"Mom, I want to go too." Vanessa said at the side.
"You..., okay, come with me. Anyway, since Dick is here, there won't be any danger.
"As for Yuanyuan, you just stay at home, you know?"
"As you command, ma'am."
Several people rode horses and followed the route guided by the soldiers, along the city wall to the very back of the city, and then walked along the path for some distance before entering an unobtrusive cave blocked by rocks.
The cave is narrow, only big enough for three people to pass side by side.
Everyone got off their horses and walked into the cave one by one.
There are well-developed veins in the depths of this cave. If it weren't for the soldiers leading the way, we might not be able to find a way out.
After walking for nearly half an hour, the front suddenly opened up. Walking out of the cave at the other end, everyone came to an open space surrounded by towering mountains.
Dick looked around:
There is a row of neat wooden houses on each side, without any snow on the ground;
In front is a large group of soldiers, holding long guns, staring at a square hole supported by a steel frame about 20 meters in front, which should be the silver mine.
There is a wooden sentry tower on each side, with several vigilant soldiers standing on it holding crossbows and aiming at the entrance of the cave.
At this time, someone slowly leaned out of the cave entrance.
He was thin, wearing only a tattered leather jacket in the cold winter, and was covered in mud, revealing extremely thick bones. He also held a dirty pickaxe in his hand.
I saw this man shouting, with some childishness in his voice. "You hateful soldiers, you want all of us to die."
"But we have already discussed it. If you go into the mine and are eaten by a spider, you will definitely die. If you fight hard with you, you will definitely survive."
"I don't want to live anyway. If you force us again, I will fight you to the death!"
Behind him, shouts came from the mine, "Yes! Ron is right, fight them!"
Dick asked the soldier next to him in a low voice, "Approximately how many miners are there?"
"Excluding the missing miners, there should be more than 100 people left."
"Then how many soldiers are you stationed here?"
"30 people."
Seeing that the demon hunter in front of him seemed a little confused, the soldier explained:
"Master Dick, these 30 people are enough.
"Those miners only eat one meal a day. If Lady Amara didn't come here, they would never have eaten meat, and they wouldn't have had so much strength.
"If they really want to riot, we can kill these criminals in a short time."
Dick nodded and saw the lady and girl on the side continuing to move forward, so he hurriedly protected them.
The soldiers in front also noticed the appearance of Lady Amara and her daughter and did not want them to take risks, but Lady Amara just shook his head decisively.
This group of soldiers had no choice but to make way.
Lady Amara said to her daughter again, "Vanessa, stay here and don't go any further."
"But mother, why do you want to risk negotiating by yourself?"
"I am the Duke's wife, and I have to take responsibility while he is away. Now I have to talk to the miners, and you have to be obedient."
"Okay, mother."
"Don't worry, I'll go with my wife."
"Sorry to trouble you again, Dick." Vanessa said gratefully.
The two of them slowly passed through the team and came to the open space at the front.
Lady Amara shouted towards the entrance of the cave, "You are Ron, young man, I remember you."
"I remember that every time I came to the mine, I would bring you some cooked meat, and you ate the most among the miners. I remember you were only 17 years old, right?"
"Madam, I am seventeen years old." Ron looked shocked, and then said happily, "Thank the gods, you are safe and sound!"
"I just woke up today and was just trying to get some more rest. I heard that you were leading the rebellion."
"I... I, ma'am, I have no choice but to do this."
"Then you can tell me what grievances you have, and we can have something to discuss.
"Don't you still believe me?"
"Madam, it's not that I don't believe you..."
"Because these soldiers force you to continue mining deep in the mines, and those [Arachas] will hurt you, right?"
"Those Monster are called [Arachas]... mainly for this reason."
"The problem is easy to solve. Look at the person next to me." Lady Amara pointed at Dick, "Do you think he is any different?"
"He is very good-looking, but I am not as good as him."
"Would you like to take a closer look?"
Ron stared at Dick for a moment, "He has cat eyes."
"Then can you guess his identity now?"
"I've heard in the village before that people with cat eyes are mutant monsters... they are demon hunters who specialize in hunting monsters."
"That's right, I specially found the master demon hunter named Dick next to me. He can deal with those [Arachas] in the cave."
"After he gets rid of those monsters, you should be safe."
"But..."
"If you have any concerns, feel free to tell me. If it can be resolved, I will definitely help you."
"Madam." Ron babbled in a decadent voice, "You can't solve it, I believe you, but I don't believe the nobles, and I don't believe you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I believe in your character, but I don't believe in nobles, and you are still noble."
Then Ron said aggrievedly, "Madam, Duke Amara promised us miners that if anyone can survive five years in the mine, he will be free after five years."
"I have survived this fourth year, but now they are forcing me to die." Ron looked at the group of soldiers with resentment.
"I was framed four years ago, and again four years later. I am the only one who can survive four years in these mines.
"The miners around me kept falling down, one after another, but I am still alive. It is because you always provide me with meat that I can persevere.
"Four years ago, there was a famine in the village, and I was the only one who survived. I survived by eating grass roots and barks while escaping from the famine.
"On the road to Ravenstern City, I met a luxurious team, a group of people protecting a rich young man in good clothes. I was..."
"It's okay, keep talking..."
"I was really hungry at that time. They also brought a small cart of delicious food. I hid it in the grass and grabbed a butter bread while they were not paying attention."
Speaking of this, Ron licked his lips and said, "That butter bread is so delicious."
"I had just eaten half of the buttered bread when I was beaten up by the young master's servants.
"They pushed me to the ground, and the young master stepped on the back of my head with his cowhide boots, forcing my face to be buried in the soil on the roadside.
"I will never forget the last words he said before he fell into coma.
"What did he say?"
"He said, 'Although I, Brownie, am only the illegitimate son of Prince James, I am not someone who can be offended by such a lowly idiot like you.'"