The Royal City of Holletta. The sky was clear. Stability and prosperity shrouded this ancient city in a mild climate zone as always. Proud royal guards stood on the towering city walls. The commercial district was bustling with crowds. The carriages of nobles and big businessmen came and went on the wide stone roads of the Garden District and Gorse Street District, maintaining the interests of the upper class of the kingdom. The huge city was like an incredibly complex machine. It rumbled in its own thick city walls. Countless people formed countless parts, so that the machine continued to create the flames of human civilization.
It had been three years since the incident in the Beinz Diocese. Even the incredible event of the "outlanders" coming to help remove the "Sore of the Planet" was more than two years old. Some scholars and priests used the "Sore of the Planet" to tell the public about the First Born organization that was uprooted from the depths of the earth. This saying was very popular among ordinary people who did not know much about the inside story.
Three years was just a snap of the fingers for an ancient kingdom. But for the busy ordinary people, it was enough to erase many things, turning the major event of the past into a "story" that people only talked about after meals. The collapsed Dragonspine Ridge, the Beinz Blood Lake that had become a crystal mine, the Beinz Diocese that had become a gathering place for scholars and adventurers, the martyred Pope, and many other people and things had gradually faded from the eyes of the common people and turned into new sources of stories for bards. As time went by and the people forgot, there were not many things that could still be remembered or could still be a topic of conversation. These included the legendary heroic mercenary Becky, who was talked about by all bards, the mysterious and powerful "outlanders" who were said to be sent by the goddess to save the people, and the famous air fortress, Hodeceus, which was still suspended on the west side of the kingdom.
Ordinary people would not know the meaning behind these things. For them, legendary mercenaries, foreigners, air fortresses, and the like were out of reach. They were things that only appeared in poems and scrolls. Especially the fortress, which had been exaggerated by bards time and time again into a magnificent Fortress of God. It was said that it was a treasure bestowed by the goddess to the devout apologetics of Holletta. No one knew if the royal family of Holletta was behind such a statement.
The edge of the royal city was a lively but slightly old urban area. The buildings here were low and dense, and the streets were always filled with the smell of all kinds of low-quality spices, seafood, and leather. The clanking of blacksmiths came from the corners of the streets, and the noise of the taverns on the street would last until late at night. This was a gathering place for merchants and shabby knights who came to the capital to try their luck. Some of the imported goods from the Western Bay and the Northern Empire would also pass through here. At the same time, elite adventurers from all over the kingdom would choose to start a new life here after they had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth and fame. Some would become "guards" of the nobles, some successfully joined the royal knights, and from then on embarked on the path of personal strength to rise to the upper class of society. There were also some who quietly left after a few years, returning to small places to become ordinary adventurers. These people from all walks of life gathered together, making the urban area known as the "Black Steel Street" lively at all times. Countless reliable and unreliable news and stories circulated here. The bards became the most popular profession in the streets, and the number of taverns on the street was almost three times that of the inner city. They brought a large amount of extra wealth to the municipal officials, and also provided irreplaceable leisure and entertainment for the idle people gathered here.
In a prosperous street tavern, the owner of the tavern invited a slightly famous bard to come over. He played the ebony by the counter and described a rather popular story with short and short poems called "Geva Narrative Poems". Several long black tables in the tavern were filled with drinkers who came to kill time. Near the door, three foreigners dressed in the clothes of the royal city but looking like foreigners were also watching the performance of the bard. Although the performance could not be said to be outstanding, the narrative poem written by the bard was the reason why the bard was so popular.
"… That day, the sun turned into a spear. The goddess threw it down from the clouds. The earth split apart, and the rocks melted quickly …
"The female marshal rushed into the enemy with a long sword in her hand. Her armor shone, the blade of her sword shone, tassels dancing up and down …
"The demon beneath the ground had awakened. Its body was twisted and rotten, and its tentacles flowed with venom, shrouded in infinite magic.
"… The power of the gods shuttled through the clouds, throwing boulders and burning fireballs. Dragonspine Ridge collapsed, and the Blood Lake evaporated instantly.
"That legendary mercenary, she was fearless. She charged into the foreign army and killed countless monsters. Finally, she arrived at the heart of the demons. A pile of filthy flesh and blood pulsed in front of her, and the dark magic caused her hands and feet to be in great pain …
"… A spear of light from the sky pierced through the evil runes, and the demon's heart finally stopped beating. Its dying curse dissipated in the light of the goddess, and became a halo above the Blood Lake … The legendary mercenary returned to the ground, and cheered for victory with the crowd …
The bard's song gradually faded away, and the people at the tables near the counter were already clamoring. At the long table by the door, Hao Ren smiled and touched Lily's arm. "Listen, this is the third version."
"Why isn't there the version of 'The Silver Holy Beast stood on the Earth'?" Lily puffed her cheeks. "I heard that there was a version that was specially … to praise me. Speaking of which, I was quite active that day, and I'm bigger than all of you … "
"What's the use of being bigger? There were so many big things on the battlefield that day," Vivian curled her lips in disdain. "Speaking of which, I quite like this version. Basically, all the characters that should appear have appeared, and there weren't as many mistakes as in other versions. Think about the magically revised version we heard in the square before — the ancient mage emperors were resurrected one by one. It's just too much of a boast. "
"No matter which version, Becky seems to have a lot of scenes," Hao Ren laughed. "It seems that the Holletta Royal Family has spared no effort to drag her out as a model for publicity."
Vivian nodded. "Can't help it. This kind of epic event must at least have the shadow of the Hollettans, or else what will happen to the national dignity? And Becky was really active at that time. "
"Okay, enough of the story. You've seen the changes here in the past two years. It's time to find Becky," Hao Ren stood up and patted Lily, who was still reluctant to get up. "We haven't told her that we're coming today. Just in time to give her a surprise."
Becky's manor was located not far from the city. Originally, she was eligible to get a mansion allocated by the royal family in the inner city or even the noble district. However, the free-spirited mercenary could not stand the days of being surrounded by the upper class, so she finally chose to continue living in the manor outside the city. Hao Ren and his entourage arrived at the manor in the evening. The manor's servants and steward apparently still remembered these mysterious and respected "foreigners". They immediately opened the door, but Hao Ren was told that Becky was not here.
"Becky is not here?" Lily was surprised. "It's getting dark. Where can she go?"
"The mistress went to the Gloom Mountains with a group of Royal Knights a few days ago," the manor's steward explained respectfully. He knew that these people in front of him had a close relationship with his mistress. They were the group of "legendary characters", so he did not hide anything. "She is now a high-ranking officer of the Royal Knights and has the title of Earl, so she has accepted the royal order."
"She joined the Royal Knights?" Hao Ren raised his eyebrows. He was not surprised that Becky had the title of Earl. After all, the mercenary had also made great contributions in the Beinz incident and was later set up as a heroic figure. It was normal for the royal family to give her a prestigious position. After all, she was just a "noble" without a fief. It was just that Becky, who had said that she would "retire" after making a lot of money, had actually joined the Royal Knights and went out to the field. It was a little surprising.
"The mistress has been in the army for many years and is not used to the noble life," the steward said matter-of-factly. "So under the recommendation of Marshal Ophra, she joined the Royal Knights. But I don't know the details — it's not a servant's duty to pry too much into the master's private affairs. "
As soon as Hao Ren heard the words "under the recommendation of Marshal Ophra", he thought that there was no need to go into the details, it was a detail in itself.
In fact, even without Marshal Ophra's influence, Hao Ren also thought that it was normal for Becky to join the Royal Knights or go back to being a mercenary. After all, she was used to running around. She would not be able to settle down easily. She had confidently said that she would live an elegant and decent noble life, but Becky probably could not stand the life of being with the noble ladies and ladies every day.
"When will she be back?" Hao Ren asked. "Or you can tell me where she is."
At the same time, he was also silently thinking that if he really could not find Becky, he might as well go directly to Marshal Ophra and settle the "Sunset Glow Homecoming Family Visit Group" project first. It would not be considered as delaying business.
The steward bowed slightly. "The mistress is only on an escort mission. She won't be staying in the Gloom Mountains for long. She should be back tomorrow."
"That's good. Is it okay for us to stay here and wait for her to come back?"
"Of course," the steward replied. "The mistress has reserved rooms in the manor for several distinguished guests. Please come with me."
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