The merchant fleet followed the tributary of the Redwater River to the north, and after passing through Silver City, they entered the Grand Canal leading to King's City.
Theo remembered reading in the "Chronicles of Graycastle" that two hundred years ago, this place was still a wasteland. In order to transport the silver extracted from the nearby mines back to King's City, Wimbledon I gathered stonemasons and nearly ten thousand handymen, spending twenty years digging the canal connecting King's City and the silver mines. Gradually, a city was formed around the silver mines, which was later named Silver City by the late king.
However, the scene in front of him now was difficult to associate with the wasteland of two hundred years ago. On both sides of the canal were lush farmland, and a little farther, there were even villages. This made him think of Border Town's Kingdom Main Road. When the road was repaired, he was afraid that the foot of the Impassable Mountain would also become densely populated.
"I heard that you used to live in King's City?" A woman's voice sounded from behind him.
Theo turned his head and found that it was the owner of the caravan, Margaery. He nodded, "Before becoming a palace guard, I lived in the inner city."
"How does it feel to return to your old home?"
"To be honest, it's good," he said, "If it wasn't for His Highness' arrangement, I would rather stay in Border Town. Although King's City is prosperous, it makes people feel like they can't breathe easily. "This was especially true for the lower nobles, Theo thought.
"Is that so?" Margaery smiled, "How much do you know about His Highness Roland?"
"What's wrong?" This question made his heart slightly shiver.
"I think he's really an incredible person. Obviously, when he was in King's City, his reputation was extremely bad. You should have heard a lot of rumors about him, but in Border Town … he's completely different from what the rumors say. No matter what he does or what he thinks, it's hard to fathom him." She paused. "If the steam engine is just a proof of his erudition, then why is it that even the soldiers he trained are so different?"
Theo glanced at the soldiers of the First Army sitting on the deck. Considering that their activities near King's City should be as hidden as possible, they weren't equipped with guns, nor did they wear the same military uniform. Instead, they changed into a variety of leather armors and carried a wooden spear on their back, looking like the caravan's guards. It was the first time for most of them to leave the Western Region. Although they looked around curiously and discussed spiritedly, no one took off their shoes or put down their weapons.
On the other hand, many of the mercenaries in the caravan had already gone into the cabins to avoid the sunlight. The three or four people left on the deck had taken off their shoes and weapons and laid down in the shade.
"I'm not sure either," Theo helplessly spread out his hands. It wasn't that he wanted to hide it, but he really didn't know that the 4th Prince had become very different since he arrived in Border Town. "Maybe His Highness has been disguising himself before."
"Is that so?" Margaery did not comment on this answer. She was silent for a moment, and then suddenly pointed in front of her. "Look, that's the King's City wall. We're almost there."
At the end of their field of vision appeared a hazy greenish gray. Just by standing here, they could feel the magnificence of the city wall. It was the most outstanding work of the masons before they were disbanded. Whether it was the height or the thickness, it was second to none in Graycastle. Theo had heard that there were even rooms and passages inside the city wall, which could accommodate nearly a thousand soldiers to rest, so that they could achieve uninterrupted patrols and quick support.
When the city wall clearly appeared in front of Theo, the figures of the refugees also entered his field of vision.
A large number of civilians had gathered on the outskirts of King's City. They had set up simple sheds along the walls, and in front of the sheds there was a fire pit that emitted white smoke. It seemed that they were cooking oatmeal. At present, it seemed that these people hadn't run out of food yet, and their complexions were still good. However, the relief food in King's City would certainly not be distributed endlessly. When the nobles had finished selecting the right labor force, they would send troops to drive these people away.
"What are you going to do?" Margaery asked curiously. "Will you send His Highness's soldiers to go out and recruit people?"
"No, not to mention that it would be inefficient, it would also easily attract the attention of others," Theo shook his head. "If you want to do something in King's City, you either have to bribe the officials or hire the rats, you should have a deep understanding of this."
"Indeed," she laughed. "I wanted to give you a warning, but it seems that it is unnecessary. So, if you have a need for money, don't hesitate to come to me. " Margaery handed him a token, "As long as you show this, the shop manager will immediately contact me. Of course, less than a hundred Golden Dragon Stones can be directly withdrawn with it. "
"Thank you." Theo took the token, it was a dark red stone, the whole body was clear, and the end was engraved with a line of characters that he had never seen before.
"You're welcome," she said with a chuckle. "His Highness will repay me the money together with the interest."
After arriving at the canal pier, Theo let the soldiers of the First Army stay in the suburbs and wait for news, as far as possible to avoid the sight of King's City's patrols, while he himself entered the city with the caravan. When he passed through the city gate, he noticed that the guards' inspection was a lot stricter, obviously they didn't want to let the refugees from the Eastern Region mix into the city.
Entering the city, the first thing that caught his eye was a row of towering gallows.
Hanging from the gallows were four women with their hands tied behind their backs, exposed to the scorching sun, giving off a horrible stench. This scene made Theo immediately frown.
"Timothy has been wantonly searching for witches in the city, they are all unfortunate people who have been caught," Margaery sighed. "But it is not accurate to say that some of the witches are just the result of the nobles getting tired of playing with them, so they took this opportunity to get rid of them. It is hard to say whether it is better to continue to be imprisoned in a dark room, or to get rid of the pain as soon as possible … Anyway, I hope they can rest in peace. "
During his six months in Border Town, Theo had already realized that the witches weren't as unforgivable as the Church's propaganda. In addition to their strange abilities, there was no difference between them and ordinary people. Judging from the stature of the women hanging from the gallows, the youngest one was probably only fourteen or fifteen years old. This made his heart feel a little stuffy, and the feeling of being unable to breathe came back.
The outer city of King's City hadn't changed much since half a year ago. In addition to the main road directly facing the city gate, which was paved with bluestone, the other roads and alleys were all covered with mud. The midsummer sun caused the ground to crack, and whenever a carriage passed by, it would raise a burst of yellow dust. It was hard to imagine that the capital of the Kingdom would unexpectedly lose out to a remote town outside the Western Territory in terms of municipal construction.
After crossing two streets, the caravan headed towards the market area. Theo waved goodbye to Margaery, then turned into an alley.
He arrived at the entrance of the "Underground Trumpeter" tavern, pushed the door open, and walked in.
"Hey! This place only opens at night! "Someone shouted.
Theo ignored them and went straight to the front of the bar. Facing the burly man who was immersed in wiping a glass, he said in a deep voice: "Do you still remember me?"
"Which rock did you jump out of? Didn't you hear that the tavern only opens at night?" He impatiently put down his glass and raised his head with a gloomy face. The two waiters who were arranging the tables and chairs also came over, "Now I will count to three, Sir Theo?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
