Rodney looked at Don Quixote, who seemed a bit distracted, and smiled:
"Ser Don Quixote, if you have any other reasonable requests, feel free to ask!"
Rodney was willing to pay 8 Gold Dragons for the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company to guard his caravan to Barrowton and back to White Harbor.
This price was excellent among the various mercenary contracts available in White Harbor.
But considering the more than twenty Gold Dragons Don Quixote had spent hosting that makeshift tourney, Rodney was worried Don Quixote might want more.
Don Quixote snapped back to reality, suppressing the pleasant surprise in his heart, and smiled back:
"Lord Rodney, your payment is very reasonable. Asking for more would make me seem greedy."
Although the 8 Gold Dragons wouldn't cover the bills he had already paid for the crude tourney.
That wasn't how he calculated the value!
Even excluding the rich rewards from the system, that makeshift tourney had brought him some intangible wealth.
For example, after the tourney, five merchants had actively approached him to talk.
They all hinted that they would be willing to hire the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company if the opportunity arose.
Additionally, many freelance knights wanted to join the Bloody Hand.
These intangible effects.
In the long run, were enough to bring great development to the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company.
Thinking of this, Don Quixote continued:
"However, I have three other companions who need to travel with us.
"I will be responsible for their food and lodging, as long as you don't mind three extra people in the caravan!"
Hearing this, Rodney smiled and quickly said:
"I don't mind, I don't mind. As for your three companions, I will provide their food and lodging as well. It won't cost more than a few Silver Stags."
The two parties then reached a verbal agreement.
Don Quixote took the 4 Gold Dragons deposit and left Rodney's manor.
————
Don Quixote hadn't walked far from Rodney's manor when Ian's voice came from behind him:
"Ser Don Quixote, wait for me."
Hearing this, Don Quixote slowed to a stop.
Ian trotted up to Don Quixote and smiled respectfully:
"Ser Don Quixote, please forgive my earlier rudeness and neglect."
Saying this, Ian took two Silver Stags from his pocket and offered them to Don Quixote, continuing to smile respectfully:
"Ser Don Quixote, I think my brain must have been addled by alcohol to try and charge a finder's fee to a powerful knight like you."
Don Quixote glanced at the two Silver Stags, then looked Ian up and down.
Seeing the faint unease in Ian's demeanor.
He didn't take the Silver Stags, but smiled slightly:
"Ser Ian, you brought such a good opportunity to our Bloody Hand Mercenary Company. I think 2 Silver Stags are hardly enough to repay you.
"If there's a chance, I'd like to treat you to a Black Stout as a token of my gratitude."
Ian was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly smiled:
"That would be my honor, Ser Don Quixote!"
After bidding farewell to Ian, Don Quixote rode quickly back to his residence.
Cole, who was grooming the horses in the courtyard, saw Don Quixote and immediately stopped what he was doing, walking quickly to the gate.
As he opened the gate, Cole smiled respectfully:
"Lord Don Quixote, you're back!"
Hearing the noise, Alden and Adele also hurried over:
"Lord Don Quixote!"
Don Quixote greeted the three of them simply, then said:
"Cole, go get Tom and the others. Alden, go to the nearby Karran Tavern and buy enough of their signature dishes for everyone. Have them deliver it here.
"We're going to celebrate properly in the courtyard later!"
"Yes, Lord Don Quixote!" Cole and Alden responded hurriedly.
Watching Cole and Alden leave, Don Quixote turned to Adele and smiled:
"Then let's tidy up the courtyard. We don't want Tom and the others thinking this place is a mess."
Adele smiled and said:
"They wouldn't dare. My Lord, you go rest. I can clean up by myself."
Don Quixote shook his head and smiled:
"I have nothing to do right now anyway. Let's clean together."
Adele had no choice but to happily clean up the debris in the courtyard with Don Quixote, especially the red, brown, and chestnut horse hair that had fallen while Cole and Alden were grooming the horses.
As he cleaned, Don Quixote didn't forget to look at the system's description of the Nightmare Bone.
[Nightmare Bone:
A miraculous item born from the accidental fusion of a vast amount of pure, resentful negative emotions and the innate racial talent of a Dream Demon who slowly died while trapped in a despairingly extreme environment.
It has two miraculous effects:
1. weave dreams for others using the Nightmare Bone!
In these woven dreams, the dreamer will not realize they are dreaming.
Their actions will be driven entirely by their unmasked, primal thoughts.
In these woven dreams, the dreamer will act according to their truest intentions.
2. Plant a Nightmare Heart in others using the Nightmare Bone!
By weaving one hundred relentless, despair-filled dreams with only a sliver of hope while the target sleeps.
This completely shatters the target's original mind.
But it also induces the target to develop a pure, twisted spiritual faith in a designated object.
Even if the designated object is an earthworm, the person with the Nightmare Heart will see it as a dragon soaring through the blue sky.
Twisted spiritual faith births extremely loyal Nightmare Disciples!]
Don Quixote read the system's description of the Nightmare Bone several times carefully, subconsciously muttering:
"The effects of this Nightmare Bone are truly terrifying, and truly powerful!
"But with it, even in this Game of Thrones world where betrayal is as common as a meal, I can lower my guard. I can cultivate a group of loyal subordinates and safely teach them the basic breathing techniques of a knight!
"And for enemies, naturally, I should give them a better ending!
"It seems this contract absolutely cannot fail!"
Adele looked over from nearby:
"My Lord, I thought I heard you speaking."
Don Quixote smiled:
"I was just reflecting on how hard it was for us to finally gain a foothold in White Harbor."
...It didn't seem that hard.
Adele thought to herself, then blinked and smiled:
"It's all thanks to you, My Lord. If not for your strength, those people wouldn't have trusted us so easily."
Don Quixote nodded and smiled:
"So, we need to keep getting stronger, until everyone who meets us won't want to refuse our sincerity!"
...