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Marlin Castle, Temple of the Gods University District, No. 53 Amber Avenue, a small detached building.
Unlike most streets in Marlin Castle that were dirty and crowded, Amber Avenue was the wealthiest district in Marlin Castle. It was the cleanest and tidiest place. The streets were paved in large blocks, and there was a magic street lamp every 20 to 30 meters. Every mansion was completely independent and had walls around it.
Most of the houses were in the classic Gothic style, but there were also some that added Marlin Castle's own characteristics.
Today, a special guest, or from a certain perspective, the owner, had arrived.
Under the scorching sun, groups of old guards wearing bearskin hats, dark blue jackets, and white undershirts and trousers, armed with excellent weapons, lined up neatly on Amber Avenue to welcome their king.
On the other side of the street, the Phoenix Guards of the Ash Legion led the First Army of the Ash Legion and lined up neatly to welcome their beloved captain.
There were countless people who came to watch this army. The citizens of Marlin Castle scrambled to gather and size up these two elite armies.
It was the aura of a veteran who had survived hundreds of battles. These two armies had been through countless battles and were tempered by the flames of war. Every soldier had achieved their glorious status and responsibility as the leader of the guards through the baptism of blood and fire. It was a silent majesty and silence. These soldiers terrified the enemy and made the citizens of Marlin Castle palpitate.
The strong wind blew through the streets, and the flag of the Old Guard fluttered back and forth. The red, white, and blue flag was embroidered with Laing's personal coat of arms, the Holy Grail's coat of arms, and the irises' coat of arms. The military flag was also embroidered with the places where the Old Guard had once fought.
Arden Forest, Chalon Forest, Lyonnesse Plains, Blackstone Stronghold, La Mesenelle Abbey, Spire Palace, Musillon, Nur, Wretched Giant Tower, Armory Castle, Iron Cliff, Valaya's Gate, Eight Peaks Mountain, and finally, the Evil River.
Their names told the glorious history of this legendary army, and it also made the citizens of Marlinburg understand the difference between the real elites and the mercenaries in their city.
Blackbeard Teach, the leader of the Mannen Mercenary Group, the infamous Marlin Fort Privateer, Blackbeard Teach, cursed in his mind. He estimated that his Mannen Mercenary Group, Iris Flower Guards, Marlin Fort City Defense Army, and some other random mercenaries would be no match for this army. It was an overwhelming advantage.
Blackbeard Teach had only seen a few units that could compare to this Old Guard in the Old World. They were the Rick Guards who were in charge of protecting Emperor Karl-franz, the Griffin Knights under Griffin Duke Ivan, the inner circle of White Wolf City's White Wolf Knights, and the Armoured Nur, an elite unit of Nur.
"When you waved goodbye and left, you were a hero in everyone's eyes. When you came back like lightning, you were already a king, my king." The commander of the Ugor Army, Lieutenant General Berliat, flattered very seriously, "Your Majesty, believe me, the people of Marlinburg can't wait to welcome your arrival, whether they are willing or not, whether they are happy or not."
Hearing this, Suria couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. This Lieutenant General Berliat appointed by Laing never let go of any chance to flatter, and he always did it at the right time.
Of course, what made Suria even happier was that Laing had recently started to take the initiative to hold his wife's hand. Most of the time, Laing would hold her hand, indicating that his queen was always with him.
Suria didn't know why Laing had started to change, but his attitude towards her was clearly more intimate, and he thought of her in everything. This made Suria really feel that Laing had become a little different.
It seemed that after the words were spoken that day, Laing had changed. There was something more to him, and something less to him.
In contrast, Julius, who was standing behind Forgen, had a dark expression. Suria's brother, Laing's brother-in-law, thought to himself, What kind of person did Laing take in? Why is he always seizing the opportunity to flatter him? Does Laing like this kind of person?
Of course, their status was different now. Julius had followed Forgen for several years and more or less understood some of the rules. He wasn't in a hurry to argue with Laing, but instead noticed that his sister was being held by Laing's hand. The king spoke very enthusiastically about his adventure in Nord, the time when he came to live in Marineburg with Teresa, Veronica later, Olica who was bought by Hadrian and given to Laing midway, and the little maid Emilia who stayed by Laing's side at that time.
"Let's stay here first and wait for Sir Tegris to arrive." Laing nodded slowly, and he said to Forgen and Suria, "As for revenge, it's mainly a matter for Solgrin Ironhammer and his group of bearded dwarves. As long as Marineburg, especially those business princes, doesn't cross the line, it's best that we don't cross the line either. Let's leave everything to the bearded dwarves."
"Mm." Forgen nodded slightly, and he was in a leisurely mood. "Waiting is always interesting, but we can't leave this job to Angelo."
"Hahahaha!" Laing laughed loudly, and he simply said to his wife Suria, "Madam, how about this. Whatever we do in the next few days, I'll let you arrange it, okay? I'll go wherever you take me. "
"Well, the first thing is, can we buy this house?" Suria's exquisite face bloomed with a charming smile. Olica, Emilia, and Veronica had lived in this house before, but she had never lived in it. This made Suria a little jealous.
"This house is now owned by Emilia." Laing shrugged. "Ever since she became a countess of the Empire, she took the ownership of this house from Schultz."
"Okay." Suria was a little disappointed. She thought that the little maid was one step ahead of her again.
Laing, Forgen, Suria, Olica, and Karolina moved into this small house full of memories. At the same time, the bearded dwarves of Marineburg were still running around to collect debts. They gathered in the Dwarven Craftsmen Association of Marineburg to discuss countermeasures.
The leader of the crowd was obviously Belegar's eldest son, Solgrin Ironhammer. This bearded dwarf had become the leader of the Bearded Avengers.
"Beard to the waist, reliable work."
— Dwarven Proverb
In fact, Belegar's eldest son, Solgrin Ironhammer, was actually in his sixties this year. At this age, most humans had already finished their lifetime's journey, but for dwarves, this was just the beginning of their lives.
Little Solgrin (in order to distinguish him from the Supreme King, he was mostly called little from now on) was sitting behind a high stool. He tried his best to stick out his chest and imitate his father, Belegar. This made him look a little ridiculous, but his efforts were obviously recognized by everyone, including many old dwarves working in Marineburg. The victory of the Eight Peaks Mountain expedition made the dwarves see an opportunity to revive the Mountain Kingdom. Large groups of dwarves from the Empire chose to settle down at Eight Peaks Mountain. Now, many old dwarves had begun to call Eight Peaks Mountain the "Queen of the Silver Abyss".
Like Solgrin Ironhammer, the bearded dwarves all raised their heads proudly to make themselves look more arrogant. In the dwarves' youth, the bearded dwarves were not so stubborn and mature for the time being. They were relatively more energetic, and at the same time, more impulsive and emotional. They slammed the table hard, gulping down ale and eating delicious roasted venison. "We must make those scum humans of Marineburg pay the price!"
"The Judon Chamber of Commerce, the Luxen Chamber of Commerce, and the Bahel Chamber of Commerce must pay enough compensation. What about the people of Magic Bird?" Little Solgrin slammed the table hard and kept yelling, "And, Jed, what about the other chambers of commerce? Did you investigate? "
"I did, Prince." Jed was the son of the chief rune craftsman of Eight Peaks Mountain, Silud the Sincere. This bearded dwarf was wearing a vibranium helmet with an anvil pattern on the top. He muttered, "But everyone says they didn't do it, and they didn't participate. We can't figure it out either!"
"Oh, Valaya above, how can you ask so directly?" Little Solgrin's face was full of question marks. "Humans are the most cunning. Except for His Majesty Laing and Queen Suria, we can't trust anyone. This is what our father told us early on. Do you think those lowly humans are as honest and reliable as us dwarves?"
"But don't we have the Sacred Alliance with the Empire? Marineburg is also a citizen of the Empire. "Jed still did not understand.
"Ah! Grannie above! " Little Solgrin was so angry that he slammed the wooden cup on the table, splashing beer everywhere. "Don't you understand? These princes of Marineburg are not citizens of the Empire, and when they do business, they are not citizens of the Empire. They even don't call themselves citizens of the Empire. That makes them feel ashamed. But if you really raise an axe and a hammer in front of them, and point a crossbow and a musket at them, they will say they are citizens of the Empire. Do you understand? "
"Despicable, cunning, shameless!" The small bearded dwarves cursed loudly. Today was the second day, and there was still one day before they gave the princes of Marineburg the time. But apart from the three leading chambers of commerce, the small bearded dwarves could not even find a target for revenge. After all, only the three leading chambers of commerce led the attack on Eight Peaks Mountain's national debt. The rest were bought through secret channels.
Little Solgrin could not burn Marineburg, could he? That would violate the Sacred Alliance.
While the small bearded dwarves were in a dilemma, a voice suddenly came from outside.
Surrounded by the Sea God Knights, Archbishop Aldrich of the Church of the Sea God appeared. He was wearing a sea blue robe, and a large number of bottles of seawater hung from his body, clinking non-stop. He wore a tall hat on his head, and his clothes were embroidered with a golden mermaid holding a trident, symbolizing the Sea God Mannen.
"The Marineburg Senate brings greetings to the King of Eight Peaks Mountain, Belega." Archbishop Aldrich had a standard diplomatic smile on his face. "Also, we bring an apology from the Senate. Everything was a misunderstanding."
"Hello, Sir Aldrich." Little Solgrin stroked his short brown beard. Little Iron Hammer jumped off the chair and pretended to think about how his father did it. He imitated Belega's every movement and said proudly, "Welcome, but only for you. We have fought side by side with the Sea God Knights."
"Prince Solgrin, this is all a misunderstanding." Aldrich smiled and said, "We've been looking for you for four hours. We didn't expect you to be here. I've brought an apology from the Senate. They said that we were only conducting normal business activities. As for Mr. Magical Bird, that was his personal opinion. After an investigation, we found that he was only a temporary worker hired by the Mannen Daily. We've fired Mr. Magical Bird! We have also brought him here. "
After that, the Sea God Knights dragged in a handsome man with short hair. The man was wearing a shirt and trousers, and he was wearing a shirt and trousers. The man struggled hard and said loudly, "If a person thinks of a way out before doing something, it means that he did not intend to do his best! I have never prepared a way out for myself. I am Jose Magic Bird. I am the special one! "
"Hey, Mr. Magical Bird, I've finally found you." Little Solgrin laughed. He signaled the small bearded dwarves to grab the man, and then said politely, "We will announce your crimes one by one. Before that, we will ensure your safety."
"Everything is destined. I, Jose, can only pick flowers from thorns in my life!" Magic Bird said nervously. "The caravan passed by. A group of dogs barked. Look at those dogs, but the caravan continued to move forward!"
"Hehehe, that's right, Mr. Magic Bird." Little Solgrin nodded approvingly. "But I think you are mistaken about one thing. Who is the dog and who is the caravan?"
"Come! Drag him down and read the Book of Hatred. Then let us settle the score! "Little Hammer announced loudly, and the small bearded dwarves all agreed.
After reading the Book of Hatred, Magic Bird knew that the situation was not good. He quickly said, "Wait! Wait, my dwarf friend, I have a suggestion. According to the Book of Hatred of the Eternity Peak, I can choose to be scourged! "
"Oh? You really want to be scourged? "Little Solgrin's eyes lit up.
Dismemberment was the most severe form of dwarven punishment. It referred to shaving off all the hair and beard of a dwarf and branding a symbol of shame on their forehead. This act was equivalent to sentencing a dwarf to "social death," which was the highest form of punishment. Many dwarves would rather accept the death penalty than dismemberment.
(Since the Age of Catastrophe, dwarves rarely carried out death or scourging. Because every dwarf was a precious population, the Oath of the Butcher gradually replaced these two punishments.)
"I am willing to be scourged!" Magic Bird sneered. As an expert on dwarves, he naturally knew all kinds of punishments and history. He had already found the loopholes.
"Alright. Come, shave off all the hair and beard of this Mr. Magic Bird!" Little Solgrin ordered.
Just like that, Magical Bird's hair and beard were all shaved off by the dwarves. He was now bald, with a picture of two dwarves crossing their pickaxes engraved on his forehead as a sign of his sin.
Ha! I'm fine! Magical Bird touched his smooth chin and forehead with his hand and laughed in his heart. It's just a little hair and a beard. I'll grow them out in a year or two. These dwarfs are so conservative. I've already studied them thoroughly!
I, Ruoze, am invincible! Magic Bird thought. Seeing that the scourging was over, he hurriedly said, "Alright, your revenge is over. Can you let me go now?"
"Ah! It's not over yet! "Little Solgrin laughed so hard that his whole body was shaking." Mr. Magic Bird, what's the hurry? Who told you that the scourging was only to shave off the hair and beard? "
“what？” Magical Bird's expression changed slightly. He saw another small bearded man pushing out five large wooden barrels. The barrels were filled with dwarven beer. The strong, alcoholic smell of the dwarven beer went straight into his nose and taste buds. "Is there anything else?" Magical Bird asked.
"Don't you know? After the scourging, in order to apologize and thank Grimnir and Valaya for forgiving you, every dwarf who has been scourged must drink five barrels of dwarven beer on the spot. " Little Solgrin imitated his father's tone. "Oh, I forgot. This punishment is often seen as a reward for having the courage to accept the scourging, so it's rarely recorded in books!"
"Five barrels of dwarven beer, drink them all. Otherwise, I can't forgive you on behalf of Grimnir and Valaya!" Little Solgrin waved his short hand. "Come, pour it down his throat!"
"Yes!" The small bearded dwarves grabbed Magic Bird, took mugs and ladles, and poured the beer into his mouth.
For a while, screams, wails, and pleas for mercy were heard.
In the end, the dwarf professor from Nur University, Ruoze Magic Bird, died of alcohol poisoning.
Now that the matter of the magical bird was settled, it was time to pay the reparations. Little Sol Green took out a gold mark from the big box and looked at it carefully before putting it in his mouth and gently biting it with his teeth, "Sir Aldrich, this is only 18,000 gold marks, it's not the amount we asked for."
"This … It's not easy for everyone. Please accept this money first." The Sea God Archbishop forced a smile. "Take it as an apology."
"No, thirty-eight thousand gold coins, not one less!" Little Solgrin threw the gold coin back into the large box and said coldly, "And, you must have made a mistake."
"What mistake?"
"The thirty-eight thousand gold coins we're talking about are, of course, the gold coins of the dwarves, not the imperial gold coins!"
"The grudge with Magic Bird has been settled. Sir Aldrich, go back and tell the princes that I'll give you three more days! Thirty-eight thousand dwarven gold coins, not one less! "
"Otherwise, I'll use other means to settle the grudge between us!"
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