PS: This chapter is 5,200 words long. I hope you enjoy reading it!
Old World, Empire Calendar, 2513, early February.
Zeon Town was still covered in snow, but the entire city was in a state of celebration. After waiting for more than a year, the citizens of Zeon City had finally seen the return of the expedition soldiers. They gave their warmest applause and cheers to the returning expedition army, bestowing them with the highest honor. Inside and outside the town, the citizens, especially the citizens, were all holding things and carrying food. They surrounded both sides of the road, and flowers and ribbons were floating in the air.
In recent years, a series of military victories and economic development had led to the emergence of a large number of citizen classes. Along with that, the people had a sense of pride and identity towards their own race. Gene Town was the first town that Leon had arrived at and developed. Now, it had become a large city that covered an area of several times larger than before, with a permanent population of 50,000.
Don't look at a city with 50,000 permanent residents from the perspective of the previous world. Brittany's capital, Culona, only had 150,000 permanent residents. Brunswick now had about 300,000 permanent residents (the actual population was 800,000), Nur had 300,000 to 400,000, Mildenheim had 150,000, and the entire city of Tara Beheim plus the surrounding villages had about 250,000 residents. Most provincial capitals only had about 30,000 to 50,000 permanent residents.
Laing stood on the balcony of his duke's castle. The King looked at the land that belonged to him and his city. As the first place he came to Brittany, he always had a different feeling towards Zeon.
What appeared in front of the King was a magnificent scene. The walls of Zeon Town were now ten meters high. Different from the low buildings of the past, there were two-story wooden houses, workshops, bars, shrines, and even more high-class noble residences. There were also new guild buildings and larger military barracks. The King saw that the whole city was full of vitality, and smoke rose into the sky.
In the distance, he saw the scattered villages outside the city. He saw the shadow of the Chalon Forest in the distance. He saw the Shinon River that had just thawed. He looked at the mountains and rivers that belonged to him. He looked at the distant sky. The King nodded slightly. All his years of hard work and struggle were worth it.
"Laing, what are you doing? Don't you want to rest for a while? " A gentle female voice came from behind Ryan. Morgianna, the Lake Goddess Witch, was slowly approaching from behind. Morgianna's face was still a little sleepy and flushed, and her walking posture was a little unnatural. When she wore this dress, she would never leave the room. Under the dress, she wore a pair of translucent white crystal unicorn silk stockings and a pair of crystal slippers, which completely set off the pure and cold temperament of the Lake Goddess Witch. Morgianna slowly walked to Ryan's side and took the initiative to lean into his arms. She leaned against him and whispered, "It's cold outside, let's go inside."
Only in front of Laing would the Lake Goddess Witch show this gentle side of her.
Laing hugged Morgiana's waist, and the Lake Goddess Witch obediently let him do it. She didn't even struggle. Laing closed the door to the balcony. The floor was covered with a thick carpet. Olica had already brought breakfast. The Dark Elf was wearing a maid's outfit, white silk stockings and black strappy heels. She looked at Morgiana's appearance with a flash of mockery and playfulness in her eyes. She put down the breakfast and said, "Master, breakfast is ready."
This room was the prayer room on the third floor of the castle. Except for Laing, Suria, Olica, and Morgiana (and perhaps the Lake Goddess), no one was allowed to enter. Usually, this was where Laing worshipped and prayed. Of course, whenever Morgiana appeared in the duke's castle, she would basically stay here. This was especially true on Sundays, when the two would often pray together. Although most of the time they would do it in the Lake Goddess Tower, they would occasionally do it in the prayer room. At this time, the prayer room was even more forbidden to outsiders.
The king's piety had more than once been acknowledged by the nobles and commoners. His Majesty Laing was really a pious king! No wonder he was called the "Pious" King Laing!
The two sat down to eat breakfast. Morgiana lazily leaned on Laing and refused to get down. She took the initiative to pick up a piece of maple syrup and said, "Ah, Laing, don't move. Open your mouth, I'll feed you."
"… I'll do it myself, Morgiana." Laing hugged Morgiana's waist from behind. The king was really not used to this.
"You've been gone for more than a year, and this is how you make it up to me? Laing? " Morgiana was not happy. The Lake Goddess witch held the maple syrup and insisted, "Just because Suria and I helped you solve so many problems behind the scenes, Laing, come, ah …"
"Okay, ah …" Laing had to open his mouth.
Then Morgiana carefully sliced the croissant, smeared the jam on it, and continued to feed Laing. She leaned back in Laing's arms and only felt that more than a year of resentment and dissatisfaction had disappeared.
Moreover, the Lake Goddess witch had just received an oracle from the Lake Goddess two days ago. Thinking of the goddess' arrangement, Morgiana could not help but feel sweet in her heart. Now, there was only one thought left in her mind, and that was to accompany Laing like this forever.
Breakfast was Arabi coffee, jam, fried eggs, croissants, maple syrup, and sausages. Laing and Morgiana ate one bite after another and discussed the recent events. Morgiana said in a relaxed voice, "Laing, so will there be internal strife in the Empire? Should we make some preparations in advance? "
"No, I know Karl-franz and Boris Todbringer. The relationship between these two people is … very strange." Laing shook his head. The king tightened his grip on the Lake Goddess witch in his arms and said in a reminiscing tone, "Boris Todbringer wanting to establish himself as the Wolf Emperor is not news in Mildenheim. Even when I returned to White Wolf City to report on my work, the White Wolf Knights and the Teutonic Guards were openly discussing the possibility of the Wolf Emperor."
"Ah? Then why do you think they won't fight? " Morgiana was puzzled. She asked, "Isn't this the easiest situation for them to fight? Just like you and Laun? After you left, I probed twice and confirmed that Laun really had no intention of the throne. If he had, like Boris, then how could you be at peace with each other? "
"No, the relationship between Boris and Karl … is very strange. They usually oppose each other, hate each other, and mock each other to the extreme. The Rick Guards call Boris a coquettish wolf cub, and the White Wolf Knights think that Karl is a puppy. But that's usually the case. The real thing is that there's actually a strange feeling of mutual appreciation between Boris and Karl. To put it simply, it's the feeling of being called 'as expected of my old enemy' or 'as expected of my greatest opponent.' If they really encounter a major situation, they can rest assured that they can trust each other with their backs."
"Opponents, teammates, confidants, and enemies?" Morgiana understood a little, but the Lake Goddess Witch's attention was not on this matter. Since Laing said there was no need to worry, then there was no need to worry. She just wanted to enjoy the time alone with Laing.
It was quite interesting. On the night of Bordero, Laing was supposed to meet his chief steward, Katzenberg, and his two courtiers, Steve and Guffen. However, just after dinner, the impatient Teresa immediately slipped in. Laing did not know whether to laugh or cry. But considering that the sorceress had indeed been separated from him for a long time, he went to see her first.
Ten minutes later, Morgiana also appeared. After the Lake Goddess Witch confirmed that Suria was outside with François, she immediately changed into a set of "decisive victory clothes" and slipped into Laing's bedroom.
What happened after that … It was hard to explain. Anyway, Teresa felt that she was too ashamed to face Laing. As soon as she returned to her territory, she hid in her wizard tower. Morgiana took the opportunity to occupy more of Laing's time.
Olica looked at Morgiana's satisfied expression and did not know why she was unhappy, very unhappy. The dark elf deliberately walked up to Morgiana and began to sweep the floor. Olica raised her voice and said, "Your Highness Morgiana, can you clean your own room on Sundays?"
"What do you mean?" Morgiana looked up from Laing's arms. She said to Olica with a red face, "What the hell do you want?"
"Look at what you've done. You're making it hard for me to clean!" Olica squinted. After many years under Laing's command, her skin had basically returned to its original white color. Only a light wheat color was left. The maid's amber eyes were full of mockery. "I'll just bring in a cart of bedsheets on Sundays. You can change them yourself. Do you need it?"
"… You!" Morgiana almost fainted on the spot. She could not refute Olica's words. Seeing Laing's playful and reminiscing expression, she was so embarrassed that she hit Laing's chest repeatedly. "Forget it, forget it all!"
"Hahahaha!" Laing laughed proudly. The king did not say much. After breakfast, he got up. "First, I'll go to the Old Guard Camp to preside over the retirement ceremony. Then, I'll go to find Teresa and Aurora. I'll walk around while I'm at it. Do you want to come with me? Olica, Morgiana? "
"Us? How can we walk around together? " Morgiana was a little tempted. When she knew that the Lake Goddess Witch and the Knight King appearing on the street at the same time, although it was not strange, it was absolutely impossible for them to walk around together.
"We'll take the carriage." Laing nodded. "We can stay in the carriage. It will take some time to get to the Ice Wizard Tower. We can have lunch there. I have something to tell Teresa and Aurora."
Stay in the carriage? Morgiana's eyes suddenly lit up. The Lake Goddess Witch immediately agreed. "Well, wait a moment. I'll take a bath and change my clothes."
"Well, Olica, do you want to come?" Laing asked casually.
"I'll pass." The dark elf shook her head helplessly. "Master, I have to clean up quickly. Otherwise, there will be a smell. You don't want the prayer room to be filled with an unpleasant smell in the future, do you?"
"Okay then." Laing was a little embarrassed. The Lake Goddess Witch's cheeks were even redder. She buried her face in Laing's chest, not daring to look directly at Olica's playful eyes.
… I'm the section dividing line that is difficult to clean …
At the same time, in the Old Guard's camp in Jean City.
Today, the Old Guard who had survived hundreds of battles could finally enjoy a holiday. The original 1,500 men were reduced to less than a thousand after the Battle of Valaya's Gate. Later, they absorbed some of the serfs who made great contributions and advanced to the Legendary rank to fill in the gaps. The Old Guard also suffered some losses in the battles that followed. Now, there were only 1,023 men left after returning to Brittany. Of them, 213 were forced to retire due to various degrees of injuries. The remaining 810 continued to serve His Majesty Laing in the Old Guard.
Of course, in the future, the Old Guard would soon return to its original strength of 1,500 men. But that no longer had anything to do with some of them. The Old Guard who were forced to retire would be enlisted in the security forces or militia captains. Those who were unwilling would be given lodgings and work in the city as free citizens. Every Old Guard who was forced to retire would receive a hundred crowns and some leftover supplies from the expedition. Coupled with their personal gains from the expedition, they would be able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Many of the old guards burst into tears when they were forced to retire. They were so sad that they could not help themselves. They used to be proud of wearing this uniform. Now, they were going to retire. They had to change places to continue to contribute to the Lady and the King. At the same time, they had to enjoy their respected position and supreme glory.
Most of these soldiers who had come out of slavery never thought that they would have such a day.
Without a doubt, glory accompanied them. When they looked back on the past, they wouldn't feel regret for wasting their time. They also wouldn't feel guilty for being despicable and vulgar. When Old Man Hua passed away, they could proudly say that they had given their lives to the most precious cause of mankind — fighting for the survival of mankind and the supreme glory of mankind.
"Retirement isn't the end! It's a new beginning! " Clayon stood in the middle of the military camp. His figure was bathed in the winter sun. He was like a god of war that had descended to the mortal world. No one could look at him directly. "The glory that comes with military service is like a big tree. Its strong roots are deeply rooted in the soil. Even if the top of the tree is cut off, it will never wither!
The Knight King and the Witch of the Lake Goddess were greeted by deafening, sobbing cries.
The rest of the Old Guard also received commendations from Laing and Morgiana. Every Old Guard who survived the war would be rewarded with 50 crowns in the future. Including the spoils of war, every Old Guard earned at least a hundred crowns in wealth. It was a very generous income for them.
Laing generously granted all the Old Guard a month's leave. The king immediately left in a hurry. He had other matters to attend to.
The Old Guard came forward to receive their rewards and leave.
Bertrand, the Old Guard's commander, now looked like a true general who had been tempered by blood and fire. He had a shocking aura about him and he personally handed the bags filled with dwarven gold to the Old Guard.
"Tribesman of the Old Guard's Halberd Brigade, Raymond!" Bertrand read out the next name.
Raymond, who was wearing a battalion commander's uniform, had a few new scars on his face and body, and had begun to grow a beard, strode to Bertrand. He took the package and felt the weight of it. "Thank you."
"You haven't been home for a long time, right?" Bertrand nodded slowly. "Take your things and go home. You have a month's leave. Report back to the camp next month. Also … I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, sir!" Raymond saluted. He wore the newest medals on his chest, the Eight Peaks Mountain Expedition Commemorative Medal and a Golden Iris Flower Medal. That was to commemorate his fearlessness in the face of the green-skinned warlord during the Battle of Ironcliff.
The tribesman quickly left the Old Guard's camp.
There were soldiers everywhere on the street today. Today was the day the soldiers went home. There were many old people, children, and women on the street. They lined up on both sides of the street, waiting for the return of their loved ones. Joyful cheers and cries could be heard everywhere, but Raymond couldn't feel any joy.
Because even more people were waiting, the armies were disbanded. Groups of soldiers who had survived hundreds of battles returned to their hometowns. However, many people just stood by the roadside. They waited and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, but they still didn't see their loved ones.
Hope, disappointment, and hope again, until …
Raymond couldn't bear to watch anymore. He quickly left and walked along the familiar street towards his home.
In the distance, the clean street and the building called home appeared in front of him. At this time, the tribesman of the Old Guard, who was fearless in the face of blood and fire, was a little unconfident. He took a few deep breaths, tidied up his brand new uniform, and strode towards his home.
Unsurprisingly, the door was closed. Since Thomas went to Nur to study, his mother had a habit of closing the door.
Raymond stood in front of the house and shouted towards the second floor.
"Mother!!!"
His mother immediately poked her head out of the window. When she heard her son calling her, she couldn't help but cover her nose with a handkerchief. She sobbed, "Raymond!"
However, Raymond's mother wasn't the only one who poked her head out of the window.
After that call, at least four mothers poked their heads out of the window to see if their son had returned.
Only one son was standing downstairs.
When they saw Raymond, the anticipation and smiles on their faces gradually disappeared. They slowly retracted their heads back into the window in disappointment.
The door opened, and the old mother rushed out of the house with incomparable speed. She hugged her son and kissed his face non-stop, "Raymond! You're back! Ah, Shalia above! You're really back! "
"Yes, mother, I'm back." Tears fell from Raymond's eyes, and this old local guard battalion commander began to sob in a low voice. "I'm back! Sob, I'm back! Mother, are you okay? "
"Good! Good! It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! "
In Raymond's bag, there were seven death notices.
On this street, eight young men stepped onto the ship of the Eight Peaks Mountain Expedition.
Out of the eight mothers, only one son returned.
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