Galinthea Continent Calendar, 1788, 23rd of April, Province of Delemke.
The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was cloudless.
A sturdy northern horse was dragging a four-wheeled flatbed cart along the narrow road made of clay, lime, and gravel. Flatbed carts like this were common in the Delemark province, and were the main means of transportation for transporting food and miscellaneous items. Especially when transporting food, they could carry up to three thousand kilograms of weight. Sacks filled with food were stacked high, like a small hill moving slowly along the road.
But now the flatbed cart was very empty, only a few linen bags were piled up. There were two people on the cart. A young man was sitting on the shaft of the cart in front, his head lowered as he held a long horsewhip. He seemed to be asleep, letting the northern horse that was pulling the cart move slowly and quickly on the road. From time to time, he would stop and pull a few green weeds from the side of the road. The other man, dressed in a gray and tattered farmer's clothing, was lying on the cart with a sack as his pillow. He had a large straw hat covering his face to block the sun. He seemed to be sleeping soundly.
Such a scene was very common on this inter-provincial road, which was not a national highway. However, when a large carriage came from the opposite direction, the coachman would yell or curse loudly, and the young coachman who was dozing off would wave his whip to drive the northern horses to the side of the road to avoid the passing carriages. At the same time, the coachman on the opposite side would either kindly remind or maliciously scold him. However, the young driver did not care. He would doze off again when there were no more carriages in front of him …
Laurist was not asleep. He was just lying on the flatbed cart, enjoying the warmth of the sun. After staying in the dark granary for two months, coupled with the humidity of the rainy season, he was especially addicted to the comfortable feeling of the sun. It had been many years since he had the free time to enjoy this kind of sunbathing. Thinking back to when he was in Dawn Academy, his favorite thing to do was to move a chair to the balcony and read books while basking in the sun. It was so relaxing back then …
Laurist's condition was not good. Half a year of healing had only healed the sword wounds on his chest and back, as well as stopped the internal bleeding and wounds. The two Domains overlapped. Although it caused the movements of both Laurist and the Storm Sword Saint to become extremely slow, the Storm Sword Saint's longsword pierced through Laurist's chest. The damage was not reduced because of the slow movement. The Storm Sword Saint's Aura contained in the longsword also slowly rushed into Laurist's body, messing up the meridians and dantian that used the inner force in his body.
Laurist was now a very weak commoner, or perhaps even weaker than a commoner. He could not do any heavy work or use any strength. The only thing he could rejoice about was that Redi was by his side. As Redi practiced the Pellet Sea Qi Drawing Technique, which was of the same origin as Laurist's Goldwater Charm, Redi had been feeding Laurist all sorts of healing potions during the first half of the healing process. At the same time, he had used the Pellet Sea Qi Drawing Technique to channel inner force into Laurist's body, clearing away the accumulated blood and healing the meridians that had been destroyed by the Storm Sword Saint's aura. This was also the reason why Laurist had woken up so quickly.
The Storm Sword Saint had stabbed Laurist. The sword had pierced through his chest, and with the fighting aura contained in the sword, the Storm Sword Saint believed that Laurist's injuries were more serious than his. On the other hand, although Laurist had shattered the Storm Sword Saint's entire sternum with his palm, because he had been struck by the sword first, Laurist had retracted a portion of his inner force to protect his heart meridian. Thus, the one-inch punch from his left palm had only shattered the Storm Sword Saint's sternum. He had injured, but not destroyed, his internal organs. This was also the reason why the Storm Sword Saint had been able to hold on and escape. Otherwise, if his internal organs had been destroyed, the Storm Sword Saint would have died a long time ago. Even a god would not be able to save his life.
They were both heavily injured, but Laurist was in a much more miserable state compared to the Storm Sword Saint. The Storm Sword Saint could safely live in seclusion in Morent City to heal. Whether it was the healing potions or the living environment, they were all the best. On the other hand, Laurist had to hide from the Great Swordsmen sent by the Commerce Alliance to kill him. He had a home, but he could not return. He did not even dare to contact his family, afraid that it would be leaked.
There were many reasons for such an outcome. If a kingdom had a Sword Saint, and the kingdom did not have enough high-end combat power to protect him, they would at least use the kingdom's army to protect him. But now, the second prince had lost his head for revenge, and had led the majority of the kingdom's army to fight the Commerce Alliance to the death. Compared to the Commerce Alliance, the Andinac Kingdom was clearly weaker in terms of high-end combat power. The Great Swordsmen of the Commerce Alliance could not defend against the second prince's army on the battlefield. Thus, it was normal for them to be sent to assassinate the heavily injured Laurist to eliminate the greatest threat to the Commerce Alliance.
Although Laurist was worried about the safety of Princess Sylvia, his four concubines, and his children, he knew that the most important thing now was to recover from his injuries and regain his strength as a Sword Saint. No one would dare to harm his family before they received accurate information about him. Otherwise, once Laurist recovered from his injuries and returned, his revenge would be a bloodbath. No one could bear the consequences.
There was a precedent. Two hundred years ago, the Sword Saints of two kingdoms fought, and both sides suffered heavy losses. One of the Sword Saints was assassinated by the enemy kingdom. The Sword Saint escaped, but his family was wiped out. Half a year later, the Sword Saint recovered from his injuries and began his revenge. The enemy kingdom's royal family, all the nobles associated with them, and the Great Swordsmen's family of nearly seventy thousand people were wiped out. Even the enemy kingdom's Sword Saint stood by and watched, unwilling to intervene.
The Sword Saint said, "Put yourself in my shoes. If my family was killed because of me, I would take revenge in the same way. I advised His Majesty not to let them carry out such a stupid operation, but they didn't listen, and after the assassination failed, they became angry out of shame and killed the Sword Saint's family. This is their own death, and I can't do anything about it.
The heads of the Six Magnates and the Six Chambers of Commerce were much more clear-headed than the king from two hundred years ago. It was an undeniable fact that the Duke of the Northern Lands, Norton Laurist, was a Sword Saint. Since he and the Storm Sword Saint had both suffered heavy losses, they could not be blamed for taking the opportunity to eliminate the greatest threat to the Trade Alliance. The Andinac Kingdom and the Trade Alliance had become mortal enemies. It was only right and proper for them to attack the enemy's injured Sword Saint.
It did not matter if the assassination failed. Laurist would not hold it against the Sword Saint after he recovered. However, they definitely could not touch Laurist's family and relatives. In order to avoid unpredictable consequences, they could not even touch the high-ranking officials and family knights of the Norton Family. This was to prevent Laurist from finding an excuse to retaliate in the future. Everyone had family and subordinates. The Six Magnates of the Trade Alliance did not want the Six Chambers of Commerce to be uprooted. Even the Windstorm Sword Sage would not stand on the same side as the six powerhouses in such a private operation to avenge a blood feud.
If they could successfully assassinate the heavily injured Laurist, then there would be nothing to worry about. Not to mention killing Laurist's family, even if ten Great Swordsmen worked together to massacre the Norton Family, it would not matter. So the most important thing for Laurist now was to find a place that the Great Swordsmen of the Trade Alliance had neglected to ensure his safety. Once he recovered, there would not be a single assassin who would dare to appear in front of him.
After the rainy season, the various territories in the Delamuk Province began to harvest the winter wheat. At the same time, they began to pay the Norton Family a ten percent tithe, which was ten percent of the winter wheat harvest. These winter wheat were sent by the various lords to Kebo City, and Kebo City stored the winter wheat as rations for the family's armed forces.
Apart from the tithe, the Norton Family also set up a grain purchase center in Kebo City. They bought the grain of the various lords in the Delamuk Province at a price ten percent lower than the market price. This was a monopolized business. Other grain merchants could not buy grain from these lords, and could only trade through the Norton Family's purchase center in Kebo City. With this transaction, the Norton Family earned thirty percent of the profits. It could not be helped. In this chaotic world, grain was a strategic resource. The Norton Family could not give up their control over grain.
When the lords of Delemark Province sent people to Kebo City to pay the winter wheat tithe, Lollister and Redi changed into tattered farmer clothes and boarded an old four-wheeled flatbed cart prepared by the commander of the Kebo City Guards Battalion, Serikov. They left Kebo City without being noticed by the farmers who were transporting the winter wheat. No one knew where they were going.
In the days after he woke up, Laurist had learned about the situation of the Betrayal Alliance from Redi. After all, Redi had stayed in the imperial capital to protect Laurist for almost three months, so he had a rough idea of the situation at the frontlines. The second prince made a comeback and swore to fight the Trade Alliance to the death. Then, Joest's Hunting Cavalry and Ferocious Tiger Ross's Flying Tiger Army descended from the sky and defeated the Trade Alliance's armed forces. Then, the second prince launched a surprise attack and won a decisive victory. He successfully recovered Armenia and Marivia Province, and his troops arrived at Mana Hill Plains.
There was also the Trade Alliance's envoy, Marquis Krilos. Redi had also heard about his fate in the imperial capital. It was said that the second prince hated Marquis Krilos deeply. Not only did he break his limbs, but he also destroyed his Gold-ranked Combat Aura. He even treated him like a liar. He stuck chicken, duck, and bird feathers on his body, leaving only his pretty face. He then tied him to the back of an old horse and let him go.
It was worth noting that the second prince did not apply honey on Marquis Krilos' body. Although honey was sticky and could stick to things, it could be washed off with water. The second prince ordered his servants to apply raw lacquer on Marquis Krilos' naked body. Even Laurist was speechless when he heard this. Raw lacquer was highly toxic and had an allergic effect on the skin. If one accidentally touched it, it would cause itchiness and swelling. In the Galinthea Continent, it was usually used as a primer for wood in the construction or decoration industry to prevent insects and ants from eating away at the buildings and furniture.
Thinking about how Marquis Krilos was covered in raw lacquer, covered in feathers, and had his Combat Aura crippled and his limbs broken, Laurist could not help but shudder. Needless to say, Marquis Krilos had been toyed with by the second prince. From this, it could be seen how much the second prince hated the Trade Alliance. If not for Laurist and the Norton Family's armed forces, the second prince would not only be a prisoner of the Trade Alliance, but also the biggest joke and pitiful worm in the eyes of all the nobles in the Galinthea Continent …
Other than this information, Redi knew nothing about what happened next. He escaped with Loriste from the Imperial Capital, parted ways with Hugh and the others, and hid in Kebo City for more than two months. He did not know what happened in his family's territory, nor did he know how the three armies were doing at the frontlines. Furthermore, he could not inquire about it. To Redi, there was no need to pay attention to those things. As long as Laurist could recover from his injuries and regain his strength, he would be able to get back at them no matter what happened. Even if his family was gone, he could still rebuild it.
When they left Kebo City, Laurist and Redi saw the commander of the Guards Battalion, Selikoff, reprimanding a group of patrolling cavalrymen at the city gates. At the same time, he was cursing loudly. That was because the messenger eagle from Kebo City to the North had not flown back for more than half a month. They did not know what had happened. The messenger he sent to his family's territory was beaten unconscious on the main road half a day's journey from the ferry. He did not lose any money, but all the letters in his bag were searched. A group of farmers who went to Kebo City to deliver winter wheat found the pitiful messenger lying on the roadside and sent him back.
That was why Sherikoff ordered the patrols to increase their vigilance to prevent such a prank from happening again. The messenger was fine, and he did not lose any money. It was just that the letters on his body were searched. Since there was no loss, Sherikoff could only attribute this matter to some senseless high-ranking person playing a prank.
In fact, Laurist and Redi understood why Sherikoff announced this embarrassing matter at the city gates. He was reminding them that Kebo City was being monitored by the great swordsmen. The messenger's encounter and the disappearance of the messenger eagle meant that the great swordsmen of the Trade Alliance were using these two communication systems to search for Laurist's whereabouts. They were trying to find clues to where Laurist was hiding and recuperating.
Laurist had grown a full beard on his face, making him look like a sloppy farmer who was overwhelmed by life and worried about his family's next meal. Even those who knew him would not be able to tell that he was the famous Duke of the North in a short period of time. On the other hand, Redi shaved off his beard. Back then, when Laurist brought Redi back from Egret Lake and confirmed that he was a level 1 Great Swordsman, Redi kept a moustache to make himself look mature and dignified. Now that he had shaved his beard, he looked like a lonely young farmer who did not want to work in the fields. No one would associate him with the great swordsman who had a mustache and a murderous aura around him.
It took two to three days to travel from Kebo City to Baron Dena's territory, and that was because the Norton Family had renovated all the roads in the province. Otherwise, it would have taken at least six to seven days to reach Baron Dena's territory. Baron Dena's territory was located at the westernmost part of the Delemark province. The border of the territory was a mountainous region, and outside of the mountainous region was the northern sea.
Back then, Laurist had put in a lot of effort to divide up Baron Dina's territory. This was because he understood his lover Aridoli's competitive personality, and he was worried that his little lover would fight with the surrounding nobles because of her competitiveness. That was why he arranged for Baron Dina's territory to be near the mountainous region. If Aridoli wanted to expand the territory, she could expand it to the mountainous region. It was unclaimed land, and it would be up to her to occupy as much land as she could.
When the sun was about to set, Laurist and Redi's four-wheeled carriage finally arrived at Baron Dena's territory.
"Don't go to the village over there. Go straight to the big wooden castle." Laurist had been here twice, and naturally knew where to go.
The wooden castle in Baron Dena's territory was a big joke among the nobles in the Delemark province. The reason was that Miss Dena wanted to build a big castle for her younger brother, the future Baron Dena. With the wealth of the Dena family and Laurist's support, building a big castle was not a problem. However, Miss Dena, who was also known as Aridoli, was worried that the castle she built would not fit her younger brother's wishes. At that time, Young Master Dena was studying in the Nicol Academy.
Thus, Aridoli thought of an idea to build the castle entirely out of wood. This way, Young Master Dena could immediately modify the castle if he was not satisfied with it. Thus, the wooden castle in Baron Dena's territory became a joke among the nobles in the Delemark province. However, Miss Dena did not care. She suddenly discovered that she had a talent for architecture. Every year, she would spend a lot of time on the wooden castle, and the appearance of the castle would change in a year.
Redi drove the carriage into the wooden castle. Laurist noticed that the defense of the wooden castle was very lax. There was not even a single guard on the wooden walls. If he did not see the silhouettes of the servants hurrying past, Laurist might have suspected that something had happened to Baron Dena's territory.
Just as Laurist was about to alight from the carriage, he suddenly saw three people walking out from the wooden hall in front of him. The one in front was a middle-aged couple with an elegant bearing, and the one behind was Miss Dena, Aridoli.
Redi immediately tensed up. The middle-aged couple's posture and aura clearly indicated that they were great swordmasters. His hand tightly gripped the hilt of the sword hidden under the sackcloth bag. At this moment, Aridoli's gaze coincidentally looked over. As Laurist's lover, she immediately recognized the bearded Laurist.
… …
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