Under Gwen's indifferent gaze, Daniel did not persist for long before he lowered his head and said, "… In front of your great power, my loyalty to Typhon and the Eternal Sleepers can be compromised."
"Very good." Gwen nodded with satisfaction, then pointed to the special edition of "Network Security" of the Eternal Sleepers. "Then let's start with this book. This will be the first step for your promotion in the Eternal Sleep Congregation. First of all, what you need to do is not to directly spread this knowledge, but to discover the fatal flaws in the current mental network, and tell these findings to other believers who are one level higher than you or of the same level. When the Eternal Sleepers gradually realize these hidden dangers, you will release the first chapter as the result of your research. Let's first see what the distributed network is, and the concept of network resource allocation … "
Daniel lowered his head and made a respectful gesture of receiving instructions.
He really did recall his youth. He recalled the years when he first learned knowledge from his mentor …
At the same time, in a town in the eastern region of Ansu.
The snow had stopped, and the bright stars appeared in the clear night sky. The starlight shone on the ground, and the snow reflected the starlight, so that the town would not completely fall into darkness after the night fell. In the simple streets and alleys where stone and wooden buildings were piled up, a tall and thin figure wearing a black hooded cloak was quietly walking through the streets.
After finding a corner that could block the cold wind, the figure stopped and took off the hood of the cloak.
Under the hood was a striking blonde hair unique to the Silver Elves, and an unusually handsome face.
It was the high-grade Elven ranger, Solderlin Frostleaf.
The human town at night was particularly quiet, at least where the poor gathered. Solderlin's long elven ears trembled slightly in the air. He could still hear the sound of seven-stringed instruments and bells coming from the distant lord's castle, which meant that the nobles' nightlife had just begun.
The high-grade ranger inhaled a breath of fresh but cold air, then could not help but frown and press his hand near his chest.
That strange woman was more powerful than he had imagined. Although the ranger class was not very good at frontal combat, he still did not expect to be at a disadvantage when fighting an opponent suspected to be Druil.
If he had not listened to the Knight named Byron's suggestion and brought some "new weapons for justice", he felt that he would be in a much worse situation now.
Solderlin calmed the pain from his wound, and felt that his flesh was neutralizing the strange poison with the help of supernatural power, while he recalled the battle. He finally confirmed that the power that the woman used was indeed Druil's power.
Poison, Withering Vines, Thorns, Decaying Ents, all came from Druil 'spells, but there were obvious signs of corruption … Everything's End? That should be the most likely explanation.
Why would a high-grade follower of the Everything's End sneak into the Elven monitoring station … What was her purpose?
The cold night wind once again blew through the streets. Solderlin tightened his cloak and temporarily stopped thinking. It was better to wait until he returned to Cecil's territory. Gwen and his smart subordinates could give him more suggestions, so it was much better than him blindly guessing here alone.
Unfortunately, his documents were damaged in the previous battle, and when he returned, he found that the Eastern Region of Ansu had entered a higher level of martial law due to the changes in the situation. The Duke of the Eastern Region, Silas Loren, had ordered the entire region to be difficult to pass through. It was better in the less orderly areas, but in the large and medium-sized cities where the nobles had strict rules and there were many spies, he had to be careful.
In this chaotic era where the dark nobles ruled separately, a foreigner without documents would not be in a good situation. Especially when he was working in Typhon's army not long ago. Duke Silas Loren and many of his Knight generals knew him, but they did not know that he had switched sides to Cecil. Once they met, it would be difficult to explain …
The winter night in the northern part of the continent was bone-chilling. Although Solderlin's physique as a high-grade Extraordinary did not allow him to fall sick in such temperatures, he still felt quite uncomfortable and could not help but look for a warmer place. Due to the Duke of the Eastern Region's strong rule and martial law order, all taverns and inns were closely monitored. Foreigners and foreigners who did not have the same accent as those in the Eastern Region of Ansu would be interrogated. Solderlin, who was in his peak condition, was not worried about this, but he was now heavily injured and had used up most of his strength to suppress the poison in his body. He did not want to attract the attention of the human Extraordinary at this critical moment.
Just as he was searching for a place to hide from the wind, a flickering flame suddenly appeared in front of Soledrin's eyes.
He walked over and saw that there was indeed a small bonfire in the deepest part of the shabby alley. A few hazy figures were curled up beside the bonfire. Occasionally, one of the figures would move to stir the weak flames and throw a small piece of charcoal into the bonfire.
A high-grade ranger was going to share a bonfire with a beggar …
Solderlin chuckled silently, but still walked over to him.
He could have made a better choice. Although he was in a bad condition, he could still find a way to sneak into a barn or even a warm citizen's house to spend the night. But when he saw the bonfire, he could not help but walk closer. The flickering flames and the people around the bonfire reminded him of seven hundred years ago, when the expeditionary army was at its most difficult. At that time, he was with a group of human soldiers and refugees. Everyone huddled together in the same way to stay warm on the coldest night and encouraged each other to walk through the darkest and coldest part of the journey.
Since the establishment of the human countries and the situation gradually stabilized, he had not had such an experience for many years.
The homeless people around the bonfire noticed the stranger approaching and immediately became alert. But soon they found that the stranger was not a soldier on patrol. In such cold weather, soldiers were not willing to go deep into the slums. They would usually just walk around the streets and then go back to drink.
The man in the black cloak was more like another homeless person.
Solderlin, who put on his hood again, walked to the bonfire and said in a low voice, "It's cold."
A homeless man wrapped in a tattered cotton coat muttered, "There's no more space."
"I still have some wine." Solderlin took out a wineskin from his pocket. "Enough for two or three sips."
"… Sit next to me."
Solderlin sat down, and the wineskin in his hand was quickly taken away by the person next to him. The person pulled out the cork, put his nose to the mouth of the wineskin, and took a deep breath. Then he put the wineskin to his mouth and tried to restrain himself, but he still could not help but take a big gulp.
Then he held the wine in his mouth as if he wanted to slowly enjoy it. The wineskin was then passed to the next person.
The wineskin was passed silently among the homeless people. Solderlin could see everyone's faces with the help of the weak bonfire. Some of them were wrinkled, some had frostbite on their faces, and some looked younger but were old. They were wrapped in tattered cotton coats, and some were just a pile of rags that could no longer be recognized as clothes. An unpleasant smell came from them. These people obviously did not have a chance to take a bath.
"It's much warmer after drinking some wine," a homeless person said in a hoarse voice.
The wineskin finally returned to Solderlin's hand. He shook it and was surprised to find that there was still some wine left.
The person sitting opposite the bonfire said, "Keep some. You may need it to save your life one day."
Solderlin silently put the wineskin back into his pocket and then sighed softly. "What a cold winter night …"
"You're so polite." The homeless person next to him laughed. "But it's really cold."
The person opposite the bonfire muttered, "It wasn't this cold last winter."
Someone immediately mocked him. "You had a house last winter. Of course you weren't cold!"
"Shut up!"
Solderlin suddenly looked up and curiously interrupted. "Where's your house?"
The man sitting opposite the bonfire said in a depressed tone, "It was taken away by Master Knight a while ago … I owed Master Knight five years of rent. I couldn't pay it back, so the house and the land were taken away."
Solderlin could not help but be silent.
But the man opposite the bonfire did not stop. He seemed to be thinking of his "beautiful days" last winter. He muttered again, "I had a house last year, and a small piece of land … I had a wife!"
"His wife died a few years ago," the person next to Solderlin whispered. "He's not thinking clearly now."
"It's all because of the Tenant Amnesty Act," a young man who was fiddling with the bonfire said. "Nothing good comes out of it."
"The Tenant Amnesty Act?" Solderlin was stunned. Obviously, he had never heard of this act.
In the Ansu Kingdom, the nobles above the rank of count could enact a certain degree of "private law" in their own territories. Depending on their rank, the scope of the law varied. Some could set tax rates, some could mint currency, and some could regulate inheritance rights. Except for a general kingdom code, the laws in the territories of the nobles were chaotic and even contradictory. These messy laws were not only a challenge for the merchants and adventurers who traveled between territories, but also caused a lot of trouble for foreigners like Solderlin who were unfamiliar with the situation.
"It's a law issued by Count Berry ten years ago," the young man said. "The count allows people who rent land to default on their rent. They don't have to be whipped and confiscated in the first year, but they have to pay double the rent in the second year, double again in the third year, and double again in the fourth year. If they still can't pay the rent in the fifth year, the house and land will be taken away. The count said that this is a mercy, to give those who can't pay the rent due to bad years a chance to pay their debts. So this is the 'Amnesty Act'. If they can't pay the rent in five years, they're really lazy and stupid, and they don't deserve to continue farming their land … "
The man next to Solderlin, who was wrapped in a tattered cotton coat, sighed. "But few people can pay the rent. Most people become like us after five years."
This is a trap! It was a very simple trap!
How could a farmer pay the rent when the rent kept doubling? Even if it was the second year, it would be difficult for them to pay the rent, let alone the rent that would increase by more than ten times after five years. It was impossible for them to save enough food or money to pay the rent that would soar in the second year!
Before the implementation of this law, those who owed the rent would only be whipped and confiscated part of their property. But after the law was implemented, anyone who owed the rent was destined to have their land and house taken away. But ordinary farmers could not understand this at all.
This was because they could neither read nor count … nor did they have the extra energy and brain power to think about things other than working and farming.
In desperation they faced impossible debts, and in desperation they lost their land and their houses, but in the end they did not even understand why they had done all this.
Solderlin glanced at the small bonfire in front of him and suddenly felt that the memories of everyone hugging each other for warmth 700 years ago had become blurry.
The man opposite the bonfire was still whispering, "I used to have a small piece of land, right by the river … and I had a wife!"
Someone nudged him and said, "Okay, stop talking. You'll get wind if you talk too much."
"Time to add more firewood …"
"Don't put it all in. It's still early."
"When it's dawn, let's go to the Church of Holy Light. Go early, the porridge will be hot."
"Don't go too early. The new priest doesn't stir the porridge very much. He's used to scooping it from the top. If you go early, you'll only get thin soup."
Solderlin listened in silence. With his powerful Elf hearing, he heard the sound of the lyre and the tambourine in the distant castle finally quieting down.
He did not sleep all night until a faint ray of light appeared on the horizon. The light of the sun shone through the clouds and shone into the town.
The church bell rang in the distance. Solderlin stood up. The homeless who had barely slept also struggled to get up. The church bell was the signal to wake them up.
The bonfire was almost extinguished. The remaining heat could hardly be transmitted to the people around the fire. The homeless moved their frozen limbs, hoping to regain some strength before the sun came out. This would help them protect the food they received at the entrance of the church. But when everyone stood up, one person was still sitting in the same place.
It was the person who sat opposite the bonfire at night.
Someone pushed him, and the hunched body fell to the ground. He was dead.
The homeless looked at the scene in silence. Someone sighed and said, "A few pieces of firewood were missing last night."
"He had his own house last year …"
Solderlin was expressionless. Seven hundred years ago, the descendants of those who walked hand in hand in the darkness and hardship built a kingdom like this?
He turned around and walked to the street that was about to be illuminated by the sun.
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