Heart of the Castle

Chapter 489 Traveling Westward, Encountering Orcs

A group of people set off at dawn and quietly left the capital of Fermeyer from the west gate. At this time, the sky had not yet brightened, and the pale golden dawn could be faintly seen as far as the east.However, the silver moon had already set on the horizon, and the sky was covered by thin clouds, so the visibility was even worse than at midnight, and he could only clearly see a distance of three to five meters in front of the horse.

But for Li Wei and others, this little trouble couldn't stop their progress. After leaving Firmeyer, they galloped on horseback and galloped for a long time without stopping until the dim light in the sky began to disperse the night. Distant trees, hills and rivers are revealed from the shadows.

"It's dawn, it seems that today's weather is better than yesterday." Sir Rodriguez looked at the eastern sky and said with some emotion.

Li Wei turned his head and saw that the sky there was being rendered into a rose color by the sunrise, and the morning glow burning in the sky like a flame was gorgeous and colorful.The light is taking more and more land from the darkness, and the morning light climbs over the hills, rivers and forests, and finally reveals a soothing beauty to everyone.On the left side are continuous gray rock hills, standing silently like a giant sentinel wearing a white cloak, and the civil walls and thatched huts of village settlements are dotted at the foot of the hills; on the right side, the blue water of the oath river walks with everyone laughing On the soothing river surface, one can sometimes see a single-masted fishing boat with white sails passing by. The speed is so fast that Li Wei and others riding on horseback can't help but feel envious.

"If it weren't for the war horses that couldn't withstand the wind and waves, we could have gone west by boat." Sir Rodriguez said, "Not only can we save the trouble of running around, but we can also reach the famous port in Westwind County faster than riding a horse. —Arius."

"It can also make it easier for the Earl of the Magic Mountain to send us to the bottom of the river, if he really betrayed the kingdom." Mr. Dish interjected, he was still wearing the decent aristocratic butler costume, and compared to galloping horses, This suit is obviously more suitable for welcoming guests at the door of a luxurious mansion, but the old magician's posture on horseback is very relaxed, obviously he is no stranger to horseback riding.

Before the catastrophe came, Li Weiston was just a knight servant who had never left Viscount Ryan, and he knew nothing about the rest of the Kingdom of Arthur.It was the first time he came into contact with Xifeng County until Director Bamilian sent someone to deliver more than a dozen thick sheepskin volumes to him last night.

Most of the records in those volumes are outdated information or local customs, which have nothing to do with this mission, but there are too many, and even a cursory glance at each page will take a lot of time.So Li Wei brought out all the volumes, and when he was on horseback, he held one of them in his hand and read it from time to time.

Hearing Sir Rodriguez mentioned the name of Arius, a place he had just seen, Levi turned a few pages to the front of the volume, and then read the information recorded on it aloud. "The port city of Arius is adjacent to the estuary of the Oath River on the west side, and has a port that can dock dozens of brigantine ships. Because the river is rich in salt, it will not freeze even in severe winters. It is one of the most important cities in the world, and it is also one of the transportation hubs of the endless ocean trade routes."

"Well, it's been so long, it seems that the situation there hasn't changed much." Mr. Dish muttered in a low voice.

"The county city of Westwind, the port city of Arius, and the magic mountain city of Yancheng are the three most important places in Westwind County." Li Wei said according to the information he just read from the volume, "According to the previous story of the Sleepless Eye According to the information that came, Xifeng County was attacked by the army of demons when the four counties in the south fell. Iron Rock City or the port city of Aleus suddenly disappeared. Since the main focus of Sleepless Eye was on the south some time ago, it only maintained an early warning function for the intelligence collection in Westwind County, and the movement of the demon army Almost nothing is known."

"That is to say, apart from the Earl of the Devil Mountain whose position is still unclear, we also need to be on guard against the army of demons hiding somewhere?" Sir Rodriguez raised an eyebrow and said, "That's really great Looks like we don't have to worry about anything to do in Xifeng County."

"It may be more lively than you imagined, if the status of Earl of the Mountain remains unchanged." Mr. Dish replied with a smile.

Except for the Dark Nightmare in the North, the horses of Li Wei and his party are all produced in the heart of the castle. They are alchemy creatures like pikemen, archers and swordsmen, so they will neither get tired from running at full speed for a long time, nor It can sprain the feet or strain the muscles.They galloped westward along the Oath, till the golden face of Flandara rose to the top of the sky.The terrain ahead becomes more and more gentle, and the wilderness stretches forward until the end of the field of vision; the fisherman's huts on both sides of the Oath River are becoming less and less, and the farmland with black fertile soil and dense forests recede, replaced by the vast grasslands of withered yellow and dark green, And a few sporadic oak trees standing alone on the grassland.

Due to the almost infinite endurance of the alchemy horses, Li Wei and others can move more than twice as fast as ordinary cavalry troops. However, the king's capital, Fermeyer, is about ten days away from their first target, the port city of Aleus. Of course, it is impossible to get there in one go.As the sun gradually slanted to the west, Li Wei moved his somewhat stiff and numb body on horseback, and then let the Dark Nightmare in the North slow down a little.

"Sir Rodriguez, Steward Frederick, it looks like it's getting late, where are we going to camp tonight?" Levi looked forward and left and right, and as far as he could see was the vast wilderness, with no human habitation in sight.

"Tonight we should find a place with a roof and a fireplace to have a good rest. Although it is much warmer here than in the north, the cold wind is still piercing the skin after nightfall. In addition, Master Levi has been tired all day, and a little If you are not careful, you may catch a cold." Mr. Dish looked a little worried.

"Hey, Steward Frederick, I'm fine. I have the power to protect my body. I'm not that vulnerable." Li Wei replied, "Just find a shelter from the wind. We can light a bonfire or set up a tent. Come."

"We should have just entered the Moon Whisper Plain not long ago. I remember that I traveled here as an adventurer when I was young. If we continue to the west not far away, we will pass a high-ranking knight's fief. There is a small the castle, and the Grange farm that surrounds it," explained Sir Rodriguez. "With the status of the kingdom's envoy, it is obvious that we can receive a warm reception in the castle."

"It's good to have a castle to live in." Li Wei stood up on the horseback full of expectation, looked towards the west, and then sat back. "However... I think it's better not to take risks. If the owner of the castle finds a way to notify the Earl of the Magic Mountain, our mission will be difficult to complete, so it's better to find a place to pitch a tent."

"Although this place is under the jurisdiction of Westwind County, it is not considered the sphere of influence of the Magic Mountain family, and if I remember correctly, the lord of Kaidar Castle is just one of the countless small and medium lords who oppose the black death as the sheriff of Westwind County. You can rest assured in terms of safety. If you are still worried, Master Levi, we can also stay overnight in the village under the administration of Fort Kaidar." Sir Rodriguez explained, and then he glanced towards the west, "Again Hurry up and hope we can get there before dark."

They had tried their best to hurry, but it wasn't until two hours after twilight enveloped the Moon Whispering Plain that they could vaguely see the gray-blue shadow of the village wall in front of them.From a distance, the size of this village is small, but perhaps because of concerns about safety, the wall made of logs and plaster is about three meters long, which is quite high; a fence was dug outside the wall for defense The ditch is about three meters wide and two meters deep. The ditch used to introduce water, but it has been dry for many years. The bottom of the ditch is filled with sharp wooden thorns as an alternative defense measure; the villagers use a crude wooden ladder covered with wooden boards as a bridge The only tool for the trench, the wooden ladder can be suspended like a drawbridge when necessary, which is what the villagers are doing now.

When Li Wei and others approached, the sound of horseshoes broke the silence of the wilderness, so the residents in the village were alarmed. The young and strong villagers came out of the house to look around with hoes and sickles in their hands. Some bold villagers even He also boarded the watchtower behind the wall with weapons such as hunting bows.

What they saw was a full forty fully armed knights coming on horseback. This was by no means an opponent that the village could resist. Every villager who witnessed the knight column showed a panic expression. The iron pot on the watchtower that replaced the alarm bell Then it was knocked hard, and the noisy sound was heard far, far away in the silent wilderness.

"This is really a special welcome ceremony..." Li Wei savored the eyes of the villagers on him with some curiosity, and his keen perception allowed him to clearly distinguish the mixed taste.Fear, vigilance, trepidation, and there seemed to be some faint hostility and anger.This is a feeling that Li Wei has not experienced for a long time. It seems that the last time he encountered this kind of gaze was when he faced the fat village chief Huck and his cronies in the refugee camp.

In order not to make these villagers even more frightened, Li Wei ordered to stop, and the Griffon riders reined in their horses hundreds of meters away from the village.Only Sir Rodriguez rode forward with a flag in hand, slowly walking into the sight of the villagers.

"Who is the village chief here? We are the kingdom's special envoys from Fermeyer. It's getting late and we need to rest and eat here. We will pay silver coins for what you have paid. You can rest assured about this."

Sir Rodriguez's statement did not make these villagers relax their vigilance, but they did not dare to explicitly reject the Kingdom's special envoy, not to mention the large number of this special envoy and his entourage, who obviously have the power to turn the entire village into ruins.

After some whispering, an elderly man tremblingly climbed up the watchtower with a cane in his hand. He squinted his eyes and looked down and down, and then said in a trembling voice:

"Knight Master Mingjian, this is a poor village, the houses are shabby, the food and drink are unbelievably poor, and it is impossible to entertain the distinguished lords. Can you invite the lords to stay overnight in Kaidar Castle?" the old man repeated. Bowed on the watchtower and said, "The distance there is not far, and the house is much more spacious, we can send a guide to show you the way."

Sir Rodriguez frowned, and his voice became harsher, "Condescend to talk to noble people, is this how Lord Kaidar educates his subjects? Village Chief, the person who is talking to you now is the chief guard of the Kingdom's special envoy. Sir Rodriguez, we need rest, hot water and a firepit, now you immediately open the gate of the village and let us in." While speaking, the dark vindictive light flickered on Sir Rodriguez's body, and behind him The bodies of the Griffin Riders also glowed with light green light almost at the same time.

"It's the knight lords, so many knight lords!"

"My merciful Father God, quickly, open the door!"

To the uninformed countryman, this scene is more convincing than anything else.The old man almost ordered the villagers to open the door with an altered voice, and at the same time put down the crude suspension bridge.When Li Wei led the Black Nightmare into the village, he had already led a few older villagers waiting by the side of the road. When they saw Li Wei coming in, they immediately knelt down on one knee.

"Master Kingdom Special Envoy, please forgive me, we..."

"Get up." Li Wei told the villagers, "Get up all of you." Then he looked at the people in front of him in surprise.

The elderly village head was dressed most decently, but there were several patches on his trousers, and his coat was full of dust.The villagers behind him looked even more haggard and poor. Their ragged clothes barely covered their bodies and hung loosely around their bodies, making one wonder how long it had been since they had eaten, and what they were eating.

"Something is wrong. In my memory, this place shouldn't be so poor. At least the villagers have no problem getting food and clothing." Sir Rodriguez came over and said in a low voice, "I just paid attention to the surrounding fields. Although it is winter now, and the crops should have been harvested long ago, it can still be seen that those fields have been barren for a while... at least for more than a year."

The old village chief stood up with the support of a burly middle-aged man, and he almost knelt down again when he heard Sir Rodriguez's words, "Master Knight, you can't blame us for the barren fields! The robbers...those robbers are so terrifying that even the lord of Kaidar Fort has no way to deal with them, so he can only order the gates to be closed tightly to guard against them..."

"Those robbers?" Levi and Sir Rodriguez looked at each other, feeling a little strange in their hearts.Although Westwind County is not the most important food producing area of ​​the Arthur Kingdom like the four southern counties, the land is always much more fertile than that of Northern County. On the basis of self-sufficiency, some food can also be exported to the capital of King Philmeyer.At a time when the four counties in the south have fallen into the hands of demons and cannot be regained for a while, the significance of the grain output in Xifeng County has become more important than ever.

"We don't mean to blame you, village chief. Since the lords here are helpless, the responsibility for the desolation of the land should certainly not be borne by the common people." Li Wei comforted the frightened old man and said, "I am from the northern border county. Viscount Leviston, please tell me everything you know about those robbers."

"Master Levi, our mission is to find out whether the Earl of the Mountain is treasonous, and to implement the kingdom's resolution. I'm afraid there is not much time left." Sir Rodriguez exhorted from the side.

"Throwing aside my status as a special envoy and lord of the kingdom, I am still a knight, and it is exactly what you have taught me all along to restrain myself with the motto of knights." Li Wei replied, "If those robbers are nowhere to be found, Of course, completing the mission of the kingdom should be the first priority, but if it is a problem that can be solved easily, I think we should help these villagers."

Sir Rodriguez nodded with a smile and stopped persuading.As he once said to Li Wei, as long as it is something the Griffin Lord is determined to do, then the Cursed World Black Sun will do his best to complete it.

Hearing that Li Wei was going to help them get rid of the robbers, the old village head showed a hopeful expression, "Master Viscount, our place was originally called Bubble Village, and it produces the best light beer and ale in Westwind County. Recognized things can even be shipped to the market in the city of glory for sale, and go to the table of the noble lord." The old man said with a tone of nostalgia for the past, "but now it is called Mud Village, because whether it is light beer or ale , it’s all gone, and there are only pots of mud left. Those robbers took all our inventory and smashed the wine cellar into ruins. Several winemakers were kidnapped by them. They are still alive and dead. unknown."

"What did the robbers take but ale and ale?" asked Mr. Dish, coming up.

"My noble lord, those robbers rob everything, but they don't rob women. They even set fire to the food they couldn't take away. They don't even make an exception for the fields where crops are planted. They don't want to live for us at all. Opportunities, but want to use fire and massacre to make us leave the land where our ancestors lived for generations." A thin middle-aged man replied that he was wearing a scholar's robe full of dust and patches, but there was no necklace representing his identity on his neck. Apparently a trainee bachelor without a title.

"That's weird, some bandits who want to drive you away from the land?" Li Wei glanced at the apprentice student suspiciously, "Generally speaking, don't bandits want to grab as many things as possible?" ? If they drive you all away, what else is there to take?"

"I don't know, Lord Viscount." The apprentice student shook his head and replied, "But I know they are not ordinary robbers. Although they all cover their faces with things, they all use the orc language to talk to each other. Although I I don’t understand, but I can’t get it wrong.”

"Orc language? Are you saying that those robbers are actually orcs?" Li Wei asked in surprise. The apprentice bachelor was about to answer, but was interrupted by a flustered noise.

"It's not good! Village chief, those robbers...these robbers are coming again!" Following the terrified shouts, two villagers who served as guards rushed over, their faces paler than the dead.

"How many people are there?" Li Wei pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword and asked them loudly.

"Mr. Knight, they are lighting torches. I can't count them. There must be a hundred of them!" replied a villager, and at the same time, the villager behind him also said, "There are hundreds of people. Hundreds of robbers! That's an army, my lord knight!"

"It seems that we have something to do tonight." A smile appeared on Li Wei's face, and the tiredness of running all day seemed to be washed away from his face by a gust of clear water. "None of the Griffin Knights have disarmed, so the horses must be usable. Sir Rodriguez, let's leave the village immediately and prepare to give those robbers a head-on blow."

(End of this chapter)