn't gold; it was sunlight.

"Anyway, I'm lucky to have met you all today, otherwise I would definitely be dead here."

"Lack said with a sigh."

Peter thought for a moment and said, "I am Peter Griffin, a redeemed knight blessed by God. Would you be interested in working on my farm? Not only will you receive a salary, but you will also be allocated land as a share when the land area expands in the future."

"Really? You are the legendary Red Griffin. Of course I'd like to follow you, but... there's the debt to Lord Jaxsey..."

"Ignore that kind of scum. Now that you've joined my ranks, you're under my protection, and no one can bully you anymore."

"Thank you, thank you for your help. I was so overwhelmed by the pressure, but your protection is wonderful. Perhaps the gold I, poor Lak, saw in the tree today was a revelation from God, a way for me to stay here and meet you."

Lark looked up at the treetops, where dappled sunlight streamed down—sunlight full of hope, sunlight he had finally found.