"Baron Balder, do you mind taking me for a walk in your territory?" Roland smiled as he looked at the centaurs behind Balder, whose eyes were full of vigilance.
"Of course, King...Your Highness!" Balder could only lower his head and said weakly.
"Relax and don't get excited. We don't have any direct conflict. Being loyal to my king is not a bad thing for you! At least the Tuput tribe, which has suffered heavy losses, needs a strong force to protect it, right?" Renault came to the two of them after sensing the tense atmosphere between the two sides.
"...Please come in." Balder glanced deeply at the army connected behind the two of them, took a deep breath, and made way.
"The Holy Knights just follow, and the rest of you stay where you are!" Roland waved his hand to stop the army's march. If the Centaurs really had any ulterior motives, an army trapped in the forest would have difficulty in deploying. The torrent infantry blocked by the dense forest could not form a torrent formation and could only fight on their own. The ultra-long-range projectiles that the Badaniyan archers were best at would also be interfered with by tree branches. Therefore, it made no sense to have more people or fewer people. One knight order would be enough!
"Let's go and take a look at the Centaur camp!" Roland said with some interest. It would be nice to experience the exotic style.
…
Led by the centaurs, the group passed through the bare forest, crossed the frozen stream, and stepped over fallen ancient trees. Finally, a large camp appeared before Roland and his companions. Tall wooden houses rose from the ground, and the wide doors were painted with exquisite patterns. This was the totem of the centaurs - the winged celestial horse! Legend has it that only one in ten thousand centaurs can awaken their wings under the Pegasus Stone in the Centaur Kingdom. However, with the passage of time, the former Centaur Kingdom had long been lost to history, and the Pegasus Stone disappeared with it. Since then, the Centaurs have been unable to recover and have no ability to rebuild their kingdom. The search for the Pegasus Stone has come to nothing.
"Celestial Horse..." Roland looked at the familiar totem and softly uttered a few characters. His eyes were full of surprise!
"Your Highness, have you seen these totems before?" Balder asked quickly.
Roland gave a wry smile. He hadn't seen a totem before; he'd even seen a living one! The most popular follower in the game was the Centaur! Centaurs could form mount contracts with humans! Knights with Centaur contracts could easily defeat most knights of the same rank, let alone these rare Centaurs.
"Your Highness, I beg you to tell me what you know! I beg you!" Balder knelt before Roland. Only after years of wandering with his people did he truly understand the fear of loneliness! Throughout the entire northern wasteland, Balder had never seen another centaur tribe. He even once believed that he was the last of the Centaurs. Now someone could actually recognize the Centaur totem! This meant he must have seen them somewhere! Excited, Balder knelt before Roland.
"Get up, it's okay to tell you!" Roland sighed. Although he looked calm, he was actually very panicked. He was still thinking about how to make up for the lie. After all, he couldn't tell Balder that he had seen these centaurs three thousand years ago!
"I found this in an ancient book passed down from my ancestors. I just saw it and it felt familiar, so I remembered it." Roland twitched the corners of his mouth, trying to look thoughtful.
"Ah! So... so!" Balder's swollen muscles instantly shrank back, and his straight spine hunched. He couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes. He thought he could get news from his fellow tribesmen, but he didn't expect...
"Your Highness, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Balder's keen hearing instantly caught the rumbling sounds of Roland and Renault's stomachs.
"Um... I haven't eaten yet... yet..." Roland blushed. After all, after encountering such a mess so early in the morning, he even missed lunch time after dawdling for so long...
"I'll ask someone to prepare food!" Balder said hurriedly. Although he didn't like humans very much, he was temporarily loyal to him after all. What's more, he had to give some face to the grassland elf king Vanerwei next to him.
Soon, some food that was not delicate but sufficient in quantity was brought up, including roasted rabbit dripping with fat, thick soup made from cabbage stewed with air-dried venison, rough whole wheat bread, some shriveled wild fruits, and even a roasted wild boar cub that was burnt red.
"Please enjoy your meal!" In the spacious wooden house, Balder knelt on all fours in front of the table covered with thick fur and extended his hand to invite the four people to have a meal.
"Hahaha, I won't be polite!" The burnt aroma rushed to Roland's nostrils. The fragrant roast suckling pig made Roland's mouth water. Even in Jiliu City, it was difficult for him to enjoy such delicacy. After all, the main source of meat in Jiliu City, which faced the Jiliu River, was fish. Moreover, it was dangerous for ordinary people to go into the forest to hunt, and it was too wasteful to send professionals to hunt. Therefore, the reserve of fresh red meat in Jiliu City had always been insufficient.
"Crack!" The stone knife effortlessly cut through the crispy skin of the suckling pig, and the tender and juicy suckling pig immediately oozed fat from the cut. Roland, with his appetite aroused, quickly cut off a piece and put it on his plate.
"Mmm, fragrant!" Roland couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. As expected of the nomadic Centaurs, their meat-cooking skills were truly superb! Fatty yet not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—that was the delicacy before him.
"Hahaha, as long as Your Highness likes it, this is a suckling pig marinated with Centaur's unique seasoning..." Balder said mysteriously.
"Hmm?" Roland took a bite of the crispy pork and chewed it carefully. Sure enough, a faint apple aroma lingered in Roland's mouth. As he chewed for a longer time, the fruity aroma became stronger!
"Fragrant! This fruity fragrance is truly magical!" Roland exclaimed.
"Hahaha, this is golden flower apple jam brewed by Centaurs! It is brewed with the best magical plant, golden flower apple! One fruit tree can only brew one jar! And the only thing that can be used is the thin layer of golden sauce on top! There is only this one bottle!" Balder said, making a circle with his hand that was less than half the size of a fist.
"Not bad, not bad! I didn't expect that Centaurs also have the talent of a chef!" Roland almost swallowed the soup on his tongue after taking a mouthful.
"tasty!"
“Not bad!”
Even Kaslo and Renault were full of praise. This simple thick soup is completely comparable to the craftsmanship of the Hobbits. The fresh white soup is full of rich aroma. The taste is mellow, fresh, and mellow! It must be said that the cooking skills of the Centaur must be top-notch. Dipping the bread into the thick soup, the wheat aroma and rich flavor mixed together, instantly sublimating people's spirits.
"Someone come here! Bring some wine!" Balder, who was chatting excitedly, slammed the table and said to the door.