Knight: Conquest Begins with Grinding Proficiency

Chapter 3 The Red Rose Tavern

As evening approached, most of the people in the tents had already woken up from their afternoon nap and been busy for a while. Gerns, however, had woken up before sunset and called to his men, "Let's go outside the camp for a drink!"

"marvelous!"

"Long live the boss!"

Gerns' team was excited about the free drinks they would soon be able to enjoy; in the sweltering heat of midsummer, only chilled ale could soothe the restless hearts of these soldiers.

Seeing the team members' excited expressions, Gerns couldn't help but smile.

"Enzo, take the brothers to the Rose Cross Tavern first, one ale each. Also, reserve a private room for me; I'll be going with Uncle Reggler later."

"Alright, boss, I guarantee I'll get the mission done!"

Enzo quickly stood at attention, faced Gerns, and answered with a grin. Then, with his iron sword at his waist, he led his squad and jogged towards the tavern.

A sword is a soldier's lifeline, and he carries it with him at all times and in all places.

Although military merits could be exchanged for weapons of different grades in the army, the Baron also ordered that anyone who lost a weapon in peacetime would be punished, ranging from physical punishment to imprisonment.

After watching the others pack up their things and walk away, Gerns also slung his sword over his shoulder and went to Uncle Reggler's tent.

"Uncle Legler, come out for a drink!"

As soon as he entered the military tent, Gerns called out to Reger, who had just woken up and was still a little sleepy.

"I know, I know, there's no need to shout so loudly, you're making my head tremble," Uncle Regler joked as he dressed and walked out of the tent.

"Uncle, let's go quickly. I've already arranged for someone to reserve a private room at the Rose Tavern outside the camp."

"Okay, let's go."

Uncle Reggler nodded slightly and followed Gerns toward the tavern.

"You're getting more and more capable these days. Look at your physique now. Although you're still a bit thin, you're much better than when you first joined the army."

On the way to the tavern, Uncle Reggler glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, his eyes revealing undisguised admiration.

"That's all thanks to Uncle Reger, otherwise I wouldn't be in this position today."

"Alright, you don't need to play games with me. If you don't have the ability, I won't treat you any better."

"That's because the older man has good taste."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked out of the camp.

Since the Kingdom of Corlington's army stormed the canyon terrain held by Lorlo's army a month ago, the Kingdom of Lorlo has lost its last geographical advantage.

Two of the four legions took the upper and lower routes, while the other two took the middle route, heading straight for the capital of the Kingdom of Lorlo, crushing everything in their path.

The camp was set up in the heart of the town of Gem.

This territory of the rival kingdom of Lorlo, having just been ravaged by war, is filled with charred houses and dark-skinned beggars.

As soon as these people saw Gerns and his companion walk past them, they lowered their heads and looked away.

War always destroys something. Since the town was occupied, the lessons of blood and fire have made the town's residents accept these unfamiliar "guests".

Since the town of Gem had only recently been captured, the army had only sent a very small number of soldiers to patrol the town.

These soldiers were also immersed in the joy of the recent victory, and Gerns could clearly see that the patrol was somewhat scattered and disorganized.

Although the Red Rose Tavern is relatively close to the city gate, it is currently the only business still operating in the town, and its customers are soldiers in the military camp.

Gerns heard that the tavern owner was a woman.

The rules stipulated that civilians must not be killed or exploited for any reason. The tavern owner was able to survive the war and keep the tavern running, so Gerns guessed that the owner's life must not be too easy.

So why are so many soldiers willing to drink outside the camp? One reason is that there are few officers here; the highest-ranking officers are only squad leaders. These ordinary soldiers can speak freely, drink, play drinking games, and boast at will.

Secondly, the cost of living here is low. As an occupied area, a copper coin can buy a large cup of beer, which is cheaper than in the military camp.

Most importantly, due to the impact of the war, many women whose families were struggling to make ends meet would come here to earn extra money, some voluntarily and some forced by others.

However, since laws have not yet been established in war zones, no one will care about them.

Because of the lower prices and the fresher women compared to those in the quartermaster's quartermaster, even the strictest military discipline could not suppress the restless hearts of these men. As the Rose Tavern's clandestine business grew, even the high-ranking officers turned a blind eye.

After all, every normal person needs to relax and vent their frustrations.

What about the occupied territories where order has not yet been established? Because of the war, how much time can one have to farm peacefully? If one doesn't farm, one can only rely on these jobs of selling blood and flesh to support oneself.

Gerns accompanied Uncle Regler to the Rose Tavern. As soon as they entered, a strong smell of sweat mixed with the musty smell of wood hit them, indicating that quite a few people had already patronized the place.

Perhaps because of his higher rank or longer military service, Uncle Reger was clearly more popular than him.

After all, there were still many members of his squadron here. As one of the four squadron leaders with real power in the battalion, Uncle Regler was considered a high-ranking member, and many people came forward to greet him.

Upon seeing several familiar faces in the tavern, Gerns's lips curled up slightly, and he nodded gently toward them.

"Boss, over here!"

The moment I stepped through the tavern door, a loud shout rang out.

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw that Enzo and his men had already occupied several tables in the corner of the tavern. When he saw the untouched beer in front of them, Gerns knew that his men had been waiting for him.

Gerns turned around and saw Uncle Regler still entertaining the people around him when he walked over to the table where his team was: "You guys keep drinking, I have something to discuss with Uncle Regler."

"Alright, boss."

Enzo answered as he handed Gerns a key to a private room upstairs.

Gerns walked over to Uncle Regler's side, watched Uncle Regler exchange a few pleasantries with the soldiers, then nodded slightly to Gerns, glanced at the soldiers around him, and said, "I have something to attend to. You guys continue drinking."

The surrounding soldiers were not without their own senses, and they all nodded in agreement.

Gerns' use of the term "uncle" in front of everyone was not without purpose; it was a way of subtly conveying his relationship with Uncle Legler.

The military camp is not only concerned with matters on the battlefield; internal struggles are also everywhere. Even a small title can reveal Gerns's backing, and if someone with ulterior motives hears it, their influence will be subtly enhanced.

Moreover, at this time and place, having a private one-on-one conversation with the company commander, anyone with eyes could guess the general idea. The soldiers' expressions changed slightly as they watched the two figures.

Gerns accompanied Uncle Reggler upstairs, nodding to the tavern owner at the front desk along the way.

This is a woman with purple hair, still charming and elegant, named Sylphy.

After all, it's best to greet the person you're drinking and discussing business with.

Sylphy returned the wink, a faint smile playing on her lips, indicating that she already knew.

"This woman really has some tricks up her sleeve. No wonder she can open a tavern in an occupied territory where order has not yet been restored."

Gerns swallowed hard, a shiver running through him.

After walking up the stairs to the second floor, there were five rooms in the corridor. Gerns took the key, found the reserved room, and opened the door with the key.

The room wasn't very big; Gerns estimated it to be only twenty or thirty square meters. The table was by the window, through which one could see the endless mountains.

There was a sofa on each side of it, and on the table were two glasses and two bottles of glass beer, with the bottle necks tightly sealed with oak corks.

A simple but pleasing screen at the entrance separates the sofa from the main door of the room, with a small clothes rack standing next to it.

The room's overall layout was very comfortable, and for Gerns, who had only been there once, the place gave him a sense of high class.

This proprietress is quite good at doing business.

This is Gerns' assessment of the tavern owner.