Heart of the Castle

Chapter 253 Double Standards in Equestrian Assessment

When the sound of the horn that started the assessment reverberated over the arena, Li Wei's heart tightened suddenly, and the expression on his face became much stiffer. nervous outside.

Seeing Li Wei's nervousness, the Grand Knight Commander couldn't help showing a smile, and then said to him softly: "Master Li Wei, the knight qualification test is not difficult, don't you have ridden a bare-backed war horse before? Could it be that those high-ranking knights Can it be more difficult to deal with than Lord Devil or Vampire Prince? Don't worry, for you, the knight qualification test is just a formality."

Hearing Wilpus' words, Li Wei's mood eased a lot. He gently held the hilt of the knight's sword at his waist, and silently repeated the knight's motto.

"Sweep away the darkness, have mercy on the weak, and fear nothing!"

This sentence is like a panacea, which makes Li Wei's heart suddenly rise with courage and strength. The sound of the horn is still echoing in the arena, but Li Wei no longer has the feeling of being overwhelmed. Full of fighting spirit.

"Everyone who is going to participate in the examination, please come here!" A gray cloak examiner appeared in front of the tent and said in a loud voice: "Everyone who is participating in the ordinary knight qualification examination, come here first. These are the horses prepared for you. Please come here!" Prepare according to their respective numbers."

The gate of the fence was opened, and more than a dozen stable boys walked in with well-dressed war horses. Although the saddles and horse clothes on these war horses were brand new, there were many things wrong with the war horses themselves. Walking is not considered vigorous, and the muscles on the limbs are not fat enough.In the eyes of knights who are familiar with horses, those glamorous equipment cannot conceal the inferior quality of the horse itself.

Li Wei frowned, "Mr. Will, look at these horses..." He whispered hesitantly, "...doesn't seem all that good?"

What the young knight really wanted to ask was, can't the majestic Deke City Knights Association come up with a batch of decent war horses?
Wilps didn't feel anything unusual. He squinted his eyes and looked at the frail war horses, with a scornful smile on his lips. "Master Li Wei," the Great Knight Commander also replied in a low voice, "Of course these horses are not very good. Because they were not bred as war horses in the first place, they were probably brought out by the lord of a nearby village and town. You see the horses at the front Is the horse's neck gone?"

Li Wei followed the direction of Wilps, and saw that on the neck of the horse in front, there was a circle where the mane had been worn away by something.The young knight was taken aback, because he had already thought of a possibility that made him feel incredible.

"Are those all pack horses?"

"It looks like this." Wilps said: "Only a pack horse can have such a steady pace. If it is a war horse, the sound of the horn and the cheers just now must have stimulated their warlike blood, certainly not. So calm."

"Using a packhorse for a riding assessment is simply..." Li Wei didn't finish his sentence because Wilps made a gesture to tell him not to continue.

"Master Li Wei, among the servants here, there must be the eyeliner of the Cavaliers Association. Just understand some things in your heart and don't say them." Wilps advised Li Wei in a low voice, and then he changed the subject, Loudly said a little deliberately: "Look, the riding test has already begun!"

Although Li Wei was still a little dissatisfied in his heart, he knew that Wilps' words were correct, and the actions of the Cavaliers Association were not something he, a young man who had not yet qualified as a knight, could comment on.And even if he has reached the level of being a knight or a nobleman with a sword, facing such a behemoth as a knight, there are still some things that cannot be said directly.

Those who participated in the ordinary knight qualification examination found the mounts according to their own numbers, and then jumped on the horses with their saddles or stirrups. Some of them mounted the horses in a rather relaxed posture, but there were also a few fatter people who looked like Some effort.If it was a war horse with a violent personality, these guys would obviously be eliminated at the step of getting on the horse. Fortunately, the pack horses are very docile. After working hard several times in a row, everyone finally got on the horse's back.

The gate of the arena opened, horns sounded, and the examiner wearing a gray cloak took a triangular red flag from the side and shook it vigorously, "Enter the arena!" He shouted, "Enter the arena, future knights, show your lords Show off your riding skills!"

The hooves of the horses began to sound, and the people participating in the assessment rode their horses and rushed towards the arena. Judging from the image of them holding the rein in one hand and wielding a spear or sword in the other, they looked very mighty.However, it is obvious that the running speed of the mounts under the crotch has not kept up. The pack horses who have been used to pulling the carts took a leisurely pace, stepping into the arena with a posture of brisk walking rather than a charge. the gate.

But these riders didn't think so. They shouted and rode forward, as if they were galloping on a vast battlefield.Under the urging of kicking spurs and whips, the speed of the pack horse also became faster, and the brisk walk turned into a trot, and the sound of kicking the horse's hooves sounded quite a bit posture.

The bumpkins and citizens outside the arena didn't know the difference between charging and running fast. They only saw the riders showing off their might. They held up their spears and swords, shining lights above their heads.Some riders, either because of their high spirits or deliberately showing off, inspired colorful fighting spirits. Although most of them were just a faint layer, they also feasted the eyes of the audience who had never seen knights showing off their power. So outside the arena Thunderous cheers.

"Look, those are the rays of fighting spirit!"

"Knight, Lord Knight!"

There were also cheers from the high platform, occasionally mixed with screams of surprise from the female relatives, but there was a dissatisfied cold snort from among the tents, and then the most luxurious tent in the middle suddenly opened a corner, An Siai Count Earl came out with a gloomy face, and threw the silver cup in his hand on the ground casually, and the bright red wine was spilled out immediately, staining the carpet with a cloud of stains.

"Dear Lord Earl Ansair, why did you leave your seat suddenly? What made you dissatisfied? Is it because the performances of the young men below were too rough, making you, the Earl with a sword, feel unattractive?" What?" A soft voice sounded from the tent, Earl Ansair's eyes fluctuated, and when he turned around, an attractive and chic smile appeared on his face.

"Of course not, Marquise Susan, the glass of wine just now tastes a bit sour."

"Oh, it's your fault, President Conrad, that the rancid wine came to deceive us. Haven't you heard that the Earl of Ansair's ability to taste fine wine is as sharp as his sword? Is it?" The soft voice exclaimed pretending to be surprised.

Then another gentle male voice sounded, "I'm really sorry, those rough-handed and ignorant servants, I'm afraid this barrel of wine is a bit sour due to poor preservation. But I also brought some of the best Summer red is made from cherries, honey plums and the best black grapes, please allow me to offer you a glass! Then you taste it and see if this is the sweetest and most mellow wine you have ever drunk!"

"Okay, let's try the summer red that you are full of praise for!" Earl Ansair replied, and then walked back into the tent.

Hearing the singing and laughing sounded again in the tent, a well-dressed attendant secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and hurried over to pick up the silver cup.However, just as his fingers touched the cup, there was a crisp sound, and the exquisite silver cup shattered like it was made of crystal!
The attendant was stunned by this sudden scene, and it was only when an old voice came from behind that he suddenly woke up.

"What are you doing in a daze, why don't you clean up quickly."

The attendant looked back and hurriedly lowered his head and said, "Yes, I'll clean it up now..." Then he carefully held the fragments of the silver cups in his hand, and said in an incredulous tone, "This cup...is really not mine. broken."

"Of course not you." Standing behind the attendant was a tall and tall old man. Although he had an old face and was wearing a set of clothes for a wealthy butler, standing there gave the impression of an unsheathed The sharp sword is even more imposing than that Elder Nicholas of the Knights Association.

Hearing the attendant's words, the old man's wrinkled face twitched, and he muttered with a half-smile: "Of course you didn't break it. If you can make this cup like this..." The old man glanced at Leaving the luxurious tent with laughter and singing, "Then as long as you are willing, there should be a place in this tent."

Of course, the small episode on the high ground did not affect anything. The first group of ten riders quickly completed the two laps of the field, and then left through the four gates and returned to the empty field for rest.As they jumped off their horses, they shouted excitedly, as if they had accomplished some great feat.A large group of servants and servants rushed forward to meet their master, and the sound of flattery suddenly rang out.

Li Wei only felt a little bored, and at the beginning he didn't want to continue watching these flashy young masters boasting.Although these people all have fighting spirit seeds, judging from their performance just now, their strength may not be as good as that of a rigorously trained elite cavalry, and they do not have the ability to cooperate with each other at all. Li Wei just saw two horsemen Riders who are too bad can't even control the pack horses, and they almost lose their horses when they bump into each other.

Li Wei secretly calculated that as long as there were elite cavalry with half the number of these people, they could all be defeated.In the high-level knight qualification examination, there was a time when no high-level knight could be found as an examiner, so the examiner was required to fight against 10 regular knights as a substitute. Li Wei originally thought that this was impossible. The thing is, even a great knight commander like Wilps can't face 10 fully armed knights at the same time.However, after seeing the equestrian performances of these young masters, he faintly felt that if the Knights Association was full of such people, it might not be difficult to fight against 10 knights at the same time.

A red flag representing victory was raised from the sky above the arena, and it was shaken several times in a row. When the examiner in the gray cloak saw the red flag, he announced excitedly, "The first batch of ten examiners all passed! The first batch of ten examiners all passed! For the second batch of ordinary knights, please choose a mount according to the number!"

Li Wei couldn't help but sighed. If this is the level of the knight's assessment, then his original worry is really unnecessary.Then he saw a somewhat familiar rider jumping onto the horse neatly. The little man with curly yellow hair reminded Li Wei a little bit, and he remembered that it was the group of noble children he met at the "Thunderbolt Pig" post the day before yesterday one of them.

It seems that he also came to participate in the knight assessment today.

Li Wei suddenly thought of that obese young man, Anglo, who was rude but had a bright and aboveboard personality. He remembered that he seemed to be taking part in the knight assessment. A very conspicuous fat figure.

"Well, maybe which tent is he resting in?" With this question, Li Wei walked a few steps to the side, wanting to see if Anglo's figure was blocked, but he just turned around a tent, A low growl with a strange accent was heard.

"Sneaky, what do you want to peek at!"

Li Wei turned his head and saw a guy wearing a red and green feather cloak and with dark skin like ebony was looking at him angrily, with his hands on the two scimitars at his waist, his breathing was strangely rapid, the back of his hand The blue veins on the upper body are exposed, and it seems that they may hurt someone at any time.

The young knight frowned. The appearance of this person made him feel very strange. Obviously, he did not belong to the native of the Kingdom of Arthur, but the people of the desert.Li Wei didn't think he had ever offended a nation so far away, so he stood still and looked at that person with doubts and curiosity.

The dark-skinned man obviously didn't expect that after hearing his scolding, this young boy who looked like a servant would dare to stand still and look over.He who was a little irritable immediately roared in a low voice, his hands couldn't be seen clearly, only a silver light flashed, and the two scimitars had been pulled out like lightning, and they were slashing towards Li Wei.

Li Wei was taken aback by the violent reaction of the dark-skinned man, jumped back hastily, and stretched out his sword to defend himself.However, he had just drawn half of his saber, and before he had fully unsheathed it, a silver light flashed in front of his eyes, and the dark-skinned man moved so frighteningly fast that he attacked again.

Li Wei didn't have time to draw his sword, so he continued to retreat, retreating from the shadow of the tent.The dark-skinned man was about to give chase, but when he saw that Li Wei was already standing under the sun, and there were curious eyes looking at him from the side, he seemed to be afraid of something. After a cold snort, he swiped Putting the ground back into its sheath, he walked back to the original place and stood with his arms folded.

Li Wei was a little confused, he finally took the opportunity to pull out his sword, ready to compete with that black-skinned man who moved surprisingly fast.However, the opponent is like an undead creature who is afraid of the sun, shrinking back as soon as it sees the light. "This is really..." Li Wei shook his head a little annoyed. He had the urge to rush into the shadow of the tent again and argue with that dark-skinned guy, but a loud voice stopped him from continuing. All thoughts down.

"The second batch of ten examiners, all passed!" The gray cloak examiner was still shouting, "The following is the list of people participating in the high-level knight riding assessment. If you hear the name, please come to me!"

"Tsk, is it almost here?" Li Wei put the sword back into its sheath, took another look at the dark-skinned man standing in the shadow of the tent like a stone sculpture, turned around and walked towards the place where the voice came from .

After two unfamiliar names, Li Wei heard his name spit out from the examiner's mouth.

"Mr. Levi Stern! Come here, please, the horse you want to tame is No. [-]!"

No matter what the number is, aren't they all the guys who pull carts?Li Wei felt a little amused by the serious look of the gray cloak examiner. He squeezed through the crowd and walked towards the horse he should tame.

The first two people who took part in the assessment were all capable middle-aged people. They didn't look as frivolous as those noble young masters, and they had a taste of being baptized on the battlefield.When Li Wei walked past them, he saw that they were already standing beside the horses they wanted to tame.

They were two fat and strong real war horses. Li Wei's eyes flickered, and he had some understanding of the arrangement of the Knights Association.It seems that the assessment of high-level knights has slightly increased the difficulty. Finally, a group of real war horses are used instead of using pack horses to fool laymen.

"Are you Li Wei? Ston?" A voice stopped him. Li Wei stopped and saw an examiner wearing a gray cloak coming from the side. The visors were all put down, making the whole person look like a moving metal statue.

"I'm Li Wei, Mr. Examiner, what can you do?"

"Come with me, the horse you want to tame is on this side." The examiner's voice was strangely dull through the mask, and Li Wei always had a familiar feeling, as if he had heard this voice not long ago Same.

However, Li Wei didn't think too much, and followed the examiner for a distance, and stopped in front of a stable independently surrounded by a strong fence.

"This horse is what you want to tame." The examiner said, his voice made Levi feel uncomfortable, as if he was gloating.

The stables are covered with a wooden roof. In addition to the thick wooden fence, there seems to be an iron cage inside. An extraordinarily tall black horse is locked in the cage. The horse's hooves are restlessly scratching the ground, as if very irritable. .

This horse looked completely black, and seemed to have a faint crimson light, giving the impression that it was as dangerous as a piece of red-hot black iron.Whether it is the shiny body or the solid muscles, they are all beautiful and tall that Li Wei has never seen before, and they are extremely tall. The usual war horses are also selected tall horses. However, compared with this horse, it is simply Ridiculous as a little donkey.

There is no knight who will not be attracted by this war horse, and Li Wei is no exception. He opened his mouth in surprise, and turned his head to ask the examiner who led the way.

"Is this horse to be tamed by me?"

"It's this horse." The examiner replied simply, and then he added, "If you are afraid of danger, you can choose to give up and take the knight qualification examination next time."

Li Wei's eyes flickered for a moment, and he seemed to have understood something about the examiner's unfriendliness.

"A real knight is fearless." Li Wei said, "What I want to ask is, it is said that during the assessment of high-level knights, these war horses will be sold at the fairest price to the knight who tamed them. Really?"

　5000 word chapter!Ah, so be it today, and continue to work hard tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)