in the name of the queen.

Although it was just a guess, Roland vaguely felt that it was very close to the truth. He even thought that the fourth line of the prophecy poem referred to this latent divine punishment army.

Unlike Christine's wishful thinking, Roland's speculation was well-founded.

Although Christine considers herself to be devout in her faith, there are many people who are more devout than her. The fanatic track is the most competitive road in this era, and there is no need to add it to the list.

Roland thought of the world before he traveled through time. Even though there were no gods, there were still people who gave everything for their beliefs.

There really are gods in the Theia plane, and even Christine is afraid of the true fanatics when they become so fanatical.

The prophecy "Inside the temple, devout believers sing epic songs" may not necessarily correspond to Christine.

Roland didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but he knew that if the devout believer in the prophecy was not Christine, her psychological defenses would definitely collapse.

He had to know the answer first.

Then let’s first determine the location of the God’s Punishment Legion.

Roland and Lisa left the Ogaden region, headed south, crossed the Oga River, and entered the true southern continent.

This is the territory of the Centaurs.

Although Roland had seen this magical and deformed race in the foreign legion of the Golden Kite Kingdom, and had also seen them galloping heroically on the plains, compared with the centaurs native to the southern continent, the centaurs of the Golden Kite Kingdom still seemed too civilized.

As soon as Roland entered the southern continent, he encountered centaurs blocking his way.

Hundreds of Centaurs came roaring, trampling the knee-high grassland and shaking the earth.

Roland and Lisa curiously leaned their heads out of the carriage to observe these reckless guys.

Of course they didn't care about these guys, they were just curious about the marching style of the native centaurs.

After a little observation, Roland revised his evaluation of their "disorderliness" to "savage beauty".

They did not maintain cavalry formation while running at high speed, but were more like a herd of wildebeests galloping on the grassland.

It is messy but will not collide with each other, loose but does not affect the speed.

They achieved the best effect with the most chaotic formation.

Full of nature's wild beauty.

Roland secretly sighed. To use an inappropriate example, the Centaur Mobile Forces raised by the Golden Kite Kingdom were like large, specialized domesticated dogs. They had amazing combat power, but could not survive in the wild.

If the Golden Kite Centaurs were sent back to the vast grasslands of the southern continent, they would not be able to survive.

They have become accustomed to human life, and simply returning to a barbaric lifestyle of eating half-cooked food would make the urbanized centaurs miserable.

Having no fireplace in the winter and no cooling pool in the summer was killing them.

But these centaurs were different. They only wore simple linen and fur to cover their bodies. The high-ranking centaur leader wore a set of tattered chain mail that he had found from somewhere.

Compared to the urbanized centaurs, their equipment is as shabby as that of beggars.

But Roland had a vague feeling that the same number of urbanized centaurs were no match for these wild centaurs.

If a wild tribe loses its wildness, it loses its greatest characteristic.

Roland observed them curiously, and Lisa was also looking at these guys.

The Centaur leader raised his hoof and was about to launch a fatal charge when he suddenly saw the horn on the heads of the four white horses being pulled.

He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stopped his four hooves and shouted to stop his tribesmen who were charging.

Although he didn't recognize unicorns, his intuition told him that these horned white horses were not to be trifled with.

White horses are not easy to deal with, and the northern humans who can control white horses are even harder to deal with.

The Centaur leader raised his hand to stop his people, hesitated for a moment, and quickly approached the Garden of Eden.

He raised his free hands and let out a long, powerful roar to show that he had no hostility.

Roland was a little surprised. These guys' original plan was obviously to intercept, but they suddenly changed their minds. What was the reason?
It's definitely not to give face to him and Lisa.

In the eyes of these wild tribes, lone humans who strayed into their territory were fat sheep that came right to their doorsteps, and there was no reason not to rob them.

Only force can make barbarians learn civilization.

"It seems to be the unicorn's fault." He murmured in a low voice, suddenly realizing.

Bloodline suppression is engraved in the bones of life.

A big dog will also be afraid of a little tiger, that's about it.

The IQ of ordinary centaurs is between that of humans and animals, but the leader centaurs often have intelligence close to that of humans.

They are not fully civilized, but under the leadership of their wise men, they have barely reached the brink of human civilization.

The Centaur leader laughed and tried to speak to Roland.

Unfortunately, Roland only knew a little bit of the Centaur language, which was not enough for communication.

Seeing that there was a communication barrier, Roland suddenly had an idea and shouted loudly in Golden Kite language.

"Friend, can you understand what I am saying?"

The smile on the Centaur leader's face froze. It was obvious that he understood, but the Golden Kite's words touched his sore spot.

In a flash, many images flashed through Roland's mind.

Many of the special ethnic groups supported by the Golden Kite Kingdom come from outside the Rodinia continent, such as the Centaurs.

Roland looked through the notes left by Alina's father, Mr. Carlo, and found only a brief mention of the taming of centaurs without any detailed process.

These simple records inadvertently reveal many conflicts of interest and blood and tears between the lines.

Being a dog is a step down for humans, but it is a leap in status for wolves.

Dogs are trained wolves, and wolves are dogs waiting to come ashore.

this is the truth.

Human writers who eat too much always like to sing the praises of the beauty of wildness, but they don’t know that what wild and intelligent life most desires is to have a full meal every day and a good sleep every night.

A proud lone wolf will never become a dog unless he is fed enough egg yolk pie.

Centaurs are smarter than wolves and of course they yearn for a better life more.

If the centaurs who went to the Kingdom of Golden Kite to enjoy the best of life had the chance to return home, they would definitely show off the sturdy armor, delicious food and fine wine they received from their masters.

They naturally had to cover up the scars caused by being severely whipped on the buttocks for not meeting the master's requirements.

In this place where information is basically exchanged through shouting, a returning horse often receives envious glances from the local horses.

On a quiet night by the river, there would even be mares who admired them and threw themselves into their arms.

Centaurs are also intelligent beings, and famous scenes that happen in human society will also be staged.

Roland quickly imagined a melodramatic TV series called "The Prairie Horse and the Golden Kite" in his mind, and the attitude of the Centaur leader was no longer surprising.

He greeted the Centaur leader with a smile.

"Chiron friend, we are just passing by. I learned the Golden Kite language when I traveled in the north. Please forgive me if it offends me."

Chiron friend?

This title made the Centaur leader's expression soften slightly.

Although they also have hooves, in addition to the hooves they also have hands that are slightly rough but different from those of cattle and horses.

These hands are also the threshold for them to qualify as human beings.

As high-level horses that have escaped from the ranks of cattle and horses, what they hate most is being called centaurs.

Chiron is the honorific title for the Centaur hero in mythology. Calling the Centaur Chiron is almost the same as calling humans the Son of God.

No one can resist nice words, not even Centaurs.

The Centaur leader's expression visibly eased. He smiled and responded to Roland in broken Golden Kite language.

"Dear northern traveler, I am Ironhoof Thorson of the Thorson tribe. Welcome to Thorson Prairie."

"Human traveler, you are bathed in the radiance of wisdom. It would be our honor if you could come to visit our tribe."

Tolson Prairie is the frontier bordering Ogaden and the place most exposed to northern civilization.

Although the mainstream civilization generally divides the southern continent into two regions along the Ogaden River, the southern continent south of the Ogaden is a very vast area, and its area is no smaller than that of the western Rodinia continent.

There are also differences among the barbarians. The closer they are to the Ogaden Line, the higher their level of civilization.

The Thorson Centaurs are obviously a highly civilized group, and the ability of the Centaur leader to read people's expressions is very close to that of humans in the civilized world.

Being able to make an accurate judgment the moment he sees the unicorn, and to pull back from the brink before making an unforgivable mistake, thus nipping the idea of ​​crime in the bud, is quite outstanding even among humans in the civilized world.

Since Mr. Tieti invited him, Roland had no reason to refuse.

Even ten thousand Centaurs could not hurt him with the support of the Garden of Eden. It was a rare opportunity to understand the true situation of the Centaurs, so he certainly could not miss it.

Tieti led the way in front, and Eden, disguised as a carriage, followed behind. They continued to move forward for more than thirty miles and finally arrived at Tolson Township?
Although Mr. Ironhoof proudly called his home the Tolson Metropolis, in Roland's opinion, it was only barely qualified as a township.

In Sussex or Golden Kite, a town of this level would be a Class III town with only a sheriff and an administrator, not even a permanent tax office and post office, and no direct roads.

Type 1 towns are miniaturized cities, Type 2 towns are between villages and cities, and Type 3 towns are large villages.

After hearing the name of Tolson Metropolis, Lisa shrank back into the car, threw down a soundproof barrier, and finally couldn't help laughing.

Being behind is not scary; what is scary is being behind without knowing it.

Lisa rarely makes fun of others, but this time was an exception.

Roland did not laugh out loud like Lisa did. He took the initiative to get off the carriage and admired the Centaur buildings with great interest under the introduction of Captain Ironhoof.

To be fair, it was very rough, but Roland's eyes were full of approval.

This is a large village built by the Thorson Centaur with their own ability. Together with the surrounding satellite villages, it is home to tens of thousands of people. It is indeed a metropolis-level village in the Centaur society.

This "metropolis" has an architectural style that is completely different from the human civilization in the north.

Although it is not as prosperous as the Centaur Autonomous Region of the Golden Kite Kingdom, the former was built according to human aesthetics, while the latter uses standard Centaur aesthetics.

There are still many traces of human thinking in the cities designed by humans for the Centaurs, but the cities built by the Centaurs themselves are completely different.

Of course, Centaurs don't have to consider human aesthetics, they just need to satisfy themselves.

The first is residential construction.

The Ogaden Line is located in the tropics, where the temperature is high all year round. The coldest temperature is about 7 or 8 degrees above zero, and it is frost-free all year round. Although it is difficult to develop agriculture efficiently due to the different periods of rain and heat, as long as potatoes and sweet potatoes are sown in the spring, there will be endless roots and rhizomes to eat in the fall.

Because it is not cold and the wind is not strong, there is no need for wind shelter, and all walls except the load-bearing walls can be removed.

Because centaurs have four legs, going up and down stairs is a torture for them, so the way to the second floor is not by stairs, but by a spiral ramp.

Watching the Centaur children happily chasing and playing on the rotating ramp, Roland thought of a toy called a carousel.

If this kind of rotating ramp were placed in human society, it would be a killer of the elderly, the weak, women and children. In winter, it would cause people to slip. This is the difference between human architecture and Centaur architecture.

This difference is reflected in all aspects.

As Roland visited, he was impressed by the wisdom of the Centaurs.

They may not be as smart as ordinary humans, they may not have received any education, they don't have carpentry or bricklaying skills, and even saws are rare, but they still built a building in the most primitive way.
metropolis!
After seeing the public toilets and sewer system, Roland agreed with the name.

Being willing to pay attention to invisible details is civilization.

Roland recalled the time when he visited the remote areas of the Golden Kite Kingdom and the Sussex Kingdom.

Toilet? What toilet? Isn't it okay to urinate or defecate as you please?
Thinking of the small town of Jinyuan where the whole city would be flooded after a heavy rain and people had to swim to get ahead if they fell into the water, Roland's evaluation was that it was not even as sophisticated as the Centaurs.

Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles are both ways to broaden your horizons.

If Roland hadn't come here in person, he would never have imagined that south of the Ogaden Line, there was a group of "four-hoofed barbarians" who were creating civilization in their own way.

The group of people who are inclined towards civilization are qualified to have a better tomorrow.

As Roland talked with Ironhoof, the name Chiron gradually became a habit rather than a compliment.

Mr. Tieti was very good at reading people's expressions and could sense Roland's mood changes. He was proud but a little embarrassed as he rubbed his hands together and said modestly with a chuckle:
"Northern traveler, I'm sorry to make you laugh. You've been to big cities like Sussex City, Cite City, and Fort St. Rurik. You must think our countryside is backward."

Roland said seriously with a serious face: "Mr. Ironhoof, when humans came down from the trees, they didn't even know how to make a fire and cook. No one is born civilized. In my opinion, this city deserves the name of a metropolis."

"The Chiron tribe is fully qualified to stand in the civilized world."

Roland did not compliment him, but Tieti blushed, smiled awkwardly, scratched his head embarrassedly, and took advantage of the harmonious atmosphere to apologize to Roland.

"Dear traveler, I was actually planning to collect tolls just now, but I gave up the idea when I saw that you were so capable. Please forgive me for my rudeness, Mr. Traveler."

He believed that Roland could see their initial ill intentions, so he just spoke out.

Some words, when spoken, will only make you smile; but if left unsaid, they will be a thorn in your heart.

Roland looked at Tieti with new eyes.

Toll? It was clearly robbery, but he used such a high-end term to describe it. He is indeed an official sent out to deal with external affairs.

But he was not angry.

It's like everyone has done robbery before.

The Sussex Empire's overseas territories spanning more than 20 time zones were not given away as a gift for recharging; they were all snatched from the local natives.

Roland had a better impression of Tieti. He smiled and said, "Since you are borrowing the road, it is reasonable to charge a toll. I am a little curious, how much did you originally plan to charge?"

Tieti's old face flushed slightly, and he said with a chuckle, "Your carriage is very valuable, so I was planning to charge you 100 Nubian dinars or 50 Soviet pounds."

That's a bit dark, but Roland couldn't say anything.

Compared to murder and robbery, the Tolson tribe still has a bottom line.

"I can give you 100 Soviet pounds, but I want to know where you spent your money. I just checked and only a few elders and women with children in the tribe have clothes to wear. Everyone else is covered with fur to cover their shame."

Roland's eyes fell on Tieti. The meaning was very clear. Even he, an official in charge of external affairs, was dressed in rags, which showed that their lives were quite difficult.

"A pot, an iron pot. The pot is very expensive, but I can't live without it. Besides, there is salt. These things are really too expensive."

Tieti smiled sheepishly and explained quickly.

Roland suddenly realized that iron pots and salt were indeed necessities of life, and were beyond the scope of the elementary civilization of these primitive societies.

With an iron pot and salt, you can cook cooked food steadily. Only by obtaining high-quality protein can the brain continue to develop and have a future.

As for why the pots are expensive, it is naturally because there are middlemen making a profit from the price difference.

Roland thought for a moment and said solemnly: "If you have iron ore, I can smelt it on the spot and make three thousand large pots and more small pots for you."

"How much?" Tieti was so frightened that his four hooves went limp. He simply couldn't believe the number.

His breathing was a little disordered.

Roland smiled and shook his head. "I think your tribe has at least 50,000 or 60,000 people. Three thousand cauldrons may not be enough."

"That's enough!"

Tieti suddenly stretched out his limbs, and the four hooves and the fifth foot covered by leather touched the ground at the same time.

This is the highest level of Centaur etiquette, prostrating oneself. (End of this chapter)