On New Year''s Eve, Manda invited his followers to eat instant boiled mutton in the cottage. He sliced the frozen mutton and boiled it in butter soup. This fresh eating method made everyone''s appetite open, and the two sheep ate clean in a short time.


    The lioness said to Silva, "housekeeper, let the kitchen prepare another sheep."


    Silva looked at Manda nervously. Manda sighed: "twenty four silver coins for a meal, don''t you think it''s enough luxury?"


    The lion girl sneered, "the sheep in Blackwater city are less than seven silver coins. Who makes you lazy to buy them?"


    "It''s not lazy. We can''t go. We''re mountain bandits. Have you ever seen mountain bandits go shopping in the city?"


    "Since it''s a mountain thief, why not rob and have to collect taxes?"


    "Robbery violates the law, so the tax collection is different. I am the Lord here. Businessmen have to pay business tax and pedestrians have to pay poll tax. This is in line with the provisions of the law."


    The lioness hissed and said, "don''t you think you''re stupid to know that you''re a mountain thief and say you want to abide by the law?"


    "That''s because some things are too complicated for you to understand," Manda demonstrated on the table with two plates and a pair of chopsticks, "This is our mountain. This is the road in the mountains. A businessman came. We robbed him of all his things. He will never come again. If we robbed half, he may or may not come again, because there are a lot of losses. If we only charge 20%, he will come, because he has to pay taxes in other places, or even more."


    "And then?"


    "Then more people will go our way and pay taxes to us, and we will earn more."


    The lioness sneered, "but 20% is not more than 10% after all!"


    Manda sighed, "I''ll just say it. You don''t understand."


    "Let''s not talk about this. During the day, you gave everyone gold coins, even Helena. Why didn''t you get Moira''s share?"


    Manda shrugged and said, "because she''s a mercenary, different from you."


    "What''s the difference?"


    "I ask her to do things and give her rewards for everything I do. I never owe her. You are my followers who share weal and woe. If I have money, I will give you flowers. This is difference."


    The lioness thought for a long time and said, "do you think she is a bounty hunter? But if you say so, the dungeon hunter is the same!"


    Ziegler frowned and said, "don''t provoke the relationship between me and adults. I''m not a bounty hunter for a long time. No one can question my loyalty to adults."


    The lioness said, "no one can question Moira''s loyalty. She''s still patrolling for you on New Year''s Eve!"


    "That''s because she listens to you. She will do whatever you ask her to do. She is loyal to you, not to me!" Manda asked Silva to prepare another sheep. On New Year''s Eve, he didn''t want to quarrel with the lioness.


    But he didn''t wait for him to turn the topic aside, but he saw Moira running in panic.


    "A woman came to trouble. She said she wanted to find Craig munchke. She quarreled with verlock on chest star mountain."


    "A woman?" wondered Manda. "Is there only one person?"


    "More than, there are more than a dozen people. One of them is a thin man who can talk. The rest haven''t spoken."


    Manda was confused. He didn''t remember that he knew such a group of people. Did the clauders come to the door? What are they doing here? Are they trying to die?


    "Is that woman tough?" Manda suspected that she was Baroness attia.


    "It''s not tough. Her makeup is strange, thick and..."


    "Magic?" added Manda.


    "Evil? I haven''t heard the word, but when you say so, she really looks like a witch."


    A witch led more than a dozen silent people. Manda took a breath: "is there a short fat man among them?"


    "It seems... No, but the woman is driving a carriage. There seems to be a strong man in the carriage. I can smell him, but I didn''t dare to fight him."


    "You''re lucky you didn''t do it to him!" Manda got up and said to sangira. "Take me to chest star mountain. Let''s go now, Silva, prepare another sheep!"


    When Manda came to breast star mountain, he saw Lulian sitting on the carriage sulking, and Denison was still reasoning with verlock.


    If it had been before, verlock would have killed them. Although they are both second-order, Lulian is definitely not verlock''s opponent in the mountains.


    But the strong breath floating out of the carriage made verlock learn to restrain. Stanley was sitting on the carriage, and there were more than a dozen corpses outside the carriage.


    Seeing Manda, Lulian looked surprised and said, "long time no see, Mr. nidali."


    Manda pretended not to hear. Stanley said in the car, "sweetheart, don''t talk nonsense, old friend. I really don''t know what to call you. No matter where you go, you are a strong man."


    "I''m flattered," Manda smiled and turned to verlock. "It''s a misunderstanding. They are my friends. Let sangira patrol instead of you. You go to the cottage with me to eat mutton."


    Verlock never dared to refuse Manda, but this time he shook his head desperately: "master, I''m on duty tonight. I must complete the task you gave me."


    Lulian came close to verlock, hooked the bridge of his nose and said, "the misunderstanding has been eliminated. We are also friends. Let''s have a drink together."


    Verlock stepped back two steps without saying a word. In the mountains and forests, the believers of the hunting goddess have strong perception. Stanley''s strong breath oppressed him. He insisted for half a night and was about to collapse. If he could get Manda''s order, he really wanted to leave this group of people immediately.


    "Since you insist, the duty of sentry duty is still up to you."


    Verlock saluted Manda and immediately took people away. Although he had been more restrained than others in the Seven Star Mountain for many years, he would have some illusions after lying for a long time and listening to too many praise words. Sometimes he really thought he was a person who could be compared with the gods, and once thought that no other person in the world would be more powerful than him.


    But when you meet the real strong, the fear of broken hallucinations can suffocate people instantly. When Manda appeared, he had suffocated once. Now he met Stanley, and the previous sequelae happened again.


    Stanley followed Manda to the cottage. He ate half a sheep like he hadn''t eaten meat for a long time. Lulian was not vague. She swallowed a plate of raw meat before the pot opened.


    Donison didn''t eat much, but he drank two cans of wine. Halfway through the second one, he suddenly lost his voice and cried, "I thought I''d never taste this again."


    Werm had a few drinks with Denison and said with a smile, "don''t cry. There are plenty of wine. You can drink it every day in the future."


    Stanley sighed, "I''m a little ashamed. I have nowhere to go now. I can only come to you."


    Manda smiled, "I said, I can''t let you be a Viscount for the time being, but you can continue to be a knight."


    "I''m not alone, and..."


    Manda looked at Lulian and Denison, smiled and said, "I want both the Witch and the dead profiteer. First wash the profiteer and send it to my room."


    Donison spewed the wine out of his mouth and was too scared to speak for a long time. Worm comforted: "don''t be afraid. He''s just joking. You just drink. Why don''t you drink? Don''t worry, I didn''t want to intoxicate you."


    Stanley''s expression was still embarrassed: "there are more than two of them. There are more than ten people hiding nearby."


    Manda frowned and said, "where did these people come from?"


    "Some are old acquaintances and some are new friends. One of the old acquaintances still has a holiday with you. Do you remember zhuolm?"


    "Sleepy hunter!" Manda laughed. "Where is he? I miss him very much!"