Heart of the Castle

Chapter 368 Celebration Dinner, Scratching the Reinforcement (Continue to ask for evaluation votes)

When night fell, piles of bonfires were lit on the hills that originally belonged to the Black Crow Tribe. Preparations for the victory banquet were in full swing. Busy figures shuttled back and forth, and it was almost coming to an end.

The Rotten Swamp experienced an unprecedented violent storm at dawn today, but this storm came suddenly and went quickly. By the afternoon, the clouds had cleared and the fog had cleared, revealing the golden round in the blue sky. smile.All the old, young, women and children in the aboriginal tribe were mobilized, and the stored hay and firewood were brought in. These things were used to light enough bonfires, and several charcoal fire beds were laid, each of which was filled with firewood. Enough to grill a dozen fat sheep side by side.

From a human point of view, the Rotten Swamp is definitely a barren place. There are endless water surfaces everywhere, and there are bottomless swamps below.Even the supposedly safe road is covered in knee-deep black mud filled with venomous snakes, piranhas and giant beetles.Add to that the rough and irascible tribes of the swamp natives, and it's a living hell.

But for the aborigines in the swamp, this place is no different from a legendary paradise, where a large number of unique food materials can be collected everywhere, the abundance of aquatic plants is unimaginable, and a large number of livestock are raised.

Of course, the animals that can survive in this kind of place are also different from those in the general sense.Li Wei watched a thing whose lower body looked like a black fish was put on a charcoal fire bed, but the upper body of this thing was more like an overweight goat with two curved horns on its head, obviously this thing also knew What does it mean to be put on the fire? While pedaling frantically, bleating screams at the same time.

The two female werewolves who were in charge of the barbecue seemed a little helpless. Wolf of the Sharp Tooth Tribe saw this scene, strode over, and swung the flail shattered half of the thing's head, blood and flesh flying everywhere.The little wolf-headed men who were waiting anxiously by the charcoal fire bed suddenly cheered, and before the flesh and blood fell to the ground, they jumped up and snatched them, and then started to scramble.

This scene made Li Wei feel chills on his spine. Just as he was about to turn his head away, Worf had already spotted him and walked over happily greeting him.

"Leader Li Wei of the Griffin Tribe, did you stay with your men?" The werewolf leader stretched out his furry paws and walked over, grabbed Li Wei's hand and shook it violently. "Thank you so much in the afternoon, you saved so many werewolfs from the claws of death, hey, you little ones!" He turned his head and shouted to those little werewolves, "This is the leader of the griffins, save them!" The one who killed many people."

Immediately afterwards, Li Wei was surrounded by a group of little wolf-headed men, and there were voices of thanks with a strong accent in his ears. When the wolf-headed men grow up, they are generally much bigger than humans, and with a jackal head, they look quite ferocious. horrible.But these little wolf-headed men didn't look vicious at all. Their bodies that hadn't fully grown up to Li Wei's waist, their heads looked more like puppies than wolves, and their round eyes were even more It's kind of cute.

"Thank you, Chief Li Wei, for saving our father."

"I wish you a long life, a long life."

"We swore not to bite anyone with a griffin banner, never will."

The little wolf heads stammered words of thanks and blessings, and pulled Li Wei's linen cloak with their little paws. Some of them just snatched the flesh and blood of the monster that looked like a black fish and a goat. He also stretched out his bloody claws to his head, asking Li Wei to accept their spoils.

Li Weike had never dealt with such a difficult gift, but seeing the pious eyes of the little wolf head man, he still bent down with a smile, and took the gift from those sticky paws.

Seeing the griffin leader accepting their gifts, the little wolf heads were so happy that they almost went crazy, they sang and danced around Li Wei, and the little guys who couldn't get the gifts hurriedly ran towards the strange sheep that hadn't been slaughtered yet. In the past, I wanted to get an extra copy.

Li Wei didn't want to let himself grab a handful of rotten sheep's heads. This generous gift really made him a little afraid to accept it, but he didn't know how to refuse it. Fortunately, Worf relieved him at this time, "Little boys, Go to the side and play, Worf wants to talk to the leader of the griffon." He growled in a rough voice, and bared his fangs to emphasize his tone, "It's very important, I can't listen to you, kid."

It seems that the prestige of the Wolf leader is good, and the little wolf head immediately dispersed, leaving Li Wei with blood red hands and a dumbfounded expression.

"Boys like you very much, Chief Li Wei." Wolf said with a big grin, then looked at Li Wei's hesitant expression, and blinked his eyes, "These gifts should not make you feel Is it difficult?"

"I'm very grateful for their enthusiasm, but I really don't know how to deal with it." Li Wei answered him, while looking at the tattered sheep's head in his hand and sighing.

"That's easy, let me take care of it." Wolf took the bloody fistful generously, then threw it into his mouth and chewed it loudly. The blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, which made Li Wei's stomach upset. There were bursts of tumbling inside.But Worf obviously enjoyed it very much, and even squinted his eyes, "The head of the giant salamander can make people strong, which is known in the aboriginal tribe." He explained to Li Wei, "These little cubs are guardians. It’s very hungry, even if I ask for it, I may not be able to give it to me.”

Just as he was talking, a low-pitched horn sounded, indicating that the victory celebration dinner had already begun. Worf raised his head, his nose twitched loudly, and an excited expression appeared on his face. "Extraordinary banquet," he said to Li Wei, "Griffin chief, I think we have to hurry over."

Li Wei nodded in agreement, and then the two of them passed through several piles of bonfires spewing sparks into the night sky, and passed the fish-headed women lying beside the dark red embers. baked in the clay.When he was about to arrive at the banquet location, Worf suddenly stopped sniffling again, and looked greedily at the front right.

Li Wei followed his gaze and saw that there was a large circle nailed with branches of water cherry wood, and a huge animal skin wine bag was erected in the middle. The bag was full of dark red liquid, exuding a strong cherry aroma. Aromas of fruit and alcohol.

"It's really rich. This is the maraschino cider treasured by the Black Crow Tribe. I usually look stingy even when I take out a small bottle." Worf salivated, his eyes seemed to be glued to the big bag of wine above.This time, Li Wei had to give him a pull before he could start walking again.

The Black Crow tribe was looted by the army of undead, and suffered heavy losses. However, the aboriginal tribe united as one, and quickly covered up most of the traces of the war. Only the outermost collapsed wall can still see the tragedy of the time.The undead did not destroy the simple houses of the aborigines, but because the meeting hall could not accommodate so many tribal leaders, the leader of the Black Crow tribe, Stiba, simply ordered the roof to be lifted, and the front and left and right mud walls were pulled down, leaving only the last side Walls and platforms of rammed earth,
The night sky after the storm was exceptionally clear, and the bright silver moon shed bright moonlight, but compared with the several large bonfires lit in front of the tribal council hall, the brightness paled in comparison.These bonfires are the largest bonfires Li Wei has ever seen. They are made of layers of red willow, and tar is poured on them, so the flames are extraordinarily strong, jumping several meters into the air.The air was filled with joy, and the smell of barbecue and spirits mixed together, creating an indescribably warm atmosphere.

There is not much etiquette in the banquet of the aborigines. When Li Wei and Wolf arrived, many people couldn't wait to start.Except for the leaders on the high platform who were sitting on wooden chairs with tribal flags hanging behind their backs, most of the people were sitting on the ground, and the mud platform in front of them was full of plates made of red willow bark and water cherry wood.Most of the dishes on the plate were things unique to the swamp, such as marshmallow jam, dried pigberries, fermented sheep's milk, sheep's blood pie and large pieces of roast lamb; Food, such as golden brioche and finely spiced salami.Most of these rare and exquisite foods were placed in front of the tribal leaders on the high platform, but some of them were also placed in front of each aborigine.

Seeing Li Wei's figure appear, all the aboriginal leaders on the high platform stood up and raised the cups made of giant salamander horns.

"Salute to the leader of the Griffin Tribe, Levi, and to the savior of the Rotten Swamp!"

The crowd responded loudly, and the sacrificial drums, wooden flutes and giant salamander horns were played at the same time. The sounds were intertwined and the rhythm was extremely strong. It seemed that they were not playing, but venting their joyful emotions.The aborigines stood up one after another, and there was a dense mass of darkness, as if a violent tide had been raised from both sides of Li Wei, leaving only a thin aisle in the middle.They were yelling something, their voices were all kinds of strange, most of them were vernacular that Li Wei couldn't understand at all, even the common language had a thick and difficult accent, but there was one sentence that was very clear.

"Salute to you! Griffon, Levi! Salute to you! Levi, Griffin!"

The leader of Worf stopped tactfully and let Li Wei greet the cheers and shouts of the aborigines alone.He understood that the honor Li Wei received was not a fluke, but when he saw a beautiful werewolf in a certain tribe that he had always coveted rushing out of the crowd and kissing passionately—attempted—he still couldn’t help muttering .

"Actually, your leader Worf is also very heroic..."

Li Wei walked quickly past the boiling crowd amidst the noise, blushing with excitement, and was entangled by an overly enthusiastic werewolf woman during the period, which scared him to double his speed immediately.

There is an empty chair in the middle of the high platform. This chair is covered with a thick red wool blanket to distinguish it from other similar chairs.Crow Queen Siegfried and Roaring Bear Donner stood on both sides of this chair. The former had obviously drank a lot of kirsch, his face was flushed, and his usual cold appearance was very different.The latter didn't drink at all, but because the traveler's costume had been cut to pieces during the battle, he put on a thick leather armor of a werewolf, and his furry appearance looked more like a giant bear.

A tall lizard woman brought up a glass full of cherry wine. Li Wei remembered that her name was Lacelin, and she was an outstanding archer of the Sharpthorn tribe.With the lessons learned from the female wolf head, Li Weijia took the cup a little cautiously, and then withdrew his hand as quickly as possible without losing politeness.

Li Wei has never been able to drink, but this time it is obviously not to be refused.Including Donna, everyone's faces were filled with joy. They raised their glasses to toast, and Li Wei had no choice but to raise his glass too.Immediately cheers came from the audience, and the aborigines held up various containers containing cherry wine-including sheepskin wine sacs, wooden bowls, and pitcher plant leaves... Also, Worf held a lethal wine in his hand. Li Wei felt a little dazzled by the amphora.

"For the Griffin, for the Swamp, for the Victory!" the shout rose into the sky, and everyone drank it down.

Li Wei brought the cup to his mouth, and tried to take a sip. The wine smelled tangy, but the taste was as spicy as fire, and there was an indescribable sour smell, which made the young lord almost choke.But seeing that everyone else drank it all in one gulp, Worf drank the wooden basin upside down in one gulp, as if he wanted to drink it to death.Li Wei felt that if he left more than half of the glass, it would be really rude.

But Li Wei quickly figured out a way.

"The heart of the castle..." The young lord silently recited, and then a bluish-white light flashed, and there was not a single drop of the dark red wine in the glass.

This little episode was not noticed by anyone. When Li Wei put down the cup without changing his expression and it was empty, the cheers sounded again, shaking the night sky like a huge wave.

Then the celebration banquet officially began, and the noisy music resounded through the night sky. Although the performances of the aborigines could not be said to be nonsense, they really couldn’t hear any decent melodies. Some drummers were obviously trained in sacrificial ceremonies. The beating was so loud that the drums shook the people nearby and made them cover their ears; the piper and the horn player each played the songs of their tribes, up and down, mixed into a chaotic melody.

This sound seems to be a catalyst for the emotions of the aborigines, making them even more excited. Some werewolves who had already drunk began to walk around with wine bags, competing with people from other tribes, even those who usually looked down on them. The fish head people and snake people are no exception, they are all drunk.

The atmosphere on the high platform was equally enthusiastic, but the duration was shorter, because although the Black Crow Queen also drank a lot, she was still relatively sober.When the mutual toast was about to turn into a fight for wine, she drove away most of the tribal leaders who couldn't restrain themselves in time, and let them go down to have fun with the people.There were very few people left on the high platform, but they were all the most important. They all had enough clear minds, and when they saw the Black Crow Queen chasing people away, they immediately understood that the next words would be very important.

"Leader Li Wei can come to help us, which surprised me." The Black Crow Queen made many tribal leaders look surprised, "Because the situation of the Griffin tribe he belongs to is no worse than being threatened by an army of undead How much better is the rotting swamp. The crow told me that the northern border is still facing the threat of a demon disaster, and the army is gathering on the extreme northern ice sheet, and this time, the threat is far greater than last time."

"Hiss, the Griffin tribe is our brother, we want to help the leader Li Wei!" The leader Gala of the Grayscale tribe was the first to express his opinion.

"Of course I want to help. The Cracking Flesh Tribe loves to eat little devils the most!" Chief Bau was the only werewolf left on the high platform, but he had already drunk a lot, and even his gray-brown hair couldn't cover his face. red light.

"We fishheads also want to help the Griffin Tribe, but the fishheads can't stay out of the water for a long time, and they can't fight in places that are too cold." The stinky fish leader scratched the scales on his cheeks with a very uncomfortable expression. Embarrassed expression.

"Everyone, please don't worry. The Rotten Swamp has just suffered such a big disaster and has not recovered. I think the support can be put aside for now..." Li Wei hurriedly persuaded them, but few people listened. Lacelin from the Thorn Tribe said resolutely, "The Griffon Tribe avenged the Sharp Thorn Tribe, and now it's the Griffin Tribe's turn to be in trouble, and the Sharp Thorn Tribe will never step back."

"The Grayscale Tribe is ready to fight side by side with the Griffin from the beginning to the end." The Gala leader said with narrowed eyes.

"What the lizardmen can do, there's no reason the werewolves can't do it." The leader of Bau said not to be outdone. "My words can represent the three tribes of the Flesh, the Tooth and the Blood Drinker."

"Master Li Wei, don't refuse." The leader of the old hag Stiba said, "Although the aboriginal tribes in the Rotten Swamp were not united at first, it was very common to conquer each other, but after so many disasters, the remaining People can fully understand the power of unity. We have no reason not to rescue our brothers, let alone retaliate against the source of the disaster. Lord Li Wei, this is not only an aid to the Griffin Tribe, but also our The counterattack of the natives of the rotten swamp against the source of the disaster!"

Speaking of this, if Li Wei said that if he refused to help, he might hurt the relationship between them, so he could only agree with a wry smile, but he also pointed out that the loss due to the rotting swamp was also very large. In particular, the crops planted by many tribes that live on planting have been severely damaged; in addition, although the ceremony of summoning wormwood has been destroyed, the magic power of the undead remaining in the clouds has caused a very troublesome impact on the soil , so the number of reinforcements sent by the Rotten Swamp this time must not be too large.

Levi also said that he would use food and other supplies in exchange to help the various tribes of the Rotten Swamp to tide over the difficulties.

The generosity of the young lord made many tribal leaders show embarrassment, but food and other supplies are indeed very important to the tribe that has just suffered a disaster, so after a little pushback, they are still very happy to accept it.

The next topic turned to the composition of the reinforcements.During this disaster, at least dozens of small tribes were completely destroyed, and some large tribes also suffered heavy losses. For example, among the three wolfhead tribes that have always been known for their bloodthirsty warlikeness, the Flesh Cracker tribe lost Nearly half of the adult fighters.In addition, although some aborigines have good combat effectiveness in the special terrain of the rotten swamp, once they come to the northern border where it is freezing and dripping into ice, it is not easy to persist in surviving. Small tribes such as headmen, snakemen, and frogmen also include a large number of hags.These aborigines, who are good at moving flexibly in the mud of the swamp, have a sharp drop in combat effectiveness when they arrive on the shore, even inferior to trained ordinary militiamen.

In addition, although the Lizardmen were still very good archers after they left the swamp, due to their hibernation characteristics, the severe cold would make their movements extremely slow, and at most they could only assist Li Wei in defending the town.

After some research and quarreling, everyone came up with a list of reinforcements, including a total of 120 elite werewolf warriors from the three werewolf tribes, 60 lizardmen archers from the two lizard tribes, and 20 from the black crow tribe. There are 80 big crow scouts and all black crow witches.

This group of troops has gathered the most elite forces of several aboriginal tribes, and together with the leadership of the tribal leaders, it is enough to fight against an army composed of thousands of little devils. It can definitely be called a force that cannot be ignored in supporting Li Wei. .

However, when it came to how to go to the Griffin Tribe, everyone suddenly realized that this was a big trouble.The aborigines of the Rotten Swamp have a very bad reputation in the minds of the Northern County people. Although they cannot be compared with such horrible disasters as demons and the dead, they are not much different from robbers and bandits.With so many aborigines acting together, it is enough to be called a siege army. Even a strong castle like North Aura may be breached if caught off guard, let alone a small castle of an ordinary lord.

For the people of Beijing County, this is almost a great panic that is no different from the coming of a demonic disaster. I am afraid that the possibility of mobilizing an army from Dirk City to kill them is very high.Even if Dirk City didn't send troops to stop it, once they found out that this army was going to the north of the Dusk Forest, it would be very troublesome whether the swamp aborigine tribe, whose guards were suddenly empty, would attract the kingdom's army to attack. things.

Regarding this problem, everyone including Li Wei was at a loss. Of course, the heart of the castle can accommodate thousands of troops temporarily stationed, but Li Wei is more aware that once the alchemy item of this artifact is exposed, it may give him and Those around him bring even greater disasters.

It's not that Li Wei doesn't trust the aborigines and thinks they can't keep secrets, but that the more people who know such secrets, the greater the chance of mistakes.

Black Crow Queen Siegfried was the only one who seemed to be confident among all the people. Holding the cup, she sipped the kirsch and hiccupped from time to time.When Li Wei asked her with luck, the answer he got really had a strong personal style of the Black Crow Queen.

"No need to worry, uh, the young leader of the Griffin Tribe." The Black Crow Queen smiled drunkenly, "There is definitely a way for the reinforcements to reach your territory smoothly, because I have seen that the flags of several swamp tribes are flying Under the golden griffin banner!"

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(End of this chapter)