The Winter Veil holiday ended very quickly. That was how people were. Time flew when they were on holiday. In the blink of an eye, the Winter Veil holiday was over in a relaxed manner.
In the blink of an eye, it was January. Almost as soon as the Winter Veil Festival's rainy and snowy season ended, Duke Palawon, Kasvann, finally led more than 1500 knights and 10,000 soldiers to cross the Gray Mountains and attack the Empire on the other side of the Gray Mountains.
The departure of the army could not be hidden from the nobles who were paying close attention to the war. Almost as soon as they received the news, Laing, François, Jerrold, and Julius met up and prepared to cross the Grey Mountains together to observe the war.
They spent two days riding horses to the edge of the Grey Mountains. Of course, because of the presence of François and Laing, the four knights were warmly welcomed by the locals wherever they went.
The desolate wilderness, the cold air, the distant mountains, and the small towns. These were all the scenery that Laing saw along the way with François and the others. The human towns and villages were like isolated islands in the wilderness. Only by relying on strong walls and guards could they preserve the fire of civilization.
This world was not like the Celestial Empire in Laing's previous life. There were only people in this world. Even in the densely populated Brittany, it was still a country with towns as strongholds and roads as its bloodline. It was just that there were more villages and villages, but most of the areas were still uninhabited, such as forests, swamps, and mountains.
At night, only the city walls and the army could protect the people.
"We have entered the territory of the Duchy of Palawon." François pulled the reins of his beloved horse. The Duke himself was riding a pure-blooded elven pegasus named Prague. This pegasus was the most powerful and the smartest among all the pegasus in Brittany. It was extremely intelligent and also had a certain level of magic. When surrounded by enemies, Prague would turn the holy energy in its body into a strong light and release it, burning the enemies into ashes to escape from the battle.
Julius and Jerrold, who were wearing shining armor with white stripes on a blue background, both nodded. Only Laing, who was wearing a gray power suit, remarked, "This place is really desolate."
The wilderness of the Palawon Duchy was barren. Only the areas near the towns and villages had some scattered fields. It was the middle of January, and the weather was very cold. Even Grail Knights like François and Laing were breathing out white steam.
"The Palawon Duchy is most famous for its mountains." François rode on the pegasus, a faint smile on the duke's elegant face. "The Palawon Peaks produces the best pegasus of the old world. Compared to the pegasus produced by Winford in the Oracle Mountains, the pegasus of the Palawon Peaks is better in endurance."
"The Palawon Duchy originated from the first generation of Grail Knights, Agilgel. At that time, he rode on the ancestor of all the pure-blooded pegasus, Glorfindel, and annihilated more than 300 green-skinned big bosses alone." Jerrold added. After a series of tests, this cousin of François was finally put in an important position by François.
"It is also because of this that the Palawon Duchy is a long and narrow mountainous area." Julius nodded. This future brother-in-law of Laing seemed to be in a good mood. He calmly said to Laing, "More than 60% of the land in the Palawon Duchy is mountainous. There is very little land that can be farmed. Only some land near the Palawon Castle and a small hill above the forest of Esolorin can be farmed."
"The land is barren, so there is a lack of arable land …" Laing said in a low voice. "I understand."
The four knights rode to the front of the town. The name of the town was written on the gate of the town, "Glennell".
Glennell was one of the three large towns of the Palawon Duchy. It had a population of about 8,000. It was located southeast of Palawon, north of the forest of Esolorin, and near the southern entrance of the Grey Mountains. This was the only way for the Palawon army to cross the Grey Mountains and attack the Empire.
It was currently daytime, so the gate of the town was wide open. Upon seeing Laing and the others, the town guard immediately knelt down. "Lord Grail Knight! Welcome to Glennell! "
"Welcome to Glennell! Lord Grail Knight! Welcome! "
"Bless you! Lord Grail Knight! "
"To be able to see Lord Grail Knight is a good sign for this year!"
"We salute you, Lord Grail Knight!"
Almost everyone in the town, from the townspeople to the guards, knelt down and cheered loudly, crowding Ryan and Francois in the middle of the crowd. The story of the Knight of the Holy Grail was familiar even in the most remote villages of Brittany. For the serfs, the Knight of the Holy Grail was an idol that brought warmth and comfort to the hearts of the serfs living in poverty like the winter sunshine.
A thousand years had passed since the founding of Arthur's country. The spirit of chivalry had become a rotten standard. Many knights were fanatical about the dogmatic spirit of chivalry. They did not treat the serfs as human beings at all. Some of the knights treated the spirit of chivalry as a tool to squeeze money out of the serfs. The spirit of chivalry existed only for the sake of extracting more benefits from the serfs.
It was only in this day of moral decay that the knights who could understand the true meaning of chivalry were even more precious. They were people who truly followed the spirit of chivalry, not fanatics who believed in the doctrine of chivalry. They used their souls to understand the true meaning hidden deep in the outdated scriptures, not letting the scriptures become a hindrance to personal thinking.
They were the Grail Knights, the pillars and backbone of this country.
“Makeway！ Makewayforthegrailknights！” The serfs and a small number of free people were celebrating, and the knights guarding the town had already galloped on the roads of the town on their horses. They roared at the serfs arrogantly, indicating that these untouchables should get out of the way. They were blocking the way of the Grail Knight!
The knight captain of the guards swung his whip high, whipping a few serfs who were unwilling to get out of the way. Their skin and flesh were torn apart, and their flesh and blood were badly mangled.
"Stop!" François shouted angrily. "What are you doing?!"
"Lord Grail Knight, it's these untouchables! These untouchables are blocking your way! "The guard knight was stunned for a moment and quickly explained.
"Compensate these gentlemen for their medical expenses, Mr. Knight." François's face was filled with anger. "Now!"
"Yes … Yes!" The guard knight saw this and quickly admitted his mistake. He took out a handful of silver coins from his body and threw them to the faces of the injured serfs. "Here, quickly thank the Lord Grail Knight for his kindness and mercy!"
"Yes! Thank you, Lord Grail Knight! Thank you, Lord Grail Knight! "The injured serfs received this unexpected windfall and left happily.
The guard knight's face was filled with fanaticism and worship. He looked at Laing and François and asked, "Lord Grail Knights, may I ask why you came to Glennell?"
Jerrold and Julius were ignored. François's cousin and son looked at each other, their eyes full of envy and helplessness.
"I am Laing Macado, the Lady's Chosen Champion," Laing said calmly.
"I am François, François Antrel Tancrede de Vanford." François also said calmly, "Hello."
"Ah! It's the Lady's Chosen Champion and Lord François. Nice to meet you! "The guard knight's mouth was wide open. He was shocked.
"We have received an oracle from the Lady. We have a mission to complete, so we have to stay here for the night." Laing's tone was very calm. "The mission is a secret. You just need to take us to a hotel in the town."
"Yes!" The guard knight wanted to ask more, but when he heard that it was an oracle from the Lady of the Lake, he immediately stopped. He led Laing and the others to a place in the town. "Please follow me!"
Laing's pure white cloak and François's pure white cloak fluttered in the air. They followed the guard knight and left, leaving behind a story that would be discussed by the townspeople for days.
…
Three hours later, in Glennell, Baron Pfister's mansion.
This was a small mansion with two floors. It was the residence of the guard knight, Baron Pfister. Baron Pfister, of course, had heard of the names of Laing and François. He quickly gave up his winter residence to Laing and the others and went back to his castle.
Laing and François had dimensional rings, so they didn't have to carry much weight. Laing gave some feed and black beans to the few pure-blooded elven horses. He looked at the dark clouds and thick fog in the night sky and breathed out a breath of cold air. He then added some fodder to the stable. "Come, Grape. Eat until you are full. Grow well."
"Neigh!" Grape obviously understood what Laing was talking about. The pure-blooded elven horse stretched out its front hooves and gently touched Laing's arm. It neighed unhappily.
I'm already a mature horse. You don't need to remind me.
"Hahaha!" Laing reached out his hand and stroked Grape's mane. Grape then rubbed its face against Laing's face in enjoyment.
"Laing, are you ready? Come in. " François stood at the door. The duke shouted at Laing, "They don't know how to cook. I'll have to trouble you."
"Okay, I'll be right there." Laing patted Grape's head again and turned to enter the mansion. There were two pots of stew in the kitchen, and there was a pile of firewood in the middle of the room. A pie and a pig's leg were being roasted.
In Brittany, people believed that only the nobles had the right to "waste" food and enjoy different spices.
Among the few people present, only Laing and François had the experience of traveling outside for a long time. Laing traveled as a knight-errant and a knight of the kingdom for a long time, while François was an expeditionary knight who walked on the path of the Holy Grail for many years until he was recognized by the Lake Fairy and became a Knight of the Holy Grail.
The two stood in the kitchen and cooked together. François said with great interest, "I haven't cooked in a few months, and I'm still cooking with you, Laing. I heard from Suria that you're a good cook. Let me try it this time."
The kitchen was clean and tidy. There was a thick layer of grease on the floor. The stove was hot, and the stew in the iron pot was bubbling. Pots and pans were hanging on the wall. In front of Ryan, there was a row of spoons, from small to large. In front of Francois, there was garlic, onions, a few pieces of smoked meat and fish, and some seasonings.
François used a kitchen knife to chop up the cabbage. Laing was using a large spoon to season the stew.
"How much did your fief earn last year?" Francois asked casually. The Duke and Ryan were now family, so there was no need for him to be so formal. Francois also saved a lot of formalities.
"About 4500 crowns. Two thousand of them are for various salaries and military expenses. Five hundred is for my personal expenses, so I still have about two thousand left." Ryan nodded and replied, "Apart from that, a large amount of grain, including more than ten tons of wheat, barley, rye, soybeans, radishes, peas, and lentils, was also a large amount. I had to arrange for people to build two new warehouses."
"If your fief were to face a war, how long could it last?" François asked.
"The castle's grain and savings can last for about a year and a half. If I include my personal wealth, I can last for about three years," Laing said casually as he stirred the delicious stew.
"That's not bad. Laing, it's amazing that you managed to run your fief to such an extent in less than a year. May the Lady bless you!" Gerrod was holding a long wooden handle, the front end of which was a flat surface. He stood in front of the bread oven and used the wooden handle to turn the bread inside the oven.
Julius was still on the first floor of the mansion, roasting the pig's hind legs.
"Prepare more food, and make sure you have enough gold coins in your hands, Ryan." François nodded. The duke was very satisfied with Laing's financial and administrative abilities. "Enough food can ensure that your army will always be able to fight. Gold coins can allow you to recruit troops and pay them in a timely manner. You can even hire mercenaries from the Empire in times of need. The old grain is cleared every three years. Remember, every three years, when the time comes, you can give it to your subjects as relief rations or gifts. They'll expire anyway if they don't eat it, so you might as well let them eat their fill. Don't sell the old grain to the merchants, who will sell it to the serfs for a profit."
"I understand." Laing nodded. He was well aware of that. "I have to thank the wood elves and the dwarven workshops for that. They bring me more than 1,500 crowns a year. Merchants and foreigners are constantly coming to settle down in my fief."
"The nobles of the duchy often come to your fief for treatment," François said with a smile, "In the name of the Lady, diseases and corruption are effectively controlled."
"If it weren't for the wood elves' medicine, the hospital wouldn't be able to operate." Laing put the stew into a copper pot. He thought that the baron was really rich to have a copper pot in his house.
After the feast was done, the four knights sat down in the dining hall on the first floor. François took out a bottle of aperitif.
"Thank you for the food, Lady."
"Time to eat!"
At that moment, the door of the mansion creaked.
Thud, thud, thud!
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