Some drunkards were looking at the gorgeous girl and drooling, and someone had already stood up, swaying with a big cup in hand, and walked over: "Hey, pretty girl..."
Snap! Before he could finish his sentence, he was already knocked out by the bull-like warrior, prompting a burst of laughter from the people in the tavern.
Duwei's eyes were full of interest: Hmm, a close combat bull-like warrior, a long-range archer... This girl is surrounded by companions, so she must be the leader. Could this be the legendary type of adventurous small team?
After learning about this world, Duwei already knew that there were some adventure teams similar to mercenaries, ranging from hundreds of people to just three or five. In the forests of the south, low-level magical beasts often appeared, attracting many adventure teams to try their luck, hunting magical beasts to sell for rewards. In some places where the government lacked manpower, they were also willing to spend money to hire these adventure teams to solve some problems, such as capturing wanted thieves for hefty rewards.
Basically, there hasn't been a large-scale mercenary organization or guild in the empire yet, because imperial law does not allow such large-scale armed alliances, fearing that such organizations would affect the empire's power status. In Duwei's view, this move is undoubtedly correct because controlling civilian arms is a necessary measure to ensure national stability.
However... there is actually a mage among these people?
This was quite surprising! After reading many books, Duwei already knew that mages were very, very rare in this world!
Because, to become a mage, not only does one need outstanding talent, but also ten to dozens of years of effort! All of this combined can produce a mage!
According to the records Duwei had read, there were only a few hundred mages in the entire empire. Even some wealthy noble families might not be able to recruit a mage to serve them! It's precisely because mages are so rare that their treatment is surprisingly high! If one's financial situation is slightly worse, they can't afford to support a mage at all! Even in noble families or royal palaces, if they could recruit a mage, it would be a matter of great pride!
And in front of him, in such a seemingly idle adventure team, there was actually a mage's presence, which was undeniably a rare occurrence.
These three men and one woman found a table in the most remote corner and sat down. The bull-like warrior hugged a big barrel of wheat beer and drank heavily, the archer carefully chewing on a piece of roasted meat, the mage resting with his eyes closed, and the gorgeous girl obviously impatient with the excessive attention from the surrounding men.
Fortunately, because their group was obviously not to be trifled with, no one dared to come up and chat or cause trouble anymore. However, quiet discussions were inevitable.
Especially about Duwei's group.
These knights from the Count's mansion, proud of their noble status, would not even bother to look at a ragtag adventure team. Plus, after a few drinks, and with the effect of their assigned moodiness, they needed some outlet for their frustration.
Others dared not provoke the girl's group, but these guards from the Rolin family were not so timid. However, these knights still restrained themselves in the presence of their master and did not really approach to chat, only whispering among themselves.
Duwei had a couple of drinks and couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to his subordinates discussing the girl's beautiful legs. It felt similar to the scenes from his past when he used to hang out with his buddies in bars discussing women.
However, after a couple of drinks, these guys seemed even more unrestrained, and their voices were slightly louder. Moreover... it seemed they weren't too respectful towards their fallen-out-of-favor young master either.
As for the gorgeous girl, she seemed like a fiery chili pepper, facing numerous gazes with her own challenging ones, unknowingly making men drool even more with her glare.
Finally, Duwei heard a knight next to him, who had had a couple of drinks, chuckle softly, "Look at those legs, my goodness, I've never seen such beautiful legs. A girl this hot, if she were in a tavern in Yanjing, she'd fetch at least a hundred gold coins..."
"What a hundred gold coins, have you ever been to the Golden Nest? Humph, the girls there wouldn't go for anything less than three hundred gold coins!" retorted the person beside him, mocking his companion's ignorance.
Duwei looked at these subordinates who had been harboring grievances all the way, suddenly feeling a stir in his heart, and smiled as he spoke, "Is she really that pretty? I think she's just average, but those legs, they're quite something."
"......"
The knights were stunned, never expecting this seemingly taciturn young master to utter such words! Wasn't it said that this young master was a bit of a fool who didn't speak much? It was only because they had heard that their master was supposedly ignorant of everything that these knights dared to speak so disrespectfully.
"What's the matter? Aren't you all men?" Duwei chuckled, "She's just a girl. You're all skilled knights. If you're interested, why just sit here gossiping? Hey, I'll offer ten gold coins. Whoever dares to approach her, I'll reward him with ten gold coins."
The knights finally laughed. In their eyes, although this young master had fallen out of favor and spoke a bit rudely, he seemed to fit their taste. Immediately, one brave knight said, "Master, give me those ten gold coins!"
With that, he stood up, slapped the table, and shouted loudly towards the corner, "Hey! Girl, care to have a drink with me?"
The gorgeous girl glared angrily, then seemed about to stand up, but her companion beside her gently pulled her back, and the mage pointed at Duwei, saying something in a low voice. Probably realizing Duwei's noble attire and different status, they didn't want any trouble.
The knight who spoke saw no response and couldn't help scratching his head. Just as he was about to say something, Duwei suddenly stood up, whistled towards the corner, and then gestured with his middle finger!
It was the knights themselves who were stunned by this gesture!
After all, they were well-trained guards from prestigious families. When had they ever seen a nobleman make such a vulgar gesture? And he was the eldest son of the respected Count!
While the knights were still dumbfounded, the gorgeous girl reacted much faster. A large wine glass was already flying towards Duwei.
The knight sitting in front of Duwei reacted the quickest. He immediately stood up, stretched out his arm to block, and managed to deflect the wine glass, but the liquid inside splashed out, even wetting Duwei's sleeve a bit. The other knights were furious, drawing their swords and rushing towards the group in the corner. The girl in the corner had already drawn her scimitar, and after exchanging a few words, they immediately began to fight.
The tavern descended into chaos. Some of the timid ones had already fled, while the bolder ones stood at a distance, watching the commotion.
The burly warrior alone attracted the siege of five or six family guards. Although everyone had been drinking, they initially showed some restraint. Especially the adventurers; when the fight broke out, the mage in the corner had already shouted something loudly, probably reminding his companions not to go too far. But as the burly warrior was surrounded by several knights and accidentally took a punch to the nose, blood sprayed immediately, his nasal bone fracturing on impact. He no longer cared about restraint! With a swing of his large shield, he smashed it down, immediately knocking a knight to the ground and crashing into a nearby counter, shattering it to pieces! However, due to the confined space, he couldn't fully unleash his strength, and soon he found himself with several wounds from the knights' swords.
The archer fared the worst. Being skilled only in long-range attacks, his towering longbow was impractical in such close quarters. He could only wield his dagger against a knight's assault, but after a few moments, he was kicked down.
The gorgeous girl, wielding her scimitar, parried a knight's longsword. Although her movements were graceful, seeing her companions unable to hold out, she spotted Duwei sitting nearby, evidently the leader of this group. With a thought in her mind, she dodged aside from a nearby knight, then slipped past and lunged towards Duwei.
However, the family's guardian knights hadn't forgotten their duty to protect their master. Just as the girl moved, one knight swiftly threw a table to block her path. Another knight then struck down with his sword, piercing her leather armor. But the armor seemed to be enchanted; a white light flashed across it, deflecting the blade, and the girl remained unharmed.
Seeing the girl hit by the sword, the mage who had been standing back and watching grimaced. He stood up, raised his hands high, and quickly traced several symbols with his fingers. Uttering a string of arcane words, a faint halo emanated from his fingertips.
The family's knights, engaged in fierce combat with their opponents, immediately felt a sudden heaviness in their bodies! Suddenly, every movement seemed to slow down, and their swords felt as if they had doubled in weight! This unexpected turn of events immediately put them at a disadvantage, their movements sluggish, and several knights were soon injured by their opponents.
Duwei, watching from afar, couldn't help but be impressed!
Slowdown Magic! This was real magic!
As he watched the mage retreat while quickly gesturing with his fingers, Duwei saw a fireball burst from his fingertips towards the knights. Fortunately, one knight with remarkable martial skills swiftly cleaved the fireball with his sword. However, the sparks scattered, hitting several other knights, causing them to cry out in pain and become even more flustered.
The room was now filled with flames running rampant, and the mage seemed to transform into a giant flamethrower. With this turn of events, the previously advantaged guards of the Roland family immediately lost their edge. Twenty people against just a few opponents was now a more evenly matched battle.
However, Duwei felt something was amiss.
The mage had already cast seven or eight fireballs in succession! Although he didn't know the full extent of a first-level mage's abilities, being able to cast so many fireballs in one breath... Moreover, Duwei observed that the mage hardly chanted any spells! Each time, he merely waved his hand and a fireball shot out, astonishingly fast!
Such a performance far exceeded the abilities of a first-level mage.
Duwei remembered clearly from the books he had read about magic that mages excelled in ranged attacks but were extremely weak in close combat. Seeing that this mage had no warriors guarding him in the melee, Duwei immediately grabbed a nearby bottle and hurled it towards him.
Mages could cast powerful spells, but they were extremely vulnerable in close combat. The bottle forced him into a desperate situation, and with a loud smack, it hit the wall, its shattered pieces even cutting his face! The mage, grimacing in pain and clutching his face, was taken off guard. Duwei rushed over, grabbed him by the neck, and brought him down to the ground!
Duwei's strategy was correct, but he had forgotten to consider his own strength. After all, he was just a thirteen-year-old child. How much strength could he possibly have? While the mage's close combat abilities were somewhat lacking, surely an adult wouldn't struggle against a thirteen-year-old child?
After a few twists and turns, Duwei found himself pinned down underneath the mage, his arms twisted and unable to move. Just as he was about to shout, there was a loud thud! The mage's eyes rolled back, and he slumped over, falling onto Duwei. Duwei pushed him away with all his might, then saw his loyal servant, Mad, standing nearby with a panicked expression, holding a wooden table leg.
With the mage's help gone, the interference of the Slowdown spell gone, and the chaotic barrage of fireballs ceased, the knights of the Roland family were immediately invigorated and surged back into the fray. In the melee, they quickly gained the upper hand once more.
The bull-like warrior couldn't withstand the outnumbered assault for long and soon succumbed to two sword blows to his legs, collapsing to the ground. The archer had already been knocked unconscious earlier. The stunning woman, however, proved to be more formidable. While her combat skills were average, her armor was clearly magically enhanced, making her movements incredibly agile. Her curved blade was also of exceptional quality, managing to cleave through two knights' swords. It took several knights working together to bring her down, pinning her to the ground.
Duwei caught his breath as some anxious knights helped him to his feet, finding an undamaged chair for him to sit on. These knights felt somewhat ashamed; after all, as guardians, they had allowed their young master to be frightened.
However, Duwei didn't mind.
He had a clear understanding of the situation: these adventurers were all quite ordinary individuals. Their combat skills were mediocre at best, with the bull-like warrior being the only standout due to his strength. Most fundamentally... not a single one of them knew how to use combat aura!
The fact that none of them could even use basic combat aura indicated just how unremarkable they were.
But, from this perspective, it was enough to show how little favor Duwei, the young master, received! The twenty guardians assigned to him were apparently the lowest quality from the Roland family. It took twenty of them to fight against just four opponents, and even then, they struggled.
"It seems that Father truly despairs of me, to only send such a lackluster group to serve as my attendants," Duwei thought wryly.
Otherwise... hmph, in the illustrious Roland family, the second-in-command of the headquarters, wouldn't there be any skilled individuals?
This wasn't surprising. After all, who would willingly accompany this young master on his exile? Only those without ability would reluctantly accept such an assignment.
As his knights apologized with embarrassed tones, Duwei paid them no mind. Instead, he examined the weapons confiscated from the opponents, losing interest in the bull-like warrior's shield at a glance. He walked over to the fiery woman, carefully studying her armor. After a while, he remarked, "Just as I thought!"
After studying many books on magical knowledge, Duwei's interest in magic has grown significantly. He has confirmed that this piece of leather armor is imbued with at least two magics: one enhances agility, while the other enhances strength!
To have two magical enhancements on one piece of armor makes its value quite considerable. Even if it were to be sold in the high-end weapon shops of Yanjing, it could fetch a very good price! Many skilled warriors would be willing to pay a large sum for it. Yet, how could this seemingly "mediocre" and beautiful girl possess such a valuable item?
As for her curved blade, Duwei also examined it closely and noticed a gem on the hilt that seemed to be a tool for storing magical energy.
"Hmm, another weapon imbued with magic," Duwei noted.
Even more valuable is the silver bow and arrows carried by this girl! Silver, although relatively soft and not suitable for making conventional weapons, is the best weapon against magicians!
It is commonly understood that metal possesses an innate resistance to many types of magic! Many advanced magicians, in order to compensate for their weakness in close combat, would cast a protective magic on themselves!
This type of silver bow and arrows is obviously an excellent weapon for ambushing magicians protected by defensive magic!
This is a rare set of "anti-magic" silver arrows! They may not be very useful against ordinary people, but they are excellent for dealing with magicians.
Duwei couldn't help but look up and down at this long-legged girl. How could such a low-level warrior carry such high-level magic-imbued weapons, including an extremely rare anti-magic weapon!
Duwei's gaze lingered on the girl for too long, perhaps causing her to misunderstand. Even the family guardian knights beside Duwei couldn't help but have some thoughts about their young master's intentions—after all, when a young man's eyes are fixed on a girl's chest, misunderstandings are inevitable.
"Take off the armor from this girl," Duwei casually commanded, his interest solely piqued by the magical weapons the girl possessed. He even felt an urge to find a quiet room immediately and thoroughly examine these items, then validate many of his doubts about magical knowledge against the contents of the books.
However, the knights tasked with carrying out his order seemed hesitant. "Um... respected young master, do you really want her to undress here...?" Their words were vague, their expressions uncertain. It was quite obvious that beneath this girl's armor, judging from her voluptuous curves, she wasn't wearing much—perhaps just a small undergarment.