Sword of Dawn

Page 262

Belk couldn't wait to speak, but was interrupted by Edmund in the middle of his mouth: "Belk, I will discuss this matter with Duke Laurent—he has more experience with regard to land. As for you, you have a new task. "

Although Belk was still thinking about those serfs, his loyalty made him immediately respond to the prince's new instructions: "Your Highness, please order."

Edmund's expression became serious. He picked up the water glass in his hand, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then said in a deep voice, "About the more rampant cult activities recently, and about those believers of death of all things..."

……

After walking out of the gate of the main hall of the castle, Belk Lauren's footsteps seemed heavier than before.

He originally thought that the stale conservative nobles, roving bandits, and bewitched people in the eastern border were already a huge obstacle and problem, but he didn't expect that there would be another huge trouble in the Thoringburg area.

The end of all things will... such a dark sect that only dares to play tricks in the gutter, when did it become such a huge hazard?They even reached out to the magnificent wall, to the wasteland of Gondor? !

According to His Royal Highness, the corruption and spread of those cultists in the kingdom has long been beyond people's expectations. They spread among the poor, among the citizens, and even among the extraordinary, and spread among the nobles. Their doomsday theory is obviously absurd. Crazy... But why do so many people keep believing and destroying themselves?

A cold but invigorating north wind blew, and Belk woke up suddenly. He noticed that the wind and snow outside had stopped at some point. At this moment, only large swaths of silver covered the courtyard, paths and on the roof.

The attendant knight came over leading the horse, and bowed respectfully beside the young marquis: "My lord, do you want to..."

Belk waved his hand, and let the knight attendant back down: "Take the horse back, I'm going to take a walk in the city—on foot."

At this time of year, most places where people live together have turned into depression and deserted, even "Sorlingburg", a famous big city in the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain, is no exception. Outside of the warm castle, the entire urban area where civilians live is cold It is deserted and there are few pedestrians. Even if you walk on the widest street, the passers-by you can see are quite limited.

But in fact, being able to see civilian passers-by on the street is already a manifestation of bustle and prosperity—at least there are still people willing to go out in this cold weather, at least the most basic commercial activities and social activities are held in the city’s civilian class It is difficult to see it in the ordinary countryside.

Belk didn't ride a horse, nor did he wear any armor. He just wore a wolf fur cloak lined with knight's uniform, and wandered casually in the streets and alleys of the western city of Solinburg.

Ever since the Eastern Realm Legion occupied this city that once belonged to the royal family, he has never had the opportunity to walk the streets in such a casual manner. As the heir to the guardian duke of the Eastern Realm, he always has countless things to learn and be busy. Although he Accepted the new task arranged by the prince, but at the same time, this task cannot be started immediately - he first needs to arrange for his men to collect and summarize information on heresy sacrifices in the surrounding area, missing people, the spread of abnormal diseases, etc., and then he can act in person, and Before that, he finally had a little leisure time.

It's a pity that this leisure time is in winter, and he has no chance to see too many interesting folk scenes.

Walking aimlessly, looking at the deserted streets, Belk finally sighed.

There is really nothing to see, and winter walks are the most boring.

The young Marquis turned and prepared to leave the place.

However, just before he took a step, a sudden sound came into his ears.

The sound was mixed with cursing and beating the body, and there were some suppressed muffled hums.

Belk frowned, and looked in the direction of the sound, which was still two blocks away - a distance that ordinary people's hearing would never hear.

He stepped forward, and his figure flashed a string of phantoms on the almost empty street. After a few seconds, he came to the alley, and saw what happened in the alley——

Several tall and strong men were standing there, punching and kicking a thin figure curled up on the ground, cursing loudly, and on the ground near them, a wooden basin was knocked over. On the ground, a dozen pieces of clothing were scattered around.

Belk's face darkened at this disgusting scene, and he immediately shouted: "Stop - what are you doing?!"

The sudden shout made the violent people stop suddenly. They turned their heads and looked in the direction of the sound. They were all angry at first, as if they wanted to teach the intervening people a lesson, but when they saw clearly at the entrance of the alley After the tall young man, these people stunned and stopped almost instantly, accompanied by a few soft gasps.

"Big...adult..."

Someone murmured and spoke, and Belk looked at the person who made the sound: "What happened here?"

After seeing these people's strong figures, relatively neat clothes, and their expressions that instantly recognized him, he had already vaguely guessed their identities.

"My lord...I...we are teaching a criminal," said the first person tremblingly. "She...she was a washerwoman, but she stole clothes from her employer..."

she?

Belk lowered his head and saw that the thin figure curled up on the ground because of the beating was getting up bit by bit, tremblingly crawling towards the scattered clothes and the wooden basin, her yellow and dry hair Dispersed behind her head, she was wearing a shabby dress that could no longer see its original color, and many rags were tied around her legs to keep out the cold. And dry and yellow face.

She was a woman, not at all beautiful, and only her eyes made a more profound impression on Belk.

But if she's pretty, she's probably facing more than just punches and kicks here.

Belk lowered his head and calmly looked at the washerwoman who was picking up clothes—some of the clothes still had moisture remaining and were about to freeze on the ground: "Whose clothes did you steal?"

The washerwoman lowered her head and said softly, "No one stole it, my lord."

"My lord, look, she's still lying!" One of the men standing around immediately shouted, "She stole..."

"Stole it from you?" Belk raised his head and stared at the man who spoke.

The man immediately fell silent.

"Stole it from you?" Belk turned his gaze to the next person.

That person was also silent.

"Your?" "Or yours?"

No one responded.

"Very well, at least you don't dare to continue lying," Belk stared at them, and every word made these people's necks shrink a little bit, "At least I don't have to send your corpses back to the East."

These people are Eastern soldiers on duty.

Few, save the soldiers who occupied the city, were as strong, warm in winter clothes, with excess energy, and instantly recognized Belk Rollen in his uniform.

Belk lowered his head again, looking at the washerwoman who had picked up all the clothes and stood by the tub with her head down: "Are you a local?"

The washerwoman still lowered her head, as if she didn't dare to look up: "...Yes, my lord."

Belk nodded, and his eyes fell on the scum among the soldiers again. He took a breath, but slowly calmed down the magic power in his body.

Army, be disciplined, this is the order of Prince Edmund.

"Bully civilians, deceive the chief, go to your centurion, each receive thirty lashes, confinement for a week, and half the salary for this month."

The scum left in panic and frustration.

The washerwoman was still kneeling on the ground with her head bowed, her tub and the clothes that needed to be re-starched were placed beside her.

"Looked up."

Belk said calmly.

He saw the other person raised his head slightly, but quickly lowered it again, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

Belk sighed in his heart, squatted down, and was at eye level with the other party, looking at the malnourished face that had nothing to do with beauty, and at the numb eyes mixed with awe.

On other occasions, in the banquet hall of the castle, countless beautiful ladies from famous families would be willing to pay the price of a manor in exchange for a chance to meet his eyes at such a close distance.

"Those people are the scum of the East and cannot represent the army of the East."

The washerwoman immediately lowered her head and responded, "Yes, my lord."

Belk frowned, looked at the other party's thin and tattered clothes, and then took out two gold coins from his pocket.

He thought for a while, put away the gold coins, then rummaged in another pocket for a long time, and finally found some copper plates and cut silver pieces.

He threw those coins into the washerwoman's wooden basin, and then stood up: "This is the compensation from the east - you can use them to buy bread and change into warm clothes."

The washerwoman's eyes fell on the jingling coins, and she carefully put them away, her movements were light and serious. After doing all this, Belk heard the other party suddenly ask:

"My lord, can you give everyone bread and warm clothes for the winter?"

This unexpected question made Belk stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to tell the other party - of course he could.

He is the eldest son of the Guardian Duke, the Marquess of Belk Lauren, and the future master of the East. He has countless manors and fields under his personal name, even if half of them have been donated to Prince Edmund's decree. The legion may be distributed to the serfs and tenants in the territory, and he is also capable of distributing food and clothes for the winter to every civilian in Thorinburg.

However, the washerwoman stood up, bowed respectfully, and left with the tub and the clothes in it.

Chapter 0603 Daily Life on the Edge of the Wasteland

In the camp built by the Typhons, in the living room of the palace that was shaped by magic and decorated with tapestries, oil paintings, wall paintings, etc., Gawain and Rosetta Augustus sat at the two sides of a golden oak table. side, reviewing the documents placed in front of them together, while the knights as witnesses stood behind their respective lords, watching all this with solemn and solemn expressions.

Gawain glanced briefly at Rosetta Augustus, and saw that the thick black-haired Lord Typhon was looking at the Chinese book in his hand seriously, and then he looked away, with an imperceptible smile on the corner of his mouth , and his eyes slowly swept over the paperwork in his hand.

To open trade roads and set up trade bases, Cecil promised to actively promote road construction and railway construction in the eastern area of ​​the White Sand Hills, and if negotiations with the eastern border of Ansu fail, open roads in the small plain on the northern side of the Dark Mountains—this area It is a recognized "no-man's land" and complies with the regulations of "permanent development rights", so the additional costs incurred will be borne by the Principality of Cecil...

The low tax rate agreed by both parties, and the incentive policy for businessmen...

The first cotton textile procurement plan initiated by Tifeng, including undyed cotton, medium-grade colored cloth, and high-grade various fabrics...

Purchase orders for alchemy potions and artificial crystals from Typhon...

Also from Typhon’s “Magic Car” purchase order, as well as the purchase intention of “Magic Energy Train”—the official order will send observers in Typhon, who have actually learned about the concepts and objects of the train, and Rosetta Entered into force after the signature of Augustus himself...

In addition, there are a series of long-term terms and agreements on commerce and trade, as well as the pledge of both parties to be sincere and not to violate the contract.

Moving his gaze all the way to the end of the document, Gawain raised his head with a smile, and looked at Emperor Typhon across the table: "This will be a historic moment, maybe we will create a brand new concept of trade, which will give birth to many From this will come new trades, new occupations, the prosperity of the country, and the prosperity of the people, and its beginnings ... will be on these few sheets of light and thin paper."

"The paper is thin, but the contract is heavy," Rosetta said with a smile from Typhon's proverb, "To be honest, I never thought that we would sign such an agreement under such circumstances. On the border of the wasteland, In an impromptu meeting ... but I know the Ansu people have a saying: seize a chance, seize a life, and I think we have seized an opportunity in time now."

The two leaders representing their respective forces smiled at each other, and then, under the witness of the witnesses, exchanged documents, signed their names on both documents, and printed their respective coats of arms.

A high-ranking mage wearing a starry robe came to the table immediately. There were two flat and smooth mithril plates floating in front of the mage. Countless shiny runes fluttered and shuttled between the mithril plates, as if containing countless treasures. Mysteries and knowledge in general.

According to the necessary procedures of the extraordinary world, when two extraordinary people and representatives of two forces sign such an important contract, they must use magical power to record and back up longer and more symbolic, and if necessary, they should also report to each other. The gods of faith pray and pray for the testimony of the gods.

But usually, except for the saints of the church who can really inspire the oracle, the binding force of this "witness of the gods" is quite limited, and it is more like a symbol.

"Do you want to ask a specific god to witness?" Rosetta Augustus glanced at Gawain and asked calmly.

While asking the question, relevant historical materials appeared in his mind: According to historical records, Gawain Cecil himself had no clear beliefs.

"The gods are very busy, so there is no need to bother them with this matter." Gao Wen smiled and asked, "What do you think?"

"The gods are really busy..." Rosetta nodded slightly, showing a smile, "Then let the ancestors and the mysterious lady Mirmina witness all of this."

Mirmina, the lady of mystery, is also the goddess of magic. Apart from being in charge of the magic field, she is also regarded as the witness of all mysteries and hidden knowledge. In the case that the contract does not rely on the witness of a specific god, this A "Ms. Mystery" can often be thought of as a "Natural Witness".Of course, when entering into a purely commercial contract, merchants usually also regard the god of commerce "Boufar" as a "natural witness", but since the power of the god of commerce is limited to the fairness and fulfillment of commercial terms, when it comes to When it comes to complex politically charged, state-level contracts like today, this god of business is not as "applicable" as "Ms. Mystery".

This is knowledge in the field of theology. Gao Wen does not believe in God, but he understands it.

The high-ranking mage in charge of the ceremony outlined the symbolic seal of the mysterious lady Mirmina on two mithril plates, and then Rosetta Augustus put her hand on the document she had just signed, in the name of Augustus The oath was made in the name of the ancestors of the family, and Gao Wen also put his hand on the document that belonged to him, and asked the ancestors of the Cecil family to testify—the ones older than him.

Finally, under the impetus of the magic ceremony, the contents of the two documents were rubbed on the mithril plate, and received the blessing and solidification of the elemental power.

For ordinary people and most of the not-so-powerful superhumans, such a "contract" that has undergone ritual infusion has actual power, and those who break the contract will undoubtedly suffer from magical backlash, and may even suffer certain "divine punishment". But for people like Gawain and Rosetta Augustus, they have extremely powerful power, and the "contract" is signed in the name of the country, and the binding force of ritual magic is usually limited to face...

Even the peace agreement signed by Francis II and Rosetta Augustus in the Fort of the Treaty was the same.

Everyone knows this.

Putting away the original contract and the "Mithril Oath" that should be preserved, Gawain and Rosetta held hands together, their eyes fell on each other, with similar smiles on their faces, and said in unison: "For peace and prosperity .”

The knights and guards standing around the table applauded, celebrating this memorable moment.

But at this moment, a rush of bells suddenly rang from outside the palace, interrupting the greetings and courtesies that should have been expected after signing the document in advance.

A familiar feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart, Gawain clenched his fist lightly, Rosetta listened to the rhythm of the bell, frowned slightly, then shook his head and said: "It seems that even those wandering in the wasteland The monsters also wanted to witness this special moment - this wave arrived earlier than usual."

While speaking, a Typhon knight in black armor ran into the hall and reported loudly: "Your Majesty! The aberrations are approaching the defense line! The number is about two hundred, and the orientation is southwest!"

Rosetta Augustus nodded slightly: "I see, deal with it as usual."

Then he glanced at Gao Wen: "If you are interested, we can go to the city wall to have a look together."

Gawain nodded immediately: "Of course."

In the safe interior of the kingdom, the attack of mutants is a horror story in the mouth of bards, accompanied by exaggerated descriptions and romanticized plots, telling the cliché content like a knight rescuing a princess, but outside this black forest, in On the only line of defense at the border of the wasteland, attacks by aberrations and similar monsters are a daily occurrence.

Soldiers in black armor and battle mages in robes are already standing on the wall in the southwest section of Typhon Camp.

The powerful ballista was pushed between the wall stacks, and the rune stones shining with magical brilliance were set at the back of the city wall. The soldiers were adjusting the angle of the ballista, and the mages were communicating with the pre-stored magic power in the rune stones, adjusting In their own state, heavy warriors wearing special steel armor formed a battle formation on the city wall between the ballistas. They formed a group of three, one holding a shield in front, and the other holding a steel spear in the rear. The remaining one holds a long sword and is ready to respond at any time.

Gawain and the others boarded the city wall together with Rosetta Augustus. Amber looked into the distance and saw that in the southeast, on the corrupted plain outside the magnificent wall, a group of red monsters wrapped in ominous smoke were speeding up. As they rushed forward, smoke billowed around them, and the ground beneath their feet became more and more corrupt.

Gawain noticed the well-ordered Typhon soldiers, the ballistas and battle rune stones they used, and their unique "three-man battle formation".

Facing the aberrants whose innate quality far exceeds that of ordinary people, these Typhon soldiers and mages appeared extremely calm. Obviously, they have dealt with this situation more than once, and the unique "three-person battle formation" seemed to Gao Wen It is also an effective means to deal with aberrations - in terms of the standard of cold weapons.

The guards with heavy shields can resist the attack of the mutants in a short time, the spearmen have the opportunity to hit the monsters with obvious targets, and the swordsmen can attack the weaknesses of the mutants when their comrades entangle the monsters, or Supporting the shield players who are in a hard fight, the battle formation of three people is scattered, which can ensure that even if a large number of aberrants climb the city wall, they can be delayed, divided, surrounded, and solved step by step, and they can support each other at any time.

And all these soldiers are carrying spare crossbows, although the damage of this weapon to the deformed body is very limited, but as long as the scale is enough, it is still enough to threaten those who use Monsters with ranged magic.

Such an army is equally effective against humans. Even if the scale is sufficient, with the assistance of city-level shields, and a sufficient number of battle mages, they can be regarded as a huge threat to Cecil's magic army. .

While Gawain was observing and thinking, those aberrations entered the Typhon's attack range.

The commander on the city wall gave an order, and the battle broke out instantly.

The city defense ballista that had already been fully charged made a muffled "boom boom" sound, and the heavy and huge crossbow "arrow" that was enough to injure a low-level extraordinary knight flew into the distance in an instant, "smashing" a piece of blood in the deformed body Among the continuously fired crossbow bolts, spells such as fireball, lightning, and ice from mages were mixed. Typhon mages wearing battle robes stood beside the rune stones at the back of the city wall, drawing extra magic spells. The magic power continuously creates deadly attack effects, bombarding the heads of monsters in the distance, and as long as a mage's mental power is unstable and the efficiency of casting spells drops, a backup caster will immediately take the place and continue to maintain the spell suppression on the city wall .

On the plain in the distance, those monsters that were covered in red, screaming or frantically whispering began to fall one by one, but some of them continued to move closer to the city wall with their strong vitality. Some of them raised their hands high, Groups of energy arrows containing terrifying corrupt power took shape, and after a short delay, they violently blasted towards Typhon's camp.

A layer of dense magic shield rose from the city wall, blocking the corrupted energy of the deformed body. With the very slight shaking of the shield, the distance between the attacker and the defender was further shortened. Those Typhon soldiers who used strong crossbows as secondary weapons immediately bowed The crossbow was wound up, and the arrows blessed by magic effects such as holy water poured down on the remaining monsters like a torrential rain.

It seems that these attackers can't even climb the city wall, and the "three-man battle formation" of the Typhons doesn't even have a chance to raise their shields and draw their swords—after all, there are only a few hundred of them, and in this position extremely close to the wasteland of Gondor, This is already a very "relaxed" attack.

Gawain and Rosetta Augustus stood quietly on the city wall, watching those desecrated and corrupted monsters turn into wrecks on the plain one by one, and quickly entered a state of evaporation and dissipation. They didn't intend to do it themselves, and the people around them seemed very calm and indifferent.

This is just a "daily" level of attack. In this land, this kind of attack happens every few days. Whether it is Typhon or Anzu, they have long been used to it.