Once the war was put on the agenda, the preparations were like a wild horse that had escaped its reins and galloped forward. Tónigel had entered a state of readiness early on, and the White Lion Infantry had begun to fill up the ranks. Ever since Metisha returned to her territory, the training of the Wind Archers had also been scheduled.
Under the princess' instructions, the nobles that bordered Tónigel also began to expand their private armies. Most of these nobles were originally enemies of Abies. But ever since Count Randner became the enemy of the kingdom, the number of people who wanted to curry favor with him increased day by day.
Although Brando did not like these people, he did not reject them at the door.
The Moon of Hazy Summer passed by in a flash. Before the Moon of Scrolls arrived, the land was already filled with the scent of fire. The rising temperature burned the leaves of the trees, and the scorching sun licked the ground of the southern border day after day.
[Frada and the Southern Legion's army finally arrived. But before the last festival of summer, I still have to calm my citizens down from their nervousness.] Before the last few weeks, he had ordered Abies to hold the Festival of Fire's championship as scheduled.
This kind of competition corresponded with the festival of the Winter Hunt. It was less formal, but because of the open availability of alcohol, it attracted the nobles and Knights in the vicinity.
The competition venue was set up outside Castle Abies, and the clamor of the competition had almost ignited the entire territory.
However, for some quiet places, they still maintained their relative independence.
A thin wooden wall separated the sea of noise and the silence of the bar, and only the mercenaries' whistles would occasionally invade this relatively independent space. The hall was filled with the unique smell of cooked meat and spices. Although it was pungent, it gave a strong feeling of home.
There were a few tables with unique names written on them, such as Brendel, Romain, Amandina, etc. They were reserved for the owner or his close friends. The signboard outside the hotel looked brand new. There was a three-masted ship on it, and the words' Lord Romain's Smuggling Anchorage 'were written on it. Such a vulgar name naturally belonged to someone.
But the decorations in the bar were relatively warm. Scarlett sat at a wooden table in the southwest corner and saw more and more people gathering outside. Most of them were youths of the White Lion Legion, local citizens, and farmers. Ever since the refugees began to flood into Tónigel, the White Lion Legion had expanded beyond the thirty to forty people that Carglise had when he first joined. Other than that, as more and more people settled in the territory, farmers, merchants, and craftsmen began to fill the countryside of Abies.
At this moment, the championship of the Summer Festival was being held in the open space outside the bar. Now, it was the turn of the archery competition. There were many beautiful Tree Elves on the field, and the crowd was unprecedentedly large.
Scarlett turned around and saw a girl in silver armor placing a bouquet of daisies beside a wooden plate. She then put her hands together and closed her eyes to pray silently. Such a scene was reflected in Scarlett's eyes. She watched quietly and then asked, "Is her name Bess?"
Freya opened her eyes, and there was sadness in her brown pupils. She nodded silently and said, "Bess loves crowds. This archery competition must be her favorite. To be able to compete with the legendary Tree Elves …"
"Please don't be sad, Miss Freya. The living have to move on. In the past … the veterans often told us that death is just a nameless monument, and the living have to cross it and carry more things on their backs. That's why we have to be strong." Scarlett comforted her.
"I'm sorry, I understand. But I can't help but think of the past, especially at times like this." The girl from Bucce blinked her eyes and sighed, "Sometimes I really want to go back to that time. How good would it be if there were no wars …"
"I … I can understand …" Scarlett answered carefully.
"Hmm?"
Scarlett looked at Freya and thought for a moment. Then she said, "It's because I've been through many battles since I was young. In every battle, there would be a comrade dying. Some of them were newbies that I had just met, while others were close friends that I had spent a lot of time with. When I was still a child, I would cry loudly every time because of this, causing many people to laugh at me. But gradually, I became familiar with the parting of life and death. "
"How …?" Freya was slightly stunned. She turned around and looked at the girl beside her in disbelief. Scarlett looked slightly younger than her, but her experience showed that she was much more mature.
"I'm a mercenary. I work for money and survival. People like us will die in the next battle sooner or later. It's a natural ending for us. I've never been dissatisfied." Scarlet seemed to have recalled her past as well. She held the wooden cup in her hand and swirled the golden liquid inside, then quietly said: "But because of an accident, my lord changed me from this life, and let me know that there is another kind of life."
"I … don't know if I should thank Sir Lord. I can more or less understand Sir Lord's thoughts and what he wants me to pursue. … But, other than fighting, what else can I do? "
"So compared to him, I'd rather be myself and not others. I can die with a clear conscience."
"I'm sorry." Freya suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Scarlett was stunned.
"I'm sorry, Scarlett. I never knew about your life. I think I'm too selfish to want to go back to the past. Brando is right. If we don't fight for it, no one can give us the peaceful life we want. "Freya replied quietly." Erouine is far from being able to covet comfort. "
The mercenary girl looked at her blankly.
Some things that Freya had gradually begun to understand were still in a fog in front of her.
At this time, there was a burst of cheers outside the bar. The door of the bar was slammed open. Roman rushed in with a big basin and shouted, "Metisha took first place again! The ale is sold out. Come and help! "
"Be careful!" Freya quickly reminded him.
"I know, I know." Then there was a scream from the kitchen, "Ah, my barbecue!"
Brando helplessly shook his head as he walked in, but he seemed to be in a good mood. He looked at Freya and Scarlett and smiled, "Two beautiful ladies, don't you want to go out and celebrate with everyone? Our little princess took first place in archery."
The future Valkyrie stared at him with wide eyes, "Brando, you, what are you wearing!"
"It's a military uniform. Erouine's cavalry uniform. How is it? Doesn't it look like it?" Brando raised his hand that was holding the barbecue. There were a few obvious oil stains on the dark blue uniform. It was obvious that someone had wiped his hand on it.
"You … How can you wipe your hand on the uniform? The uniform represents the dignity of the kingdom. It's the greatest glory of a soldier. Brando, you … You're too much! "Freya was so angry that she forgot about the previous sad incident.
"Oh, this … It was just convenient." Brando replied innocently.
"It was, it was convenient!"
"Ha, Freya, you go ahead. I'll go out and take a look." Brando saw that the future Valkyrie was about to lose her temper. Obviously, the things she learned in the Royal Knight Academy had made her feel a little too proud. He quickly laughed and prepared to leave.
"Stop right there, Brando!"
At this time, whoever stood still would be an idiot. Brando deeply understood this point. He originally came to show off the cavalry uniform to Freya and Scarlett, but he did not expect that the end result was a little out of his expectations.
Fortunately, this small matter could not ruin his good mood at the moment.
The cavalry uniform he was wearing came from Abies' own cotton and dye workshop. Except for the cotton which was shipped through Ampere Seale, the uniform was almost entirely from Tónigel.
This was once a barren, barren land that produced almost nothing other than silver.
The reason for the change was the increase in population. Due to the preparations made during the previous war, a large number of refugees or refugees were sent to Tónigel. The food reserves from Ampere Seale quickly converted the increased population into usable labor.
Two months ago, under Bosley's leadership, a cotton workshop, a dye workshop, a blacksmith workshop, a copper workshop, a clay and pottery workshop, and even a weapons and armor department were established. After half a year of careful management, Tónigel was no longer a barren land. On the contrary, it was gradually becoming self-sufficient to produce some necessary products.
The first was food, weapons, and a small number of luxury goods.
After the stormy season, business with the north gradually became more frequent. Sailboats with snow-white sails from Grey Harbor and Ampere Seale anchored at the newly built deepwater pier in Port Gris. Merchants with a keen sense of smell also began to discover the potential of this place. Ever since the month of the new moon, the number of merchants living in the port increased day by day.
At the same time, there was also a large number of craftsmen. Just a few days ago, Brando met with a group of dwarven enchanters from the Black Mountains. These people were mostly refugees from the war. It was said that the war between the north and the Golden Mane Toquinin had begun to affect normal business. Under the pressure of the Holy Cathedral, the king's eldest son had no choice but to go to war with the Lion Beastmen.
This was a good opportunity for the south to develop and strengthen.
As far as the eye could see, the carriages carrying goods were passing through the main road near Firburh Castle. The fields at the border of the forest were no longer barren, and there were farmers working everywhere. A year ago, or even half a year ago, this would have been a scene that would have been impossible to see in Tónigel.
And all of this was brought about by the combined efforts of him and everyone else.
He raised his head and looked at the tall riders in the distance, holding high the winner's pennant and galloping around the crowd. The silver flag with the lily embroidered on it fluttered in the wind. A thousand years ago, it fluttered like this, and a thousand years later, it fluttered above the earth once more.
The crowd burst into thunderous cheers.
Brendel saw the Silver Elf Princess being lifted up high by the Tree Elves. She was also looking at the flag from afar, and there seemed to be something shining in her eyes.
"Metisha!"
"Metisha!"
The citizens shouted as they raised their wine glasses high in the air. The straw huts from Graudin's era could no longer be seen on both sides of the streets. With the help of the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries and Odum's workers, they had built a flat street along Castle Abies. There were neat wooden huts on both sides of the street. The adults and children standing by the huts all had satisfied smiles on their faces.
When he passed by the street, someone recognized him, and a large group of people bowed to him sincerely. Brando also returned the greeting. In truth, he was already used to such a life, and no longer felt uneasy when people bowed to him.
The knowledge that came from the modern era was slowly fading away. But in the depths of his soul, the pride of an advanced civilization still supported his every word and action. At least, he did not think that this respect and pride was innate.
He placed a copper coin in the hands of a little girl beside him. This copper coin represented the blessing from the lord before midsummer. The little girl was so excited that her face turned red. She held the coin with both hands and ran to the side of a woman. Perhaps it was her mother. The woman took the coin from the little girl's hands and bowed to him.
"My Lord!"
"My Lord!"
The shouts quickly changed to a different kind of voice. The people of Abies were expressing their respect for their new lord from the bottom of their hearts.
Brando narrowed his eyes. He knew that this feeling of satisfaction was illusory and temporary. Even earlier, the people were still anxiously asking about the upcoming war.
In this turbulent era, everyone was trying their best to protect the temporary stability around them.
There was nothing wrong with this, but Erouine was far from being safe. Some people were bound to bleed and even give up their lives to protect others. But at least, he wanted to protect Erouine.
He walked through the crowd and walked to the side of Her Royal Highness. Gryphine was silently watching all of this. The female Knight was next to her, one hand on her sword. But Brendel could feel that Maynild was looking at him. In fact, the feeling Maynild gave him was far less intense than when he was in Ampere Seale, which made every nerve in his body tense up.
Under such an atmosphere, how could anyone be nervous?
"They like you very much, Mr. Brando. If there is anyone in Erouine who can be called the model of the ancient nobles, then I can definitely find such qualities in you. "Princess Gryphine's eyes sparkled as she said with slight emotion.
"This is the dream of Her Royal Highness. The whole of Erouine, everyone can no longer be trapped by poverty, war, and disaster. The tragedy of Bucce will not happen again. "Brando replied.
Princess Gryphine blinked. "Mr. Brando, I understand that this is a little too ideal, but I at least hope to change the kingdom's current situation. … … In the north, even in Randner, Viero, and many other places, the war and disasters caused by the nobles themselves are still ongoing, and the descendants of King Erik have done nothing. "
"Yes, so Tónigel will not be peaceful for long. Everyone must fight and sacrifice for their own future. "
"Is Mr. Brando ready?"
"We only need to convince Duke Viero."
… …
Metisha was tossed around by the enthusiastic elven girls for a while before being put down. The Silver Elf princess probably had never experienced such a scene in her life, and her clothes were messed up. Her little face was so red that it was almost dripping blood.
The moment she landed on the ground, the Tree Elves whistled and scattered, probably because they were afraid of retaliation. The winner of our archery competition almost fell to the ground on her butt. Fortunately, Amandina was quick and hurriedly supported her. "Those damned girls." Amandina shook her head and handed over Metisha's silver bow.
"Thank you, Sister Amandina." Metisha said with lingering fear.
But when she raised her head and looked at the flag that belonged to the Silver Elf Royal Family flying high in the distance, her eyes shone with satisfaction. She did not know how many years it had been since this flag appeared in front of people's eyes so brilliantly.
The moment she held the bow, her body and mind seemed to have returned to a time in the past. In the wilderness, silver warhorses galloped, and the horn sounded for a long time, as if resonating with the vast earth.
Amandina saw that the Silver Elf princess was a little absent-minded for a moment, and guessed in her heart what she was thinking. She sighed and gently put a cloak on her. Although it was the middle of summer, it was easy to fall sick after sweating and the cold wind blowing. She had long been used to doing these things for Brando, and for a moment she forgot that Metisha was just a Heroic Spirit.
Metisha was slightly startled, and looked at Amandina with some gratitude: "Thank you very much, Sister Amandina."
"This is the second time." Amandina shook her head, not taking it seriously.
"No, because I thought of my sister." Metisha replied seriously.
"Is that so?"
"Well, it's probably more gentle. Just like how I imagined my sister, yes, that's it … … "The Silver Elf princess smiled sweetly.
Amandina looked at Medissa carefully. She had heard some of Medissa's stories and knew that her relationship with her sister was not as harmonious as it seemed. She reached out and smoothed the hair in front of the girl's forehead, and replied: "Probably between the royal family, it's like this … …"
"Royal family?" Metisha thought for a moment and looked at Amandina: "By the way, Sister Amandina, has the Lord still not found the reason?"
"Yes." Amandina also thought of this matter and couldn't help but shake her head: "Miss Aloz also checked for me, but I'm not of the Golden Folk bloodline. That time, it was probably the blessing of Lady Martha."
"The blessing of Lady Martha?"
Metisha looked at Amandina and suddenly asked: "Sister Amandina, where's your necklace?"
"Necklace … …" Amandina was slightly startled, and subconsciously pressed on her chest: "Necklace?"
"Yes, the necklace that I've been wearing before. Before going to Ampere Seale, didn't I always have it with me? I remember seeing it once in the Shining Sea. "Metisha replied softly.
"That … … I lost it before, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing." The Silver Fairy Princess smiled slightly: "I didn't expect the meticulous Sister Amandina to lose something. If I tell the Lord, he definitely won't believe me."
"No need," Amandina hurriedly replied: "The Lord is busy preparing for the war with Count Randner, it's better not to disturb him with these trivial matters."
"Is that so?"
Amandina nodded slightly.
Metisha thought for a moment, as if she wanted to say something else. But it was at this moment that a commotion suddenly came from a corner of the arena. The crowd over there seemed to be a commotion, and the attention of the two was attracted for a moment.
But compared to Metisha, Amandina was after all just an ordinary person. The Silver Fairy Princess quickly discerned what was happening over there.
"Huh?" She said softly.
"What's wrong?" Amandina looked in that direction in vain as she turned back and asked.
"Some strange guys have come."
Metisha murmured.
… …
For Tosancade Forest, the rainy weather that had lasted for many days seemed to have begun to patronize Magi Tan and the nearby areas after a short period of sunny weather.
For the residents of the Misty Forest, it seemed that there were not many good days since Duke Arreck's visit. The gloomy sky that brought the rain always hovered above their heads, although the beginning of the rainy season in the Tosancade region was four or five months.
But this year, it was a little too ridiculous.
The wooden fence gate creaked and swayed in the torrential rain as it was lifted up. In the curtain of rain, a pair of cold eyes silently watched the rain slide down the fence gate, falling from the tip like a pillar with a broken string, and then mixed into the muddy water.
Two attendants held up a cloak for Count Randner to block the continuous rain. The count, who had the privilege of the kingdom, silently watched the carriage on the drawbridge drive out of the outer city under the guidance of the guards. Then he turned back and quickly disappeared above the city walls.
Duke Arreck held up the curtain of the carriage with one hand, withdrew his gaze from that direction, and sneered softly. The carriage fell into darkness again: "This old fox is really careful and greedy. Indecisiveness and stubbornness are his biggest weaknesses."
"I'm afraid this is a typical weakness of the nobles, Your Grace." A woman's voice replied: "But at least we managed to convince this guy, so this trip was not in vain."
"He will regret it." The hoarse voice laughed coldly.
"It's just that he doesn't have a choice, but he might not be sincere about joining us. Come to think of it, how could such a mediocre noble understand such profound principles? "Duke Arreck shook his head.
"But Duke Cohen, this guy is indeed not trustworthy. You'd better make plans." He reminded again.
"We're already prepared." The hoarse voice replied gloomily: "He's just a scapegoat."
Arreck nodded and looked in that direction with an inexplicable gaze. The towering walls of Magi Tan had long become a faint shadow in the curtain of rain. Then he put down the curtain, and the carriage returned to darkness again.
In a direction that he could not see, Count Randner was accompanied by a Knight as he walked down the spiral staircase of the castle. The dim light in the corridor shone on his face. The once arrogant count of the kingdom was now filled with cold doubts.
"Father, do you really intend to form an alliance with those things?" A figure was already waiting below. The noble youth looked up and asked impatiently: "Once we agree, we will have no way out."
Count Randner looked at his second son: "Do we have a way out now? It seems like you still don't understand your situation."
"No, I mean … …"
"Enough." Count Randner interrupted him impatiently: "I know what you want to say, and of course I will make preparations. Madara … … At least Madara's side … … "
He sighed: "Forget it, you go and contact Cruz's people."
"Cruz's people?"
"There are always some things that they need to know."
The count was silent for a moment, and replied faintly.
… …
(PS: The third day! I went out to do something today, so I'm much later! Sob sob sob, so be it ~) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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