Heart of the Castle

Chapter 353 Reaper's Scythe, Passing By
After the blizzard, the Dusk Forest was covered with ice and snow. Under the sunshine, the whole forest shone brightly.The old oak trees are like hunchbacked giants with white beard and hair, and the oak trees are like guards with white helmets and white armor. Even the bushes and black thorns are covered with a thick layer of hoarfrost. They all made a beeping sound as if they had been frozen.

The twilight forest is extremely dangerous after freezing. The wolves with flat stomachs and red eyes are looking for food in groups. Their hunger makes them not only likely to attack single travellers, but even dare to attack armed caravans.It is precisely for this reason that the Avenue of Glory, which was originally sparsely populated by business travelers, is even more deserted and lonely, with no trace of people.

However, severe cold and wild beasts are not the most dangerous factors in the Dusk Forest. In a camping space opened up by passing business travelers, more than a dozen leather tents were set up. These tents were covered with snow, which looked like It is a pure white snowdrift.Several piles of bonfires were set up between the tents, sparks were flying between the tents, and the soup was tumbling in the dark cauldron. You could see things like turnips, oats, onions, and potatoes cooking inside. The meat was fragrant and white. Hot steam rose straight into the sky.

Dozens of strong and strong men sat around the campfire. Because of the order and restraint, they did not make loud noises, but talked in low voices from time to time.They all looked savage, with long unshaven beards and hair tangled together, and it was difficult to distinguish the boundaries between them.In order to resist the severe cold in winter in the northern region, these people also wore smelly sheepskin or bearskin coats, making them look like a group of two-legged beasts.

The weapons of the men were kept within easy reach, including barreled longbows and feathered arrows, wooden shields painted with colorful patterns, long swords and large axes mounted together.The last thing is a lot of short-handled javelins stuck upside down on the ice and snow and frozen ground. The points of the spears are used as battle marks, poking the severed heads one by one.Most of these terrifying trophies belonged to adult men, and a few were old people and women. Every head was bloodstained, grinning, and distorted, but due to the cold, it hadn't rotted yet.So the soldiers sat around the people they had killed, talking and laughing, looking forward to their dinner.

None of these men had any family badges that could indicate their identities, let alone any flags. They looked no different from a group of robbers and bandits. However, robbers would not obey orders like this when the leader was not present. If they are present, the noise they make will be heard clearly by people half a mile away.

Undoubtedly, only elite soldiers who have undergone rigorous training can do so. Their leader, Thomas De Jansen with a pair of golden eyes, is walking in the forest not far from the camp, his boots squeaking on the snow. creaking sound.A thick mink fur cloak was worn over his shoulders to keep out the cold. Under the reflection of the snow, the smooth and shiny fur on the cloak shone like a black gem.The long sword worn under his ribs slanted out of his right shoulder, and the scabbard was inlaid with blue and red gemstones, the luster was like a long day of blood.

Beside the Lord of the Eyes is a burly and strong middle-aged man, wearing heavy knight armor without any family insignia or decorations, his appearance is stern and cold, especially those two razor-sharp thick eyebrows, following his voice from time to time Trembling, it seemed that he might leave his face at any time to pierce the person he was talking to, even when talking with Tomad Jansen, there was also a fierce and aggressive aura.

"Lord Gnat Eye," the man called Tomad by his nickname, and his tone did not appear to be close, but a sense of alienation. "Your Excellency the Earl of Magic Mountain is not satisfied with your achievements during this period. Your people have not completely sealed off the business travel in the Dusk Forest. The only thing that is good is the interception of the Kingdom Mission, but this is probably the only thing you can get. The merit of the shot, right?"

"It's my strategy to let go of some business travelers, James." Lord Grim Eyes answered him calmly, with an undeniable sternness in his voice, "Once the noose is tightened, the other party will definitely respond. The faster the noose is tightened, the faster the response will be The more intense it gets. If I had completely blocked the Guangyao Avenue from the very beginning, without letting any pedestrians and merchants go, I am afraid that the coalition forces of the northern lords would have killed here by now."

"Did those rabble-rousers make the lord of the eyes afraid?" The man named James sneered and sneered.

This level of sarcasm will not leave any traces in Tomard's heart at all, "I came here under the order of the Earl, to strangle the throat of the North County and let the North be suffocated this winter, not to want to Suppress the northern leaders. If the northern leaders are allowed to form a coalition, then no matter what the result is, it will be a failed strategy."

"You always have great reasons to convince others, Lord Gnat Eyes, but that doesn't include me." James snorted, then turned to leave, and the last words floated from his back. "The special operations team will act according to my will, and then let His Excellency the Earl personally judge who among us is better."

Watching James' back gradually disappear into the snowy forest, a sharp fire flashed in Tomad's golden pupils, but he quickly returned to calm. "If you weren't blinded by jealousy, then you might still be called a good opponent. Now..." He cast his eyes on the sky in a dazed way. The dense branches and leaves were covered with frost and snow, dividing the blue sky above his head into two parts. Countless small pieces seemed to explode.

"That's good, it's much simpler for my plan." Lord Gaiyan told himself softly, and then his footsteps suddenly stopped slightly, and he pressed his right hand on the hilt of the long sword under his ribs. "It's the sound of hooves, but why are they so sparse?"

With doubts in his heart, the Lord of the Eyes stepped forward.The Dusk Forest has always been difficult to pass through. Even the Avenue of Glory has been in disrepair for a long time, and there are hidden roots and stones everywhere, let alone the forest after snow.However, the pace of the lord with eyes is very steady, as if walking on a smooth road.Wherever his footsteps passed, there was no movement except for the slight creaking sound of the snow, but whether it was stones or tree roots, they were all stepped into the frozen ground by the combat boots.

Tomard's ears did not deceive him. There were indeed only three figures riding forward from the Glory Road that ran through the Dusk Forest. They all looked like ordinary travelers, wearing thick cloaks and hoods down Eyes and most of the face.However, there wasn't much luggage on the horse's back, only two bark boxes were tied next to the mount of the last chunky figure.

Doubt flashed across the golden pupils of the Lord of the Eyes. The three of them were not like merchants, because they brought too little; if they were travelers, the winter in the northern region was freezing cold, and the cold was piercing to the bones. The reason is that they have to choose this time to travel lightly and venture through the dusk forest?
"Should I stop them for questioning?" This thought flashed through Tomad's mind like lightning, and the hand holding the sword hilt tightened slightly, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

It wasn't that the majestic Lord Eyes was worried that he wouldn't be able to deal with the three travelers, but after seeing the unusually tall and handsome black horse that the leader was riding on his crotch, Tomard could only sigh helplessly.He is definitely a master in appreciating the good and bad of war horses. He has seen many first-class war horses, but he has never heard of a horse as majestic and tall as this black horse.Although the traveler did not gallop on the horse due to the rough and difficult road, but unlike its two companions, the black horse's movements are full of power and explosiveness, as if as long as the rider lets go of the restraint, he can ride the world away and go.

"God of War Balud, the black horse... is not tied to the rein!" Tomard suddenly shook his body, and looked at the leader of the traveler with a little more attention.All knights know very well that the better the horse, the more violent its character is. The only reason why the black horse was not tied with a rein is that it has connected with the rider and does not need a rein to assist in steering!This is not something that ordinary knights can do, and even the lord with eyes may not be sure to do it. Although the real strength of that person cannot be determined, but with this kind of equestrian skill, the last sliver of adventure in Lord with eyes Luckily dispelled.

"Three people, one of them is an ordinary person, and the other two should be knights who have truly mastered the power of fighting spirit, even high-level knights." Thomas made such a judgment in his heart. "If you fight to the death and don't flee, you can defeat and kill them with a [-]% chance, but you can only kill the man on the black horse before he escapes with a [-]% chance."

Lord Gnat Eyes watched three mysterious travelers on horseback pass by the bushes where he was hiding, and gradually sank into the depths of the Dusk Forest. "I'm not sure I can keep you all here, so... you're lucky." Just as the Lord of the Eyes said these words silently, Li Wei, who was riding in the front on the Black Nightmare of the Northern Territory, suddenly spit out softly Taking a breath, he let go of the sword hilt inside the cloak.

"Listen to me, don't look back." He said to his two companions, "There is a powerful knight hidden in the place we passed just now, at least the strength of a Lord with a sword."

These words made the short and fat Babrupa's body stiff, and he almost turned his head to look, "Master Li Wei, a powerful knight is after us? Is it the accuser, or other enemies?" His voice trembled. Get up, "Master Li Wei, should we leave quickly? Hey, it would be great if we waited for Archbishop Povais from the Temple of Storms to go on the road together."

"Archbishop Bovais had a bad stomach in the morning, so he couldn't start immediately, and the matter of the rotting swamp cannot be delayed. You have mentioned this several times along the way, it is really annoying." Donner Some helplessly explained to him, and then turned to Li Wei, "Your Excellency Li Wei, was that person an enemy or a friend just now?"

"Probably not our friend, but it seems that he is not prepared to attack us, at least not this time." Li Wei replied with an imperceptible sense of gratitude. The man hiding behind the bushes is powerful. Among the knights I have seen, only the Black Sun of the Cursed World and the sword dancer Earl Ansair can be compared with him, and His Excellency Cedric, the Lord of the White Wolf, is even much inferior!

A voice in his heart told Li Wei that once he made a move just now, he absolutely had to use all his strength without reservation, and even had to reveal the hole card of the heart of the castle, so that he could block that person's attack.If they didn't do this, the only fate waiting for the three of them was to be buried in the snow and ice of the Dusk Forest.

The horse's hooves smashed through the ice and snow and walked forward slowly, the deep purple light group that had always been shining brilliantly in the field of vision of the probing technique was finally no longer visible.Li Wei lifted his hood, turned around, cast a deep glance at the road when he came, and then said to himself, "I have a hunch that when we come back, we will meet that person again ..."

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(End of this chapter)