Heart of the Castle

Chapter 492 Behavioral Guessing Castle
After a few minutes, Li Wei's voice cut through the silence, "The Marquis with a sword... There are more orc robbers. It is difficult for us alone to resist. It is impossible to achieve the glorious results of the Battle of the Blade Rift. What should we do? Can we just leave these villagers alone and let them suffer the anger of the orc bandits' revenge?" He became more and more excited as he spoke, his sharp tone was discussing the matter There was a dull echo from the walls of the hall.

"Master Levi, you don't need to put a burden that doesn't belong to you on your shoulders. It's really unbearable." Sir Rodriguez wiped the giant iron star sword with an oilcloth, and turned his head to comfort him. , "If that bloody fury of Kalmos leads the orc army to take revenge, it means that the all-out war between the Kingdom of Arthur and the orc tribe cannot be resolved by dozens of us."

"In that case," Li Wei's brows still did not stretch, "this village may become the first victim of the war, and it will be difficult for the villagers we want to save to escape."

"Then should we just let the orcs plunder the village and ignore it?" Mr. Dish said with unobvious sarcasm, "Let these villagers struggle after plundering again and again, and in the end they are forced to leave their ancestors for generations. To live in the homeland is to die of hunger, cold or disease?"

"That's right." Li Wei seemed troubled, "But maybe it was our act of annihilating the orc bandits that prompted this conflict to start earlier."

"Short-term pain is worse than long-term pain. For these villagers, a certain result means relief." Mr. Dish said thoughtfully. "What's more, the behavior of those orcs is very abnormal. There are many intriguing things in it. We may not have the opportunity to solve the problem."

"You mean, there is something wrong with the looting behavior of these orc bandits?" Li Wei's eyes flickered. "Don't the orc tribes live on nomadism and robbery?"

"It's true to be nomadic and plundering, but Master Levi, have you noticed that the range of activities of these orcs is not too close to Firmeyer?" Mr. Dish said, twirling his white beard, "Here The grasslands are not lush, and most of them have been reclaimed as arable land. For the orcs, such a place is not suitable for grazing, and the only things that can be robbed are the crops planted by the villagers, the brewed ale and the breeding livestock."

"Isn't this enough for them to grab?" Sir Rodriguez snorted.

"Orcs believe that power is hidden in the bodies of beasts, and only by eating them alive can they gain the power of these beasts, and they think that oats, potatoes and other crops are cowardly food, and they are only given to useless old and weak women and children. Slaves fill their stomachs," replied Mr. Dish. "So for the orc tribe, this is the most barren place, there are few wild animals, and the livestock raised by the villagers have been robbed long ago. Why do they still linger?"

Li Wei had a thoughtful expression on his face, "So, the orcs are not simply robbing, but have other plans? The apprentice bachelor in the village said that the orc robbers wanted to drive them out of here with fire and massacre. Could it be that what the orcs want to grab is land?"

"If the orcs want land, there are many places with more water and grass on the Moonwhisper Plain. If they want to settle down, then it is against their nomadic tradition." Rodriguez shook his head and said, "I don't Think they need to grab land."

"Unless they're hiding from something," Levy added.

"On the Moon Whisper Plain, the orcs are the most terrifying robbers and disasters. Although the orc tribes continue to attack each other, the defeated tribes will quickly integrate into the victorious tribes. This is also one of their traditions." Mr. Dish used Knuckles knocked on the wooden plate in front of him, "Not because of humans, not because of beasts, and not because of internal strife among orcs, so is there anything they need to avoid?"

Levi and Sir Rodriguez looked at each other and blurted out almost at the same time: "It's a devil!"

"This is probably the only reasonable explanation." Mr. Dish nodded and said, "When you went to raid the orc bandits, I had a detailed conversation with the villagers here. The orc bandits rarely attacked here in the past years, and there is no record of continuous infestation. , This time their behavior, even the old people who have lived on the Moon Whisper Plain for five or sixty years have never seen it before."

"Being able to drive the orc tribe where the Eastern Beastman King is located here, it seems that the scale of the demon army attacking Xifeng County is by no means average. I'm afraid it will not be much inferior to the demon army we defeated at the Great Wall of Ice Wall in the north." Luo Luo Sir Driggs' expression was as calm as frozen ice, but Levi saw a hint of worry in his eyes. "There is no rushing Heihe natural barrier here, and there is no Great Wall of Ice Wall as hard as steel. What can we use to stop the attack of demons?"

"Orcs." A mysterious smile appeared on Mr. Dish's face.

"That's impossible. Orcs won't negotiate with humans. In their minds, humans are synonymous with weakness. Even knights who can defeat them one-on-one are considered cowards in iron clothes." Sir Rodriguez said, "Knight Martin once defeated an orc, Yoku, but that orc would rather die in battle than let us leave smoothly."

"It is indeed difficult, but if we handle it properly, the orcs will become a very powerful force." Mr. Dish replied, "The orcs are a warlike and bloodthirsty race, and they were driven here by the demon army. I can tell that the heads of these green skins are full of thoughts of revenge. The demon army is the common enemy of the orcs and us, and this is the reason for negotiating with them."

"Even if the orcs agreed to negotiate, the nobles and lords of Westwind County would not agree." Sir Rodriguez raised a new question, "The towns and villages here are often plundered by orc robbers, and human troops often attack Weaker orc tribes. The slaughter between humans and orcs can even be traced back to the time when King West Wind ruled this land, and the accumulated hatred is almost irresolvable."

"If this matter is easy to complete, I'm afraid we can see the coalition of humans and orcs by now." Mr. Dish smiled mockingly, "There is definitely more than one person who can see this, but they Either they are powerless, or they are unwilling to come forward for various reasons..."

"Since they don't want to come forward, then let me do it." Li Wei's face was reddened by the fire in the fire pit, and his expression looked extremely resolute. "With the status of the special envoy of the kingdom and one of the nine-pillar families, there should not be many lords in Xifeng County who dare to publicly oppose it?"

"Li Wei, I must remind you that negotiating with the orcs will be a very difficult process, and if you succeed, it may also become a reason for you to be criticized by many nobles." Mr. Dish said with a serious expression, "You have Are you mentally prepared for this?"

"Compared with the safety of Arthur's kingdom and the life and death of tens of thousands of people, the censure I personally received is nothing to mention." Li Wei replied sonorously, "The gods in the sky will see our actions and do something for them. Make a fair decision."

"Then let's rest as soon as possible. We will go to the lord here to identify ourselves and get support tomorrow morning." Mr. Dish said, no one could see the sudden flash of sadness in his eyes, let alone hear his near silence mumbling to himself. "The gods...they can't see it anymore..."

Levi nodded, and with the help of Sir Rodriguez, he took off his armor, then found a warm place by the firepit, and pulled the cloak over his body.But just as he lay down, he raised his head again. "Mr. Dish, you just said that the orcs have two kings, one is Karmos, and who is the other?"

"The names of the two orc kings have been passed down from generation to generation. The name of the east king is Karmos, and the name of the west king is Amtat." Mr. Dish explained: "Of course, the title of beast king is just added to their heads by humans. Forget it, the orcs call them East Gulun Wakao and West Gulun Wakao. According to the literal translation of the orc language, Gulun means grassland, and Wakao means the commander-in-chief of the Lord of Armies, so this name is should be……"

"Karmos, the governor of the east field, is bloody and violent?" The words that the Griffin Lord blurted out caused the old magician to fall into an inexplicable cough, and he managed to catch his breath. "Master Levi," he gasped and laughed. , while struggling to squeeze out intermittent evaluations from his mouth, "Your abbreviation...is really appropriate."

Li Wei originally thought that he could only take a nap for a while at most, but when he opened his eyes again, the sky was already bright, and the golden morning light came in from the narrow windows of the meeting hall, leaving shiny spots beside the fire pond.Sir Rodriguez was sitting on the side holding the star iron giant sword, staring straight at the dark red embers in the middle of the fire pit. The movement of Li Wei getting up woke him up from his contemplation, and then turned his head.

"Master Li Wei, did you sleep well last night?"

"How long have I been asleep?" Li Wei's voice was hoarse just after waking up.

"Less than eight hours." Sir Rodriguez looked at the alchemy timer beside him, the magic light powder inside had just dropped below the fourth scale, "It's still early, you can continue to sleep for a while .”

"It's enough." Li Wei lifted the cloak covering his body, walked to the bucket in the corner of the meeting room, and washed his face with the spring water in the bucket. The clear and cold feeling immediately wiped out his remaining drowsiness. Wash and empty. "Let the Griffin Riders prepare, let's go meet the lord here."

"You don't need to be in such a hurry, Master Levi, let's talk after breakfast." Mr. Dish's voice sounded, and then he walked over with the pretentious steps of a real noble butler, and put the wooden plate containing breakfast Put it on a low table next to the firepit. "Toasted bread topped with cheese and honey, fried bacon and hard-boiled eggs, and a cold salad of potatoes and baby spinach for my master this morning."

Levi glanced at Mr. Dish in surprise. Although the old magician played the role of housekeeper without any flaws, when there were no other people, he usually would not behave so rigidly, as if he was acting.Then a voice, also from Mr. Dish's mouth, sounded in his ear, as low as a whisper. "Master Li Wei, someone is coming outside."

As if to verify Mr. Dish's words, there were several knocks on the door, and Sir Rodriguez went to open the door, and saw an old man in shabby clothes and a humble attitude standing in front of the door.

"Master Knight, the lord of Kaidarburg has sent his envoy to ask for an audience with the special envoy of the Kingdom, and he is waiting outside." The old village chief bowed deeply, his head almost lowered to his belt, and his attitude was even worse than yesterday Be respectful.

"Let him wait for a minute, I'm changing clothes." After Li Wei said this, he thought for a few seconds. He really wanted to continue wearing the armor made in the heart of the castle. Even if the armor is worn on the body of the Grand Duke, it will not appear to be demeaning.

However, after consideration, Li Wei still chose the extraordinarily simple special aristocratic coat, and at the same time wore a belt made of fine gold silk and a dark blue half-cape embroidered with a griffin pattern.After all, Li Wei didn't know the character of the lord in this place. If he went to the meeting wearing armor, it might be interpreted as a threat and cause unnecessary twists and turns.

The envoy sent by the lord of Kaidarburg was a knight, but this might be the most shabby knight Li Wei had ever seen.This person is about 30 years old, which is when the body and spirit of ordinary people reach their peak. It has long been corroded and broken. Although it has been reorganized, the poor craftsmanship makes people feel a little unbearable to witness.A shaggy pony followed the emissary, its uncombed mane juxtaposing the cavalier's tousled hair.

Seeing the well-dressed Levi walking out of the chamber accompanied by Mr. Dish and Sir Rodriguez, the messenger hurriedly saluted. He first thumped his breastplate and saluted as a knight.Then it seemed that he felt a little disrespectful, so he lowered his head deeply and bowed.

"Honorable Kingdom Special Envoy, on behalf of the lord whom I am loyal to, Sir Bandara of Kaidar Fort, I salute you, invite you to have lunch at Kaidar Fort, and apologize to you—this place is really too simple, It is not worthy of a noble person like you to live."

The emissary said in the most polite tone he could squeeze out, but it was a pity that both the words and the voice had a rustic taste of a countryman, and his actions were also stunned.

"Very well, I am also going to visit the lord here. You said his name is Sir Bandara? I seem to be familiar with this name. It should belong to an ancient nobleman." Li Wei held back his smile and spoke politely. He answered with an attitude that due to Mr. Dish’s previous special training, his tone now has the tone of an aristocrat in Firmeyer, the capital of the king. Although the real Firmeyer people can recognize the northern accent, but the current The knight obviously couldn't tell the difference, and became even more frightened.

"Yes, Your Majesty the Special Envoy, the lord's family has a long history like Kaidar Fort. It was the fiefdom of the Bandara family a long time ago, and the porcupine flag has been flying on this land for hundreds of years." The envoy explained, his tone There is also some pride in the embarrassment. "I, the ancestor of the quasi-knight Duncan is the vassal knight of this family, and I have served the porcupine banner for more than 70 years."

Ten minutes later, Levi and Sir Rodriguez led the six Griffin Knights on the path to Fort Kaidar, while Mr. Dish packed up his luggage with the rest of the Griffin Knights, and then moved forward slowly.Kaidar Fort is located in the middle of a low hill, and it is difficult to find without locals leading the way.The Duncan knight who served as the envoy walked at the front of the team, and the long sword and scabbard hanging around his waist jingled all the way, but when the thin and short pony was running on the mountain road, it was stronger than the griffin. The alchemy horses ridden by the knights were not inferior, and did not slow down the progress of the team.

They walked around the long and rugged path for two full hours. When Levi asked how far away he was, his tone was slightly impatient, and Duncan Knight finally let out a sigh of relief and pointed to the road not far away. He said to the building like a lighthouse, "Your Excellency, that is Kaidar Fort, and we have arrived."

Although Kaidar Fort is called a castle, that is just a polite way of saying it. In fact, this building was originally supposed to be a large guard tower that also served as an outpost. The diameter of the base of the tower was more than ten meters, but it definitely did not reach 20 meters; The history of this sentry tower is indeed as old as described by Knight Duncan. The tower body was originally built with dark gray granite, but it has experienced one or several collapses. During the restoration, many variegated stones were used, which made it look more It is old and dilapidated; the upper part of Kaidar Fort is four stories high, and only the uppermost floor has windows and a small watchtower, and the lower three floors have only black archery holes, in which Levi faces the front. Metal reflections were seen in several archery holes, and it seemed that the guards of the castle were fairly vigilant.

Knight Duncan jumped off his mount in front of the tower and yelled loudly.A young man in oversized leather armor and a rotting leather helmet then came up from the shadows behind the tower, a cowering look on his face.Cavalier Duncan handed him the pony's reins and asked him at the same time, "His Excellency the Kingdom Envoy has arrived. Where is Sir Bandara now?"

"In his room, he is reminiscing about the past glory of the Bandara family, Lord Duncan." The young man grunted, and then led Duncan's pony into the stable next to the bottom of the sentry tower, where There were five ponies of similar appearance, two of them older, with sword or battle-axe scars on their backs.

"Then blow the horn immediately and tell Sir Bandara." Knight Duncan announced, "Your Excellency the Kingdom Envoy has arrived, please come down to welcome the distinguished guests."

(End of this chapter)