With a thud, he tossed a bloody hindquarters of Shamo boar in front of Jessica, the skinny monkey Baite, boasted smugly, "I'm in luck! On my first day of training, Lord Ribery appointed me as a militia squad leader, commanding over 100 soldiers! Haha, Jessica, I think my day has come to win you over, so I took an advance on half a month's pay and went to the East District specifically to buy a Shamo boar. Let alone wartime, even in peacetime, which of these poor bastards here can even see a single hair on Shamo boar's leg? Haha, Jessica, my dear fiancée, get it ready and cook it, I'll invite the neighbors for a feast to celebrate our engagement."
"You wish!" Jessica sneered, picking up the Shamo boar and tossing it back. "Go get engaged to your Shamo boar!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, Jessica, that's not right of you. You used to always say I was a lazy bum and wouldn't even give me a second glance. Your brother was a soldier in the garrison, someone I couldn't afford to offend. But now, I'm a squad leader in the militia reserves under Commander Alexander Legion. In a while, I'll be going up to the city to fight the Ajax. I've changed my ways and acknowledged my superiority. My Jessica, why don't you still want to marry me?"
The skinny monkey smacked his lips, completely ignoring Jessica's provocation. His eyes, like two knives, roamed freely over the girl's body.
" Nate, it's no use, you're too late. Don't bother Jessica anymore, she already has a fiancé, he's right here." The freckled girl pointed at Sun Fei in the crowd, smirking, " Sun Fei is much more handsome than you."
The skinny monkey's suspicious gaze followed the freckled little girl's finger and landed on Sun Fei.
With just one glance, skinny Knight instantly felt hostility.
Because this young man in front of him was a hundred times better than him in both appearance and temperament. Even Skinny Monkey himself had to admit that if he were a woman, he would definitely choose the guy with the faint smile on his face.
"Who are you, kid?" the skinny monkey Earth Inquiry.
"A friend of Emile's, just dropping by." Sun Fei was still holding a piece of orange-yellow, oily bread in his hand, eating it with relish without looking up. Actually, Sun Fei was worried that this guy would recognize him.
"So, you're also in the military?" The skinny monkey narrowed his eyes slightly, beginning to probe Sun Fei's background.
"You could say it's just a sinecure with virtually no real power."
After exchanging a few words, seeing that the skinny man didn't recognize him, Sun Fei felt relieved. He didn't intend to reveal his identity; he casually made up a sinecure in the garrison. His Majesty the King quite enjoyed chatting with these gossipy uncles and aunties about everyday matters. If his identity were revealed, he probably wouldn't be able to joke and mingle with these people like this anymore.
The skinny monkey nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, feeling quite pleased with himself, the newly appointed militia captain continued to show off in a very serious and pretentious manner.
"Yeah, I thought so too. Look at you, a weak pretty boy like you, can't even hold a knife, can't fight on the battlefield and earn merit, so you can only drift along in a sinecure to make a living..." At this point, the skinny monkey's expression softened a little. What threat could a mere sinecure pose to someone like him who was already a captain? He turned to Jessica smugly and said, "This kind of pretty boy is definitely no good. He might just be a scoundrel who preys on young girls like you..."
Jessica spat, glared at him, and interrupted the skinny guy's slander, saying, " Knight, shut up! You're not allowed to insult my brother's friend."
"You..."
Skinny Monkey was getting a little embarrassed after being scolded by Jessica several times.
After all, he had several subordinates with him today. Where would that leave his reputation as the new squad leader? Hearing Jessica defend Sun Fei, he assumed the little girl was really infatuated with the pretty boy, and a surge of jealousy and anger welled up inside him.
He picked up the first-tier magical beast Shamo boar from the ground, stepped back, and threw it hard at Jessica's feet. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer. "Captain Knight's word is his bond, hehe. Today, I'm going to reserve you, my little wild chrysanthemum. The war has broken out, and the situation in the city isn't what it used to be. Hehe, I used to think that big oaf Emile was really a high-ranking officer in the army, but now I know he's just a stable boy and cook being bossed around. Hehe, I'm not afraid of him anymore. Aren't you very concerned about this silly brother of yours? If you don't agree today, I'll transfer Emile to the city walls tomorrow. Hehe, once the Ajax people attack the city, I wonder if Emile will even come back alive!"
Knight was completely exaggerating when he said that.
He was just a lowly militia captain; how could he possibly mobilize a regular garrison soldier like Heskey? Even if Heskey was just a lowly cook and groom in the garrison camp, someone anyone could order around, that was only within the garrison Barracks. Compared to the militia reservists, Hesky was, after all, a regular soldier. Let alone a lowly militia captain like him, even a company commander of a thousand men or a battalion commander of ten thousand men wouldn't have the right to mobilize a single regular garrison soldier.
But the others don't know that.
Upon hearing what the skinny guy Knight said, everyone's expression immediately changed.
The neighbors, especially those who cared about the siblings, began to worry. They had watched Heskey grow up; he was too honest, even a bit slow-witted, and had never been exposed to martial arts. Apart from being strong, he had no other skills. If they really sent him to the city walls to fight, he would most likely die under the scimitars of the Ajax.
Jessica froze.
"Even if I die fighting on the city walls, I will never let my sister marry you! You petty thief, how could you be worthy of my sister? The priests of the Church have said that Jessica is destined to become a true noblewoman, a truly great person..." Heskey, this big, simple-minded guy, didn't even understand the power of the skinny Knight. He roared and stood protectively in front of Jessica. And it was clear that this big, simple-minded guy cared deeply for his sister. He took the words of that unknown priest from the Church many years ago seriously. He would never allow his Goddess- like, beautiful sister to marry a guy who was just a street thug a day ago.
"Huh? Haha, you actually believed what that poor old swindler who begged on the street said back then? A swindler, a fool, hahaha!" Knight and his three subordinates behind him laughed so hard they were doubled over, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.
In this Bloody continent where the law of the jungle reigns supreme and the strong are respected, without sufficient strength, even the most beautiful poor woman will only become a disaster, a plaything for nobles or wealthy merchants. If it weren't for Heskey's service in the garrison of Twin Flag City over the years, and the fact that the garrison commander Ribery had a few who were protective of their own and dared not provoke him, coupled with Jessica's simple attire and her young age, her small body not yet fully developed, she would probably have been snatched into the mansions of those nobles and defiled long ago.
Want to become a big shot?
At least for now, it seems absolutely impossible.
Only after hearing this sentence repeatedly did Sun Fei suddenly have a flash of inspiration.
A down-on-his-luck Church priest said that Jessica could become a great person someday?
Generally speaking, the Holy Church wields immense power on the Azeroth Continent. Even the lowest-ranking priest wouldn't be reduced to begging as described by people like Skinny Knight, unless this so-called priest is a fraud... or perhaps there's some other hidden story? Could Jessica truly be hiding some secret?
Sun Fei suddenly realized that Jessica gave him a very similar feeling to Angela. Could it be...? Sun Fei suddenly remembered what had happened to Angela before. The priest Baresi said that Angela possessed the purest soul in the world, and therefore repeatedly coerced and tempted Angela to join the Church's choir. And then there was a mysterious priest who said that Jessica would have a bright future. Could it be that Jessica also possessed a pure soul comparable to Angela's?
Thinking about it this way, Sun Fei felt it was even more likely.
Because the two of them reminded me of each other so much.
" Emile, you're a complete fool, utterly foolish. The situation has changed. Your pathetic garrison soldier status is worthless now. You can't protect your sister anymore. Look at her hands, they're red, swollen, and rough like carrots. In a few years, she'll be like those prostitutes on the street, with a barrel waist, a face full of freckles and age spots. Heh heh, if you die on the city walls, who will take care of her?"
Skinny Knight laughed heartily, his face full of mockery.
"And I, Knight, am now a militia squad leader under the supreme Commander Alexander. If I achieve merit and gain Alexander's favor, I can be promoted to a nobleman. Jessica, you're just a lowly village girl. If you come with me, you'll become a noblewoman, which is quite a feat. Maybe I can even promote you, so you won't be just a lowly groom whom everyone in the Barracks can humiliate. Hahaha!"
Knight became increasingly smug as he spoke.
"Little beauty, don't refuse, or your brother will die on the city wall!"
"That's right, haha, when that time comes, when you're out of food and willingly spread your legs and lie down in front of Captain Knight because of hunger, I'm afraid Captain Knight won't even give you a second glance. Even the women in the rich neighborhoods won't be able to wait to cling to an officer."
Fourth update.