"Your generosity fills me with gratitude."
Luo Lin nodded slightly in response.
Besides money, he certainly wanted other rewards, but he needed to carefully consider them.
Pemon, the squire standing nearby, muttered to himself, "As a serf, what he must want is to become a freeman. However, this level of merit isn't enough for a 'Special Grant.' If he truly asks for that, it's a fantasy."
Bill, who was squatting nearby, gave Luo Lin a look, as if to say, "This is a rare opportunity, ask for more."
"Respected Sir, please allow me to bring Little Black and accompany you on your campaign. I promise it won't cause you any trouble."
Luo Lin gave his answer.
Becoming a freeman was the main goal of this trip, but now was not the time.
The reason was simple: he didn't understand the Dorn Knight well yet.
Before fully understanding a person, one shouldn't expose their true intentions too early.
It's true that one must seize opportunities, but also accumulate enough resources.
When the accumulation is sufficient, everything will fall into place naturally.
That way, no opportunity would be wasted.
"Oh, there will be war dogs on the battlefield too. Little Black's bravery is already up to par. There's no problem with it accompanying you,"
The Dorn Knight was visibly surprised that his subordinate's request was so simple, then asked curiously, "But is that all you ask for?"
Pemon, the squire standing nearby, also found it a bit incredible upon hearing this.
He retreated to save his life, aiming to become a legendary musician. This man fought desperately to kill Barbarians, yet only wanted to bring his dog along.
He was so lacking in ambition.
Well, what great ambitions could a serf have? His only shining point was that ruthlessness.
A terrifying shining point.
"Yes, my Lord."
Luo Lin nodded in response, still not making any demands.
Asking for too much would seem greedy, and asking for too little would be a loss. After all, taking that arrow couldn't be for nothing, and Little Black's effort couldn't be in vain.
Sometimes, not contending is the greatest contention.
The other party had already said that the reward would be for upholding the Knight's honor; they certainly wouldn't just give a pittance.
"Your humility is something I didn't expect,"
The Dorn Knight smiled, pointing to the neatly arranged spoils before him. "Given your performance tonight, I will not treat you unfairly. You may choose one leather armor and two weapons for your own use. Furthermore, I hereby declare that they are your personal property from now on, to dispose of as you wish. Oh, by the way, do you know how to use a crossbow?"
"No."
"Then you should start learning,"
After the Dorn Knight finished speaking, he glanced at Pemon, the squire beside him, and said, "Teach him how to use a crossbow in your spare time. I hope to have... one more person who can assist me by my side."
Clearly, he had given up hope on his own squire.
And on the battlefield, one always needed a reliable person to guard their sides.
After the surprise attack incident just now, he had a new view of this dependent serf.
"Yes, my Lord."
Squire Pemon was a little surprised.
Was Uncle Dorn's reward for this serf a bit too much?
But thinking of the other party's performance just now, he indeed deserved these.
Luo Lin felt that this was not enough.
Little Black, who had also contributed tonight, couldn't be shortchanged. As its owner, he had to fight for it.
Then, he subtly gave Little Black a look: Quickly eat the jerky in your mouth, then go stare at the jerky captured on the ground.
The benefit of having the 【Telepathy】 ability was thus demonstrated. Little Black immediately understood, swallowed the half-chewed jerky with its neck craned, then stood up and barked at the pile of jerky among the spoils.
Its intention was very obvious; anyone could tell it wanted food.
"Bad dog, that's not ours,"
Luo Lin pretended to stop it, acting the part fully, then patted Little Black's head. "You can't be so rude. Just wait until I deal with you later."
"Haha, I almost forgot about it,"
The Dorn Knight laughed, pointing to the pile of jerky confiscated from the Barbarians, and affectionately said to Little Black, "Your performance tonight was excellent. All this jerky belongs to you."
"Thank you. It was being presumptuous."
"Its help is more valuable than this jerky. This is my reward for it."
"Thank you."
Luo Lin bowed his head slightly in thanks again.
Taking everything, he and Little Black now had provisions.
Having received benefits, he naturally had to say something nice, then expressed, "I will discipline it well and make it play a greater role."
"Very good. Get some rest quickly. We have to set off early tomorrow morning."
The Dorn Knight stood up and entered his tent.
Only then did Luo Lin notice that the Knight slept with chainmail under his surcoat at night.
Indeed, everyone had their own way of surviving.
He also realized that sleeping in chainmail during overnight marches in the wilderness was the norm.
"Laotie, you really wasted an opportunity,"
Bill collected the things on the ground, leaning close to Luo Lin and lowering his voice: "Lord Dorn let you ask for a reward yourself, but you, of all people, only asked for your dog to accompany you. What a rare opportunity! How can you have no ambition at all? You're not even as proactive as your Little Black. You're really giving me a headache."
"I was nervous at the time, I didn't think of it."
Luo Lin casually responded, tidying up the items on the ground, choosing a relatively complete upper leather armor, that longsword, and a dagger.
Finally, he grabbed the somewhat old wooden crossbow.
Compared to a bow, this item had a lower learning curve.
This set of equipment, at the very least, could offer some self-defense.
"But Lord Dorn is still so generous,"
Bill looked at the crossbow and said, "He saw that you didn't dare to ask, so he gave you so much. Don't be foolish next time. You should know that Knights and noble Lords love to bestow rewards on others; that's how they demonstrate their honor code of clear rewards and punishments."
"Thanks for the reminder."
Luo Lin nodded.
After learning more, he found that the Knights in this world still had some differences from the medieval Knights of his previous life.
Although the Knights here might engage in some unspeakable dealings in secret, they were absolutely meticulous when it came to matters of face.
"Laotie, have a taste,"
Bill took out a cloth bag from his Pregnant and pulled out a few biscuits, stuffing them into Luo Lin's hand. "These were made by my wife, rye flour with honey and almond paste. The taste is superb."
"They look very refined. They must taste good. Thank you."
After receiving them, Luo Lin also took two strips from the pile of jerky as a return gift.
Bill smiled: "You're as humble as Lord Dorn said, a true friend. I like you, fellow."
"Better not let your wife know that you 'like' other people."
"Haha, she'll definitely like you too. When we go back this time, you absolutely must come visit my home."
"Definitely."
Luo Lin smiled.
Everything was tidied up, and the two continued to their positions for vigilance.
Little Black stayed close to its master, no longer needing to worry about accompanying him. It could finally do so legitimately.
Luo Lin then inspected the upper leather armor, finding it a bit large for his build.
However, he could tighten it and make do. Having it was much better than not having it.
The longsword's blade had some small nicks from clashes, but it didn't prevent the tip from still being sharp.
The dagger could be used in close combat.
Finally, the wooden crossbow. Its old and worn appearance wasn't a big deal; it could still fire and be used normally.
He hadn't expected to gather simple equipment on this trip.
One should know that buying these on the market would be a considerable sum.
The main thing was that Little Black could now accompany him, which was the most exciting part.
"Let me give you a squeeze."
After inspecting, Luo Lin leaned against a tree, kneading Little Black's head, which was pressed against him.
He was also planning in his mind that he still needed one more dog to light up the 【Killing Intent Perception】 talent, and it would be best to improve it before the battle.
It seemed he needed to find a place to get another dog.
Soon, morning arrived.
The group packed up, extinguished the campfire, and continued on their way.
Little Black followed Luo Lin, guarding and keeping watch at the rear of the group.
Approaching noon.
They encountered a small freeman village permeated with death and a strong smell of blood.
The village was small, with only six or seven households.
Several houses had already been burned down by fire, and the heads of the victimized villagers hung on a wooden stake at the village entrance.
Upon entering the village, there were a dozen headless bodies lying on the ground.
Seeing these, even though Luo Lin was mentally prepared, he felt a surge of nausea.
"Looks like those Barbarians we killed did this,"
Bill said angrily, "Those beasts love to do such cruel things. When you encounter them on the battlefield, don't show any mercy."
"Mm."
Luo Lin nodded.
Recalling the Dorn Knight's deduction from the wooden crossbow last night, those Barbarians had indeed attacked a village.
At this moment.
The Dorn Knight, riding his horse in front, turned back and ordered, "See if anyone survived."
"Yes, my Lord."
Bill and Luo Lin split up to search.
The former held a crude spear and searched to the right.
Luo Lin led Little Black to the left.
Entering the first room on the left, it was messy inside, and no living person was found.
After coming out, he entered the second room.
His steps suddenly stopped. On the blood-stained wooden table before him, a woman lay prone.