Heart of the Castle

Chapter 265 The Earl's Plan, Warm Hospitality

"Indeed, we just met a guy selling poisoned alcohol." Babrupa exaggeratedly waved his arms and said, "If I, Babrupa, hadn't seen through that person's disguise, now..."

Wilps didn't bother to pay attention to him, and directly asked Li Wei about what happened just now, and his expression became more and more serious. "Fortunately, you saw that there was something wrong with that wine dealer, Master Li Wei, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous." Then he looked at the wine bag in his hand, and couldn't help asking curiously, "However, how do you know that there is something wrong with the wine? questionable?"

"I didn't know at first, but after Babrupa drank that glass of wine, I found that the wine dealer's expression was a bit wrong, so I asked him to have a drink too, so I saw through his disguise." Li Wei replied.

"If the peddler knew what was added to the wine, he wouldn't be so scared." Babrupa patted his stomach proudly and said, "Xiaoyue Ninghua doesn't do any harm to ordinary people who haven't comprehended fighting spirit. It’s just dizzy for a while after drinking.”

Wilps nodded, and then he glanced at the noisy crowd around him, "Let's go, Babrupa, where are the others?"

"Waiting outside, I've come to find something to eat and drink," Babrupa said.

A few people lead their mounts and quickly pass through the crowd. Compared with the side of the arena, the people here are much sparser, but it still looks crowded.There are peddlers peddling all kinds of food and drink, drunk peasants and small townspeople, and small estate nobles who still relish the tense scene of the knight examination.

Outside a particularly dense crowd, Li Wei saw a corpse lying on the ground, and two soldiers were checking something next to the corpse. "It seems to be the wine dealer." Levi said, Wilps leaned over to take a look, and when he came back, his expression was even more gloomy.

"It is indeed a wine seller. His throat was cut, and there is a blood-red dagger beside him as a mark."

"Blood Dagger, doesn't that mean that an elite assassin from the Adventurer's Guild has been hired this time to assassinate us!" Babrupa's face suddenly turned pale.

"Probably worse than that," Wilps murmured, continuing to fight his way through the crowd.

On the high ground next to the arena, the figures of the wealthy and nobles were scattered. Earl Ansair played with the scarred cane in his hand and stood in front of the empty tent. His eyes were fixed on Li in the crowd. Wei and the others had a strange look in their eyes.

A figure dressed as a butler quietly appeared behind the earl. His face was old, but his waist was straight and straight, with a unique feeling like a sharp sword drawn out of its sheath. "Your Excellency, the person monitoring President Conrad sent back information. The president spent a lot of money to hire a blood dagger from the Adventurer's Guild to assassinate Levi Ston. The bid was [-] gold coins."

"Five thousand gold coins can almost buy a manor." Earl Ansair laughed, and his cane twirled in the air. "It looks like that guy has spent a lot of money, who made the move?"

"Rada Brad, there are more than a dozen gray birds."

"Beastmaster?" Earl Ansair twirled his carefully groomed mustache, a smile appeared on his face. "That guy is not very easy to deal with. It seems that this young man is going to go through a hard battle."

"If Your Excellency came forward to help, they wouldn't need to be in such danger at all." The old man dressed as a butler said in a disapproving voice: "Of course the Adventurer's Union knows the benefits of five thousand gold coins, and it has nothing to do with offending a powerful earl and How insignificant compared to the leader of the North."

"Why should I stop this good show?" Earl Ansair turned around with a smile and said.

"Isn't that young man what you value?" The old man dressed as the butler showed a hint of confusion on his face, "For such a young man, Your Excellency has always been willing to lend a helping hand."

"Levi Stern is different from those people." Earl Ansair looked at his cane, the light in his eyes was very complicated, mixed with regret and admiration, and there seemed to be a trace of fear. "I can clearly see the limits of those young people's abilities. They can either become very good knights, or they can become quite capable bureaucrats, but..." The earl stroked a sword mark on the cane, and the sword mark was not It is too deep, but cleverly avoids the specific wood material, causing fatal wounds on the aluminum frame.

"I can't see the limit that Levi Stern can reach, or in other words, I think I can see it, but I'm wrong." The count sighed, his eyes darkened.

"How is this possible? Your Excellency's vision is one of the best among the Nine Pillars of the Kingdom. How could you misjudge such a young man?"

"According to my judgment, this young man named Levi Ston is at most an ordinary knight." Earl Ansair's plain words moved the old man dressed as a butler.

"That young man has reached the level of a high-ranking knight."

"Yeah, this young man looks as shallow as a clear stream, but his actual achievements make me unable to see the limit of his abilities." Earl Ansair said with some emotion. "So, I won't recruit him like I would treat an ordinary talent, but I want to see where his limit is."

"So, has the assassination of the Adventurer's Guild Blood Dagger become your test for him?"

"That's right, he still needs to be tempered now. If he can escape from the hands of Beastmaster Radha Brad, then he will have the value for me to recruit, otherwise..." Earl Ansair shrugged, and then Release your hand and let the cane fall to the ground.

The moment it landed on the ground, the cane, which was scarred but still largely intact, made a series of extremely subtle explosion sounds, shattered into a pool of powder, and then a gust of wind blew through, and the powder flew away. , disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

On the other hand, Li Wei and his group of five embarked on their way back to the Dusk Forest. The difference was slightly different from when they came, because Li Wei obtained an exceptionally handsome mount like the Black Nightmare in the Northern Territory. The pony was temporarily given to Babrupa to ride.This made the stocky fellow wild with joy, for he thought it greatly increased the chances of the pony being his own.

For Li Wei and the others who insisted on leaving immediately, Aaron, the guard of the Temple of the Storm, was somewhat disapproving, "The Temple of the Storm can protect the absolute safety of the guests!" Aaron vowed, but in the end he had to agree to the request of Li Wei and others, Archbishop Bovais and others conveyed their apologies for not saying goodbye in person.

As the sun set, the number of travelers on the Avenue of Glory gradually decreased, and the figure of Deke City had been left far behind. The exhaustion from galloping all the way entangled everyone's body, making them feel aching in their muscles and bones.

"Benevolent Father God, I can't walk anymore!" Babrupa wailed as he straightened his body from the pony's back, "We haven't eaten anything since noon, but only drank two sips of the cursed Poisoned wine, now my stomach is more empty than my pocket, and I'm groaning in protest."

Wilps looked to the left and right roadsides. It was only a few hours away from Dirk City, and it was far from desolate.Farms surrounded by ditches and fences can often be seen on both sides of the road. Each farm has a large tract of harvested fields, dotted with cowsheds made of branches and low farmhouses.
"There are a lot of resting places around here, but they are not much better than the wilderness." Wilps said, "Let's go to the nearest farmhouse to buy some food and drink, take a rest and continue on our way. "

"Benevolent Father God, Lord Will, please sympathize with this tired traveler. He is exhausted now, without the reward of wine and food, and without a whole night's rest, he can't get up at all." Ba Brupa couldn't help complaining loudly.

"You can't find comfortable beds and food for us folks in these cottages," Wilps said, frowning.

Rist suddenly played a pleasant note on the lute with his hand, "Master Will, of course, these farmhouses cannot accommodate us people, but if there is a place for us to take a good rest, you must not." Will you object?"

"of course not."

"This should be... well, let me think about it, by the way, it is the territory of Sir Mirefis." Rist snapped his fingers and said cheerfully, "Master Mirefis is extremely rich, and It’s also very hospitable, it’s almost time for dinner depending on the weather, if we visit at this time, we will definitely be treated warmly.”

A hot meal is a fatal attraction for these hungry people, and with such a long distance away from Dirk City, Wilps thought for a while, and then pointed at Rist He nodded and said, "Okay, singer, then you can lead the way."

Rist led the way on a white horse, and led the crowd away from the Avenue of Glory, and walked to the side along a remote path. This path did not seem to be tidied up, but was trampled from the wilderness by the footsteps of humans and animals. from.They soon entered a jungle and passed through several small streams. As the weather was getting colder, ice had begun to appear in the water of these small streams. Somewhat dangerous.However, Rist looked very familiar with this place, and the stones he found were extremely stable, and none of them would slip suddenly.

Ten minutes later, a relatively spacious road appeared in the jungle. Rist pointed to the end of the road with a smile and said, "This is the residence of Sir Mirefis."

Li Wei raised his head and carefully looked at the uneven house in front of him. It looked like an old manor, composed of many low and irregular wooden buildings, including several courtyards or vegetable gardens. Generally speaking, there should be a full hundred people living here, and the scale is comparable to the small castles of most knights.

Moreover, the defense measures here seem to be quite complete. A ditch surrounds all the wooden houses, forming a reliable barrier. The ditch is filled with cold water, and you can vaguely see the pointed wooden piles lined up below. .The inside of the trench is surrounded by tall log walls. Since this is a forest, there is of course no shortage of wood.

Two suspension bridges are the passages for the manor to communicate with the outside world, one of which is suspended high, while the other is across the ditch. Wooden watchtowers stand on the left and right sides of the suspension bridge, which can monitor the surrounding situation and at the same time This suspension bridge can be provided with armed protection of bows and arrows or stone throwing.

It was getting late, but the sun could still illuminate the surroundings of this forest manor. The guards on the watchtower saw Li Wei and others approaching from a long distance. Although these people were dressed in different ages, at least three of them were Armed.Then a loud horn sounded, which was not only a warning to Li Wei and others, but also a reminder to other people in the manor that some unknown people were approaching.

A head poked out from the watchtower, he looked at Li Wei and the others, and then yelled in a somewhat rude voice, asking who they were and what they were doing here.

Rist's lute played a series of happy notes, and then said with a voice like a nightingale: "I am a traveling bard, and these two are masters who have just passed the qualification examination for knights in Deke City. The following are their entourage. Due to the unlucky time today, we missed the hotel where we stayed. If this is the estate of the generous Sir Mirefis of the Northern County, can you ask him to look at Santa Morata? Come on, let us get a night's board and lodging?"

"The bard? And the knight master?" The man looked at Li Wei and the others suspiciously. Wilps felt a little impatient, so he raised a hand, and let the light of fighting spirit ignite in his hand. moment.

"Duqi! It's really the knight master!" Another voice said in surprise.

"Please wait a moment, we're going to inform Sir Sir!" The rude voice became a lot more polite, and the head shrank back, and not long after, there were many lights of torches on the inside of the suspension bridge.

A group of servants holding bright pine torches came out to welcome them. In the middle was a middle-aged man with a long cane and a burly physique. The bottom of the cane was covered with iron, and it could also be used as a self-defense weapon.

"Guests, please come in! Please come in!" The middle-aged man bowed from a distance and said, he was wearing rawhide boots and a sheepskin vest, and he looked almost the same as the servants around him. "I'm very happy to see all of you here, because your presence adds luster to this place!"

The middle-aged man's words were a little too polite, but his tone was quite rude, and he seemed not very well-bred.Both Levi and Wilps didn't understand the identity of this person, and didn't know how to respond.

Rist's lute rang again, "Sir Mirefis, I am very pleased that your body is still in such good health!"

The middle-aged man's eyes fell on the handsome singer's face, and he seemed to be taken aback, and then two thick and heavy eyebrows were erected.

"Robinson? Rist?" he cried angrily, "you still dare to appear in front of me? Remember what I said when you slipped away from here last time? Let me see that If Zhang Xiaobailian, I will smash it to pieces!"

"It was the nameless anger that blinded your wise mind for a while. I have never taken such words seriously." Rist said with a nonchalant smile.

"I still remember!" The middle-aged man picked up the iron-headed wooden stick, and pointed the iron-wrapped end towards the singer's face.

It seems that this may be the trouble caused by Rist.Li Wei scratched his head with a wry smile. Of course he couldn't watch the singer being hit in the face by that heavy stick, so he had no choice but to take a step forward and salute the middle-aged man.

"Sir Mirefis, please forgive me. Rist is our companion. If he has ever done anything to you, we are willing to compensate you for your loss."

"My loss?" Ser Mirefis said angrily, "That's not an ordinary loss, if anyone wants to stop me from smashing this singer's little face..." He turned his head and yelled at the back With a voice, "Hey, children, go for the knife!"

Half of the servants behind him ran back immediately, and the other half held the torches in their hands as weapons in front of them. At the same time, four hunting bows and the same number of bows and arrows were stretched out from the watchtowers on both sides of the drawbridge. guard.

Wilps took a step forward and stood side by side with Levi. The two knights were glowing with a faint grudge. Although they did not draw their weapons, this scene still made Sir Mirefis and the brave men around him The tough servants felt threatened, and even took a step back involuntarily.

The servants who ran back just now came back again, and the number doubled. Everyone held a shining thick-bladed short knife in their hands. These people looked rough and sturdy, not so much A group of servants is more like a group of robbers.Two of them were holding several hounds in their hands, and the ferocious barking of the dogs suddenly resounded over the manor.

However, these people did not dare to rush forward to fight, because Li Wei and Wilpus completely blocked this end of the suspension bridge, and the fiery red and silver white fighting spirit light reminded these people that the opponent in front of them was not ordinary.

Babrupa made a relief at this time, and this short, stocky fellow ran up from behind, bowing deeply to the middle-aged man first. "Honorable Sir Mirefis, we are tired and hungry. If possible, please let us enter this great manor first, and then chat slowly over wine and shochu in front of the firelight. .As for what our partners have done, please tell us slowly, and let us judge for you. There are two knight lords here, you don’t believe in their justice, do you?”

Perhaps something in these words moved Ser Mirefeth, and his eyebrows returned to their place, and the iron-headed club dropped. "It's my fault," he said, "for throwing a knife at a distinguished guest, even if there is a fellow I hate, I'm sorry, two knights, please come in, let me pour the wine Apologize to you guys!"

As he spoke, he poked the servants who were still at a loss with his stick, "Put away your swords and bows and arrows! You and you, go open my wine cellar and use the oldest wines Entertaining distinguished guests! You guys, go and inform the back kitchen, ordering the cook to add enough food for dinner as soon as possible, we are going to entertain a few hungry guests today!"

(End of this chapter)