Marzio woke up from a strong blow on the door.

'Marzio, come out, Marzio!' shouted a familiar voice.

The young man hurriedly got out of bed, put on his boots and opened the door. Yamato was standing in the doorway.

'Marzio, get ready! We're leaving.'

'Where to?' the young man asked sleepily.

'What do you mean "to where?!" In Argento. We said yesterday that we were going to sell' here he abruptly switched to a whisper., 'Our goods...'

'Oh, right...,' Marzio finally realized.

'In general, get ready, take all the necessary things with you and go to the west gate – we will wait for you there. Hurry up!'

With that, Amato left. Marzio, on the other hand, went down to the innkeeper to inform him that he no longer needed a room, and then immediately went to Monsieur Gevalier. Marzio was a little ashamed that he had disappeared for the whole day yesterday without really warning the merchant. Contrary to the expectations of the young man, Gevalier only slightly reproached him for the offence, saying: "It is not proper for a decent person to behave like this." Then the young man told him that he was planning to go to Argenta and asked about the further route of the caravan. According to Gustav, the caravan leaves tomorrow for Argenta and then will go to Ferrara. Marzio decided to leave the heavy things to the guardianship of Gevalle, and he only took the most valuable and necessary. Gustav was not against it, but said that he would sell the herbs he bought in Argent, and take the proceeds to pay for the protection of things. Marzio agreed and arranged a meeting in Ferrara or Argente. Then he said goodbye to Mr Gevalier and ran towards the west gate.

Diggers were already standing at the city walls. Harry, Merino, Amato, Sherika and Luka.

'Here's Marzio. Well done, we didn't wait long. Ready to move out?'

'Yes.'

'Great. The road will be a long one, we will walk for almost three hours. I hope you have enough provisions with you.'

The road was really long. They walked along an ancient pavement passing through fields and meadows, also came across farmhouses and small groves. The way was safe – Marzio learned from Harry that the "scarlet knights" had arrived in the city after all, and they had already started combing the neighbourhood, so robbers and demons are now having a hard time. Along the way, they met several wagons and riders. Marzio was told about Argenta: it is a small village between Ferrara and Ravenna, which is famous for its spices and herbs, so the population is prosperous. One of the main roads in all of Italy passes through the city, so Argenta can be crowded. No ruins have been preserved near the city, only the city buildings themselves stand on the foundations of ancient buildings. There is a merchant in Argenta, to whom the diggers went – his name is Silvio. The old man apparently does the same thing as other merchants, but in addition, he also buys artefacts of the ancients. This is an illegal case, but Silvio is a distant relative of Count Grasso himself, so the old man has great connections. Harry has been cooperating with Silvio for a long time, so I am sure that today they will earn in full on the acquired goods.

The diggers decided not to make a stop on the road, but to get to Argenta by lunch. And so it turned out: it was noon in the yard, and the group of enthusiasts was already approaching the gates of the town. The guards were unfriendly with them, but one paper shown with the signature and seal of Mr Silvio dispelled all misunderstandings in a moment. The city itself was not notable in appearance, but next to it was a large lake Verde, in which fish were found, and also to the north of the town was Fort Sant Antonio. There was also a moat near the city walls, which connected with an ancient canal going further to the west.

There were three shopping areas in the city, quite large even by the standards of large cities. There was a monastery of St. Antonio, the residence of Grasso's relatives and several rich villas. Harry led people to one of them, or rather to the one that was located near the central shopping area in the eastern part of Argenta.

The streets smelled of flowers and spices. The smell was intoxicating, awakening the appetite. Amato commented on this:

'It would be nice to look into an inn.'

'In due time. First, we'll make a deal with Silvio, and then we'll have time to have lunch before work.'

'Work again?' Sherika whined.

'Won't we get enough from Mr Silvio?'

'I think so, but I have a premonition that he will give us a job himself, and to refuse Mr Silvio is a stupid decision.'

'Is this Mr Silvio of yours very strict?' Marzio asked Harry and, as it were, everyone at once.

'Not so...,' Luka began.

'It's just that Silvio is a tyrant and really doesn't like being refused.'

'You'll understand, Marzio,' Harry added.

Soon they came to the fairground. Marzio had never seen such a strange place before: there was a large empty space in the center, filled with shopping malls, but there were stands around the perimeter, where people were also trading. But they walked past it and came out to a large house that stood across the street. There was a sign on the door: "Silvio Gronto Store." They went inside: the diggers found themselves in a large rectangular hall, flanked by stairs to the second floor, as well as two doors. In front of them was a long bench, behind which stood an elderly man, and behind him a large cabinet in which all kinds of goods were visible. There were also two large guards armed with swords in the room. On the second floor, directly above the shop, there was a small balcony, from behind which you could see part of the corridor leading into the depths of the house.

'Welcome to Mr Gront's shop, dear sirs,' the gentleman behind the counter greeted them.

'What kind of product are you interested in?'

'Hello, we would like to see Mr Silvio – we have a personal product for him.'

The seller immediately changed his face, changing his smile to a cold expression. The guards moved closer to the door, blocking the passage.

'Just a minute,' the seller answered and went to the second floor.

Marzio was a little uncomfortable in such an environment, but it did not last long. After a few minutes, there was a grunt of displeasure and a sound of footsteps from the corridor. Two figures appeared on the balcony: a salesman and an old man of medium height with grey hair on the sides of his head and a bald head, dressed in a brown robe. He was swearing in an old voice:

'How long can it be! Distracting me with from an important business!' Then he saw the diggers.

'Ah! Well, I knew right away that it was you, Harry. Why is it so late! The sun has risen a long time ago, and you have not been here yet! You were supposed to come in the morning!'

'I'm sorry, Mr Gronto, but we didn't set up the time.'

'How is that we didn't set up! I have made it clear that I will be waiting for you with the rays of the sun this day!'

He came down the stairs and stood in front of Harry.

'Did you bring the goods?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Beautiful.'

He signalled to his servants and they returned to their posts. Then he went to one door on the right and started opening it with a key. Harry motioned for them to follow him. When the old man finished fiddling with the lock, he opened the heavy door and disappeared into a corridor. The diggers followed him.

They entered the corridor at the end of which was a window burning brightly from the midday sun, as well as with several doors closed. The old man went to one of the doors on the left and opened it – behind it there was a passage with a stone staircase leading down. They began to descend. The stone steps spiralled downwards and were illuminated by weighing torches. Marzio was a little creepy. Finally, they found themselves in a large basement room, which was also illuminated by many torches. On one side of the room, there were wine barrels against the wall, on the opposite side there was a counter similar to the one on top. There were also a lot of cabinets, drawers, barrels and strange objects in the room. It all looked like an ordinary cellar of a well-to-do tradesman. It was unpleasant to be in the basement.

The old man grumbled and went behind the counter:

'Well, what do you have there – show me!' Harry took the bag of artefacts and dumped them on the table in front of the old man. In addition to the things they found in Ravenna, Marzio found several other artefacts that he had not seen. The old man began to examine the relics with interest. Then he took out a device: a magnifying glass attached by a belt to his head and continued the examination. Everyone was waiting.

'Well...,' Silvio began, 'It's not bad stuff, as I can I see. Your steel is worth 133 gold. So, what do we have here?' he started on those artefacts that Marzio had not seen before. 'Oh! How interesting, but these are ancient weapons! He picked up a long metal object that looked like bonded pipes.'

'It's a pity that they're not operational, well, that's nothing... I'll give you 23 gold pieces for this. So, what's this?' he picked up a small bag and opened it.

'Good God! Yes, these are old coins!' he took out one of them and twirled it in front of his eyes. 'This is a real value! I am ready to give 100 gold. And what do we have here...,' he began to examine many more metal rusty parts, which no longer introduced him to such delight.

'Is that all?' the old man said with displeasure when he finished the examination.

'Yes, Silvio,' Harry answered him.

'Too little!' The old man shouted.

'I'm not paying you to bring me scrap metal! Of all things, only a third are worthy, and you should bring me more!'

'Well, where to dig up valuable material after fifteen hundred years?' Harry asked in a calm tone and with a certain irony.

'That's exactly what you are supposed to do! You are not called diggers for no reason. Do you know what this word means – diggers, so you will dig the ground as it said!' the last sentence sounded a bit threatening.

'So that's it, Harry. I'm giving you 296 gold for everything today. But this is too little. I want you to bring me a valuable product. By the way, I have some ideas about this,' Harry looked at his team, and his look said: 'I told you it would be like this,' The old man did not notice this and continued:

'There is one place in the vicinity of Ferrara: unremarkable in appearance, but in fact, concealing valuable wealth. Not so long ago I bought old records from the monks, which said that in 1196 the knights buried unidentified artefacts of the ancients in a place near Ferrara. I want you to dig up everything that lies there and deliver it to one of my trusted people.'

'Where is this place?'

'I'll give you a map, Harry. It's outside the city walls, at a small hill at the intersection of roads. Everyone has forgotten about this place a long time ago, so there should be no difficulties.'

'Does this land belong to someone?'

'What's the difference!? You just have to quietly dig up all the contents and give it to Ben!'

'Who is Ben?'

'Ben is my agent. He lives in the town of Cento, southwest of Ferrara. I don't know what exactly the knights buried there, but all that can be done is to carry it away. Is that clear?'

'How much will we get for this?'

'Depends on the value of the product you found, but, anyway, I guarantee you 50 gold for any nonsense you bring.'

'Why do we have to carry this to Cento?'

'You see; I've heard that the Scarlet Order has started a witch hunt in Bologna. They have already uncovered several artefact dealers and executed them. Although I am a rather significant figure, if I get caught red-handed, there will be no chance for me to avoid the punishment. I'm going to organize a temporary shelter in Chenta to wait out the wave of raids.'

'I see.'

'Anything else?'

'No, Silvio.'

'OK...'

He left the shop and headed for the stairs. Already on the top floor, Silvio ordered to give Harry 296 gold from the cash register, and he headed back to the second floor.

The diggers went to the inn to have dinner there. Harry gave Marzio twenty-five gold coins. Already in the place itself, the group decided to go to Ferrara tomorrow, because it's six hours to walk. Before such a trip, it would be necessary to buy supplies, so the group went to the market after lunch, where Marzio bought himself more bolts for a crossbow. So, during the long bustle at the fair, Marzio did not notice how the evening came.

They had dinner again in the same establishment where they rented rooms for the night. Over a mug of cider, Harry told Marzio more about the diggers' work and their lives.

'Being a digger is a very dangerous and ignoble job. They don't go there because of a good life. Usually, these are former soldiers, mercenaries, peasants and even the children of poor nobles, who wouldn't get anything from the inheritance anyway. We are outlaws. If you are caught as a digger, then it is almost certain death. Such people can be easily killed on the ruins without even asking. Therefore, we are very secretive and cautious. The problem also lies in the fact that you need to find another merchant who will buy artefacts from you. There are not many of them, but among them, there are those who work for the knights of the church. Then you can easily be handed over to the authorities, and you are screwed! For this reason, a digger is often a hunter and a tracker. With demons, it is a completely different case. Those ghouls that you saw could be killed, but there are such creatures that no weapon takes them. Usually, the order deals with such monsters and they say that with the help of ancient weapons, imagine!'

'And how do you find ruins in which you can profit?'

'Huh! It is necessary to know how to talk to people! You also need to be able to listen to gossip and determine what is false and what is true about them. There are many ruins in northern Italy, but not all of them are accessible to diggers: some are too dangerous, others are controlled by the order. Therefore, it is always necessary to find out all the information about the ruins. It is easier to work in southern Italy or in the Balkans with France. However, now there is a war in southern Italy, and other territories are wild, so every man for himself there.

'And there are a lot of you, diggers?'

'It is not known exactly. Usually, diggers are attached to one of the merchants they work for, but I've heard that there are secret societies of relic seekers. They work in wild areas and divide the area into sections, where they find artefacts.'

'How long have you been working together?'

'Do you mean these people by 'we'?' Harry ran his hand over the sitting company.

'Yeah.'

'Well... It's a long story.'

'Yes, tell me, Harry,' Sherika intervened. He is considered to be one of us.'

'Well, okay. Then I think it's worth starting with myself. I was a mercenary in the southern Liechtenstein campaign, which took place about twenty years ago. I also took part in a couple of feudal skirmishes. Then I got tired of it, and I floated freely. By the way, I seriously wanted to sail on the ship of Genoa to Crimea. They say you can make good money there... Well, not the point. Then somehow I drifted into some ruins. I was just a hunter then: I and a few other people were hired to destroy the demon lair. That's where I met the diggers. A former friend of mine showed me this craft, and here it went. For several years we dug together in the ruins, but then a pestilence mowed it down. A terrible disease that is infected from ancient artefacts. Then we didn't have a Geiger machine and we couldn't find the danger. It's good that you have it, Marzio, you won't be lost with it. So, then I put together my own gang, so to speak. Amato and Luka joined there, along with many other good guys who are no longer with us. Then Sherika, Merino and ... ' he stammered.

'Basically, you know who else,' he finished his story with that.

'Well, everything is simple with me,' Luka began.

'I was a monk in a monastery in Pisa. I often had to deal with the artefacts of the ancients, which, as they said "did not pose a danger." Well, I gradually started stealing interesting things and accumulated, I want to tell you, I have a lot of them. However, I didn't know how to use some of them, and there was no one to sell them to. So the days went by, but one day the abbot found out about my sins and seized all the relics. I was severely punished and wanted to be sent to a distant monastery somewhere in Sicily for correction, but I escaped. I ran away and began to wander. Since I was already dealing with artefacts, I got attached to one group of diggers, then to the second, to the third, and then to Harry's. During this time, I learned how to shoot a bow and survive in the forest. That's how I turned from a monk into a digger and a tracker.

"Everything is boring with me...," Amato began.

'I'm a deserter. Escaped during the battle and began to wander. I had to survive with what God gave me for a long time, but then I joined one group of hunters. During one of the tasks, robbers attacked us, and again they killed everyone except me. In order not to return to the city, I hid in the local ruins until Harry found me. That's how I became a digger.

'In general, everything is different for me!' Sherika began cheerfully.

'I was born by a maid at a rich house in the Kingdom of Naples. My father was a young count who criminally got involved with my mother. I vaguely remember my childhood in the house, but then the old count, that is, my grandfather, found out about it and exiled my mother to a distant village, where I grew up. There I began to survive as best I could. They wanted to marry me to one of the rich peasants, but before the wedding, I ran away from the village. Then I began to earn money due to my seduction and stealing skills. On this occasion, I am not at all ashamed and I do not consider it a sin. Once I was lucky enough to meet Harry. We did such a thing there, my God!' she laughed out loud.

'Once we swindled a merchant in San Marino. I seduced him and stunned him at the most important moment. Then I opened Harry's door, and we cleaned out everything that the dealer had. We got so good at that time that that money was enough for us for a long time.'

Then she finished her story because she began to laugh a lot. Apparently, the hops hit her hard in the head. Marzio looked questioningly at Merino, who, as always, ate and drank in silence, occasionally smiling and laughing.

'What about you, Merino?' Marzio asked him. Then everyone fell silent.

'It's useless,' Amato replied.

'He won't answer you.'

'Why?'

'Some noble people once cut off his tongue,' Marzio choked.

'Who was it?'

'We don't know that,' Harry said.

'Merino can't write and read, so he can't tell. But he understands and hears everything,' Merino nodded affirmatively and then patted Marzio encouragingly on the shoulder. His look said: "Everything is fine. I'm not offended." At the same time, he had such a drunken smile, which happens to very kind, but very annoying and drunk people.

'And how did you, Marzio, come to such a life?' Luka asked him.

'Me? Well, a difficult situation happened recently. People found out that artefacts were stored at my house and reported it to the scarlet knights. I managed to escape from my hometown with what I could carry and now I'm heading to Veneto to hide there.'

'In Veneto? What for?' Amato asked.

'Well, I have relatives living there. I can hide.'

'That's strange, Marzio,' Harry began.

'How could such a youngster like you learn to read and write, shoot with a crossbow, and get used to forbidden exercises? Who are your parents, Marzio?'

Marzio was about to say something to them, but then the scarlet knights came into the tavern. There were five of them: in shiny armour with red capes and white crosses, armed with swords, and shields hung behind their backs. In the silent tavern, they approached the innkeeper with loud steps. Mario froze: a shiver went through his body, and the mouth went dry. He immediately remembered the ill-fated day and my heart began to pound more often. This could not be overlooked by the diggers, who were observing both the knights and the young man all the time.

'Now let's be honest, Marzio!' Harry said in a low tone.

'What exactly did you do in your city? What city are you from? Why are you so afraid of the Crusaders?' Marzio was worried. He thought for a long time about what to say to him but eventually decided to tell Harry his whole story. When Marzio finished, all the diggers were sitting down.

'Yeah,' Amato said.

'Poor boy,' added Sherica.

'Say it again, Marzio. They didn't remember your face?' Harry asked him.

'Hardly. I managed to escape. Maybe I was only betrayed by one of the citizens of Forli, but I can't say for sure.'

'I see. We will behave at ease as if nothing had happened.'

They continued to have dinner while the knights were talking about something with the innkeeper.

'Should I leave?' Marzio asked.

'No. If you leave, they'll notice you. It will be more difficult for them to do anything in the presence of the people.'

The knights finished talking to the innkeeper and took one of the best tables in the place. But two of them began to walk around the hall, periodically asking visitors. Marzio shrank back into his chair. To his misfortune, the knights reached their table and asked.

'Excuse me, Tell me, have you heard anything about the son of a witch who escaped from Forli?'

'What son?' Harry asked lazily.

'A young criminal escaped from Forli, the son of a healer, who burned at the stake a few days ago. It is known that he took with him the relics of the ancients, which are very dangerous,' Then they turned their attention to Marzio.

'And this is young man, where's he from?'

'This? This is my nephew Mario.'

'I see you have a crossbow. That guy was also armed with a crossbow.'

'Sir, you can buy a crossbow in any city. And Mario won't even hurt a fly, let alone shoot.'

'And who are you?'

'Why do you care? We are free, law-abiding citizens. If it will temper your curiosity, then we work for Mr Silvio Gronto. Would that suit you?'

One of the knights waved his hand and whispered in the other's ear. Without a word, they left.

Marzio spent the rest of the evening in a tizzy. After sitting for a while longer, Harry's group went to bed to leave Argenta at dawn tomorrow.