CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 424 RECRUITING GENERALS

Under the pitch-black night sky.

Due to the heavy black clouds that cover the sky.

The stars are completely invisible.

Only occasionally can one see the crescent moon emerging from behind the clouds.

Everywhere in the fortress, oil lamps are lit.

A spacious stone house is situated not far from the back gate of the fortress.

Noisy sounds come from inside this stone house.

A wooden sign with a picture of a wine glass hangs at the door.

No need to think much; this is the fortress tavern.

"Is this the place? Let’s hurry inside."

Longbei quickly ran to the side of the stone house, speaking to the shadows behind him.

From the shadows behind, Kane and the others walked slowly, revealing their figures.

At this moment, Kane looked helpless. Although he had asked about the tavern after dinner, he was only seeking his teammates’ opinions, not planning to recruit at the tavern immediately.

Longbei, having not drunk for several days, didn’t care about such things. Hearing there was a tavern, he insisted on Kane and the others going with him.

Sooner or later, they had to go, so Kane and the others decided to follow.

As soon as they pushed open the wooden door, the sound of chatter filled the tavern.

Many wearing red and white were drinking inside the tavern.

The sound of chatting and singing intertwined in a noisy hubbub.

This kind of tavern atmosphere hadn’t been felt for a long time.

Looking at Longbei’s expression, it was clear he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Without saying much, he went directly to the bar, standing beside a wooden stool and started ordering drinks.

Kane keenly noticed several figures in the tavern who were not wearing the red and white colors.

The aura they emitted was significantly stronger than those of the soldiers. These people must be the recruitable leaders.

There are five recruitable heroes.

One wore knight armor, with hair and beard showing hints of gray, a middle-aged knight.

Aging a bit, one can sense his life beginning to decline.

This one won’t do.

Another should be a mage, wearing a dark green cloak and a hood on the head.

Most notably holding a wooden staff, embedded with a cloudy gemstone.

The aura on them seemed somewhat eerie.

This one might be alright.

Kane went directly to the bar: "One Loyalty, please."

After the bartender prepared the drink, Kane held the glass and walked towards the mage.

According to the information provided, to recruit a hero or leader, one simply needs to order a glass of Loyalty and hand it to them. If they accept, they are willing to converse with you.

Kane approached and sat down beside the mage’s position.

The mage slightly lifted their head upon sensing someone beside them.

He saw Kane handing the glass of drink.

This mage’s hood seemed to have used magic, thus the face beneath wasn’t visible through the light.

He looked at the glass Kane handed over and then raised his head slightly, observing Kane.

Finally, he gently shook his head.

Refused.

Kane took the glass back, looking at the clear liquid in his hand.

Unexpectedly, things weren’t going well; the first attempt ended in failure.

The refusal meant this leader thought they weren’t suited to work under Kane.

Longbei was drinking beer in big gulps at the bar and chatting with the soldiers next to him.

Meanwhile, Kreya and Lilulu were at the door, watching Kane’s actions.

They weren’t unwilling to recruit, but rather waiting for Kane to succeed in recruiting to share experiences with them; they first wanted to observe and familiarize themselves with the process.

Meizike didn’t come along but was inside the room concocting potions.

With one unwilling to recruit, and one recruiting unsuccessfully, there were three left.

Kane turned to look.

One was a strong man wearing beast leather halfway across his chest, covered with dense scars, and his bulging muscles indicated he was a formidable warrior.

At this moment, he was loudly chatting with the soldier beside him, drinking his booze in large gulps.

Looking at this person for the first time, Kane felt this person wasn’t quite suitable for his team.

He continued to look at another figure.

Another, another... has disappeared?

At this moment in the tavern, only four recruitable leaders remained.

Yet Kane hadn’t seen anyone leave the tavern, so was it possible the recruitable leaders appeared and disappeared out of thin air?

Anyway, don’t understand these mechanisms much.

Finally, the remaining recruitable leader also wore a cloak.

But this cloak was a mixture of green and brown and didn’t cover them completely, revealing the lower half and abdomen, wearing part light armor complemented by flexible leather armor.

Two short swords were equipped at the waist, while the cloak covered the back, though a bow-like shape was still visible.

This person should be a long-range shooter or a thief-hunter type of profession.

Might be a good match for his team.

He bypassed a few people and walked over; this person was situated in the corner of the tavern.

Kane sat in the seat next to this person and handed over the glass of wine in his hand.

The person looked at the offered glass and slightly raised their head.

Only then did Kane see the true appearance of the person, who turned out to be a woman.

The woman took off her hood, revealing a head of green hair, woven into a thick braid that draped over her shoulder.

Her face looked very mature, not like a young girl, but more like a married woman.

However, that doesn’t mean she’s unattractive; this woman is very beautiful, with a hint of mature charm.

She took the glass Kane handed over and sipped: "Rejected by others, chose me only as a last resort?"

It seemed she had been observing Kane all along, making Kane a bit embarrassed with just one sentence.

"The most precious things are always saved for last, aren’t they?" Kane said with a smile.

"Haha, you’re right, cheers to that." With that, the woman downed the drink.

"You want to recruit me as your subordinate?"

Kane nodded: "Yes."

"If you want to recruit me, you must meet my demands," she said.

"Tell me."

"I don’t need you to give me money or anything else. But you need to know, I have two children whom I must always carry with me, and while I help you fight and kill enemies, you must protect their safety. Can you accept that?"

?

Kane asked in sudden shock: "You mean you want to take your two children into battle?"

"Not necessarily into battle, just ensure their safety. I must look after them." The woman said somewhat helplessly.

"How old are they?"

"Five years old."

"So young? Let me think."

Kane did not ask why she didn’t place the children in a safe place or with someone else.

Willing to bring her five-year-old children to battle indicates definitely some unspeakable trouble, Kane understood this point.

Honestly, bringing two kids along might be highly difficult for others, but for Kane’s team, it’s not a big issue, as they have Lilu.

What is Lilu? She’s the Spirit of Fairy Tales, the guardian of children. Taking care of kids is imprinted in Lilu’s instincts.

Moreover, this woman is extremely powerful, the strongest dungeon spirit Kane has encountered in this dungeon.

Her strength has reached the Silver Bottleneck stage.

After pondering for a while, Kane nodded: "Okay."

Upon hearing Kane’s agreement, the woman smiled and then extended her hand: "Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Bonnie Hercog, proficient in archery and close combat sword dance, able to lead various long-range brigades."

Kane shook her hand: "Kane."

"Now Kane, I will pledge my loyalty to you, becoming your sword blade, clearing obstacles in your path until you fail to fulfill your promise."

Although Bonnie said this, she didn’t make any movement, only casually bowed to Kane.

She hadn’t yet accepted Kane.

"Then please wait for me a moment, I need to fetch my kids."

After speaking, Polona disappeared.

Kreya and Lilu watched Bonnie bow to Kane and then disappear, uncertain whether Kane succeeded, and came over.

"Did you recruit her?"

Facing Kreya’s question, Kane nodded: "I recruited her, but her demands weren’t about Mist Coins or anything, it was about us helping her with the kids."

"What?" Hearing Kane’s words, Kreya momentarily thought she heard wrong: "With the kids?"

"Yes, with the kids."

"With the kids? Lilu loves kids, Lilu wants to help, give it to Lilu."

Hearing Kane’s words, Lilu excitedly came in front of Kane and shouted.

"Alright, alright, I’ll leave it to you, such things should naturally be left to you."

Even without you saying, I would leave it to you.

Upon hearing Kane’s approval, Lilu nodded satisfactorily.

Nearby, Kreya was still muttering, unable to comprehend: "There are indeed strange requests like bringing kids."

"Do you want to recruit those three people?" Kane asked.

Upon hearing Kane’s words, Kreya shook her head: "Those three aren’t suitable, let’s check out another camp."

And Lilu had no interest in that matter at all, Longbei was just here to drink.

After waiting at the original spot for a while.

Bonona appeared again in front of Kane, but this time she held one child in each arm, resting their little heads on her shoulders, sleeping soundly.

The hair color on the heads of these two kids was identical to Polona’s, also green.

Turns out it’s not just one child, judging by their height and looks, they should be twins.

"Are these your daughters?"

Hearing Kane’s question, Polona replied with a smile: "Yes, these are my twin daughters, Milo and Mina."

Kane nodded, then introduced his teammates to her so they could get to know each other.

"Can you lead me to the accommodation now? The tavern isn’t suitable for children."

"Of course."

Kane said as he approached the bar, picked up Longbei, and walked out of the bar.

Later, he introduced Longbei to Bonnie.

Lilu kept fluttering her wings, observing Milo and Mina in Polona’s arms.

"They’re so cute."

Upon hearing Lilu praise her daughters, Polona’s face lit up with maternal radiance, she responded with a smile: "Thank you, and you too."

After taking Bonnie back to their camp, they prepared a single room for Polona and asked the soldiers nearby to keep quiet.