Heart of the Castle

Chapter 554 The Difficult Journey Through the Dusk Forest

Maybe it was the reason for making sufficient preparations in advance, or maybe it was the blessing of the unpredictable goddess of fate. In short, the journey of 12 refugees through the Dusk Forest went smoothly at the beginning.Although it was unavoidable that some timid refugees and nobles were frightened and trembled by the howling of wolves from time to time, except for a group of wet pants that needed to be cleaned, the brigade did not have any more troublesome troubles.

Since the establishment of the Kingdom of Arthur, perhaps only in the era when King Arthur VIII personally conquered the rebels in Greencastle, the Dusk Forest has seen such a magnificent scene.According to the pre-made formation, strong men walk outside with their bags on their backs, holding simple farm tools that can be used as self-defense weapons in their hands, and are always ready to protect the women, children and the elderly inside with their bodies; some of the weakest and sickest people Being able to sit in one of the few carriages and stay with a lot of heavy luggage; others—even the elderly or children have to walk on their own feet, carrying small packages on their shoulders.

The whole team wriggled slowly like a long snake that couldn't be seen at a glance, meandering through the dusk forest shrouded in thick gray-white fog.Every 100 meters on both sides of the long snake, a small group of cavalry accompanied them, including light cavalry from the northern territories, white wolf guards, jailers of the Dreadfort, mounted scouts from the Sherwood family, and armed attendants from the Death Knights. The cavalry is led by a knight in full armor, with banners painted with family or knightly crests flying above their heads.

The soldiers on foot appear in a more stable posture. Every 2000 meters, you can see a group of [-] spearmen in a square formation protecting the same number of archers moving forward slowly, and the iron boots trample on the ground. The sound of heavy footsteps was like thunder rolling through the dense forest.In the plan to cross the dusk forest, these infantry bear important tasks. On the one hand, their presence can make the refugees feel at ease and the advancing team is more orderly; on the other hand, once the refugee team is suddenly attacked, these people can also As a support point, buy precious time for the brigade to regroup.

For the refugees from the royal capital who came to the Dusk Forest for the first time, it is great to see these fully armed figures. Seeing the figures of soldiers and the flash of metal, their uneasy mood will become much calmer.

The dense gray-white mist is disturbed by the galloping horses from time to time, revealing the figures of knights riding forward; the high-pitched and clear military horns of the orderlies sounded at the front and back of the team almost every moment, echoing each other; Playing the marching drum, there is a slow and heavy drumbeat sound of "dong, dong, dong".

Leviston rode the Dark Nightmare of the North at the forefront of this huge snake-like procession, accompanied by Lord Cedric the White Wolf, Wilps the Flame Wheel Knight and several other famous knights Bamilian, the head of the court, followed closely behind on a docile pony, his fat body trembling with the bumps of the mount.

"It looks like a ball of pudding wrapped in silk..." Li Wei couldn't help but think a little rudely, "...and it tastes like roses." Then he felt a little regretful about his thoughts, after all, the lord steward still He is clearly on his side, and this kind of weird association is really traumatic to the appetite.

The speed of a large group of people on foot is usually relatively slow, and this is especially true for the group mainly composed of refugees who support the elderly and the weak. .Seeing the surrounding dense forest darken, and the fog gradually thickening, Li Wei patted the forehead of the Dark Nightmare in the North twice, signaling the black horse to stop.

"It's getting dark, Lord Wilps, how far have we traveled today?" Li Wei looked around, and then said softly, "Why do I feel that the team is moving a little slower?"

"The speed is really not fast." Wilps nodded, and the water droplets formed by the mist condensed along with this movement slid down the surface of his fiery red armor, "If you count from the Castle Black Hotel, then it should be about twenty kilometers away. , but if you calculate the distance from entering the Dusk Forest, I'm afraid...Master Li Wei, please wait a moment, I'll look for it."

As the flame wheel knight spoke, he lifted the visor on his helmet, looked around, and soon found an oak tree engraved with the symbol of crossed double swords.He took the torch from the attendant beside him, leaned over and counted the notch under the double-sword logo carefully, then turned around and said with a wry smile, "That's right, Lord Li Wei, there are knights standing in front here staying here." We walked a total of 500 meters today."

"Is it less than ten kilometers? Doesn't that mean that the team needs at least four days to cross the Dusk Forest?" Lord Cedric stroked his wet beard and muttered in disgust. "My kind father, I don't want to stay in this kind of place for four full days."

"I'm afraid there is no better choice." Wilps shook his head and replied, "There are so many refugees who need to be taken care of, and the speed of the team is already good."

"Then I'll go on patrol. It's better to gallop than to walk slowly." Lord Cedric complained angrily.

"Since this is the case..." Li Wei also looked a little disappointed. He scanned the gradually darkening forest, and then jumped off the horse. While moving his sore neck and back, he ordered the messenger to say. "Notify the rear team that today's itinerary ends here, and all camp on the spot."

"Of course, Lord Li Wei." The orderly agreed, and raised the military horn inlaid with a silver hoop to his mouth, making several long tones in the dusky forest, as if even the thick fog was stirred by it endlessly.

Everyone jumped off their horses one after another, some led their mounts to the edge of the forest to rest, some took off their helmets and wiped their faces and hair soaked in the mist, and some gathered firewood to light the campfire.The Dark Nightmare of the Northern Territory is much smarter than ordinary war horses, so it doesn't need Li Wei's instructions at all, so it wanders to the forest to look for food - the Dark Nightmare of the Northern Territory never eats with other war horses .On the one hand, many insufficiently trained warhorses can hardly bear the tyrannical aura of this mixed-breed hell creature; Sharp teeth accustomed to biting raw meat.

The armor on Levi's body comes from the blacksmith shop in the heart of the castle, and Mr. Dish, the master alchemist, added magic. Its defense is comparable to the best full-body heavy armor made by the master dwarf blacksmith, but its weight is only a quarter of the latter. one.The appearance of this armor is not very luxurious, but it looks a bit simple, but the manufacturing process is very sophisticated, the joints and seams are connected by small iron rings, which does not hinder the flexibility of movement, and ensures that there is no weakness in defense.

However, even if this armor is strong enough to resist the blow of the heavy hammer and battle axe, it can't block the pervasive damp fog. After a day's journey, the leather vest and linen shirt that Li Wei wore inside the armor were all wet with water vapor and stuck to his body coldly. Up, feeling very uncomfortable.

Finally when it was time to rest, Li Wei wanted to take off the armor impatiently, and then dry his body. However, a few alchemy swordsmen had just unfolded the tents they carried with them, and a slightly bloated figure stepped on the soft bottom. Boots, footsteps approached silently.

"Master Li Wei, today is really hard."

The powder smeared on the face of the Chief Steward also did not escape the baptism of the dense fog. I don’t know whether it was sweat or the water droplets formed by the condensation of the fog. Many conspicuous marks were drawn on his face; his loose silk robe was the same. Soaked in water vapor, it hung limply on the eunuch's shoulders.

Undoubtedly, this appearance was in a state of embarrassment, and the smiling expression on Mr. Manager's face was distorted into a funny grimace. Although it might be just an illusion, Li Wei did feel that such Mr. Bamilian was more trustworthy.

"It's okay, fortunately, the weather is still warm, even the dusk forest can smell the breath of spring." Li Wei replied, then took the cotton handkerchief from Glenn Warm, who continued to serve as the squire knight, and wiped it. Water stains on the face.

Grun Worm also handed the same handkerchief to Steward Bamilian. The steward smiled and nodded, then took it, but did not wipe the stains on his face immediately, but looked in the direction of coming with some worry glanced.

"Master Li Wei, is this warm? I feel like I'm going to freeze to death." Manager Bamili Yang shrugged his shoulders and complained, "This damn forest is damp and cold, and my clothes weren't soaked at first. The time was fine, but within half the time, the cold had penetrated into my bones, when I got off the horse just now, I almost thought I heard the creaking sound of my frozen bones and joints."

"Compared to the words of the king's capital Philmeyer, it is indeed a bit colder here." The voice of Flame Wheel Knight Wilps came over, and a tall figure in fiery red armor slowly emerged in the mist, and the heavy steel battle The boots stepped on the muddy forest wetland, making a weird gurgling sound. "Lord Li Wei, Lord Chief of the Palace." He said with a serious face, "Just now there is a response from the rear team. The camp for sleeping is basically ready, and there should be no trouble tonight."

"The camp is ready?" Director Bamili Yang repeated suspiciously, and then turned to look in the direction he came from again, "Master Wilps, I didn't see the light of the campfire, is it because the fog is too heavy? ?”

The fog in the Twilight Forest is indeed very heavy. Even with the torches lit, the sight of ordinary people can only reach a distance of about ten meters, and the farther places are covered with thick fog.The twisted branches of oak trees covered with dark green and black moss stretch out like devil's claws, appearing and disappearing with the fluctuations of the mist. Along with the thickets of countless black thorns twisting along the roadside, the whole building looks even more beautiful. The forest is full of ghosts and shadows.

But this does not mean that even the light of the campfire cannot pass through. After all, it is not one or two. When a team of tens of thousands of people camps, there will inevitably be many campfires lit. The fog that shrouded the road was driven away.

"Campfire?" Wilps asked in surprise, "Is it necessary? Now that the weather has warmed up, you can even hear the sound of the stream thawing during the day, and we have prepared enough tents to keep out the cold."

"If you're worried about wild beasts attacking, my lord, I can guarantee that there won't be any wild beasts on either side of the road." Li Wei added as he looked at Bamilian, who was still frowning.

"No, Lord Li Wei, what I'm worried about isn't the beasts, nor the cold, but the darkness." The voice of Manager Bamili Yang seemed a little different from usual, as if... his tone was firmer?
Maybe it was because of the fog, but when Li Wei turned his head to look at the eunuch's expression, he found that the charming smile on his face had indeed disappeared without a trace, and the water marks on his face actually Bring out some dignified lines.

"Night is always dark, my lord, isn't it like this in the city of Glory, Philmeyer?" Wilps' tone was a little teasing, obviously the knight didn't take the eunuch's words seriously. thing.

"That's different, Lord Wilps." Director Bamili Yang's tone was a little more anxious, "The sense of security brought by the high walls of the royal capital cannot be compared with that here, and the climate in the northern border is far worse than that of the city. It's bitterly cold near the capital, especially at night, and the visibility in the dusk forest is poor. Once there is a riot, it is likely to trigger a chain reaction. Even if it can be stopped at that time, it will take a lot of energy, and there may be bloodshed."

These words stunned Li Wei and Wilpus for a moment, and then they looked at each other, the Griffin Lord's eyes showed surprise, and the flame wheel knight was the same. "Boss Bamilian's words are indeed reasonable. Since this is the case, Lord Wilps, order the messenger to sound the horn to notify the entire army and assist the people in preparing firewood. I want to see that every camp is lit."

"Of order, Lord Li Wei." Wilpus saluted by knocking on his chest, and then strode into the dense fog, followed by thunderous orders. "Commander, issue an urgent order, all troops prepare firewood and light the bonfire!"

The sound of the horn faithfully conveyed this order, and the resounding sound resounded through the night sky of the Dusk Forest.More than one knight couldn't help complaining after hearing the order, because they had been tired all day and were just about to rest, but they had to lead their soldiers to cut firewood for lighting the campfire.

Almost all the knights in Northern County had seen the horror of the Dusk Forest. If they were a small group of people, they would do the same without a horn to urge them to do so in order to guard against the attack of wild beasts.Of course, the wild beasts along Guangyao Avenue have all been expelled and cleaned up by the bobcats and wolves, and there will be no similar incidents at all, but even knights who don't know the inside story can be sure that no wild beasts dare to attack in the Dusk Forest Such a large team.

After all, the nature of beasts still knows that the weak prey on the strong, and no herd of beasts can be the opponent of a large group of tens of thousands of people. If they attack rashly, they may cause some chaos and casualties to the refugees, but those beasts don't want to live. go back.

However, their complaints were not really spoken out. This was not only because the horn sounded continuously, and the same order was repeated three times; They got up one after another and ordered their troops to assemble. After a few minutes, their figures had already disappeared into the dense forest.

Now that the direct subordinates of the Griffon Lord could do what they ordered, the other knights exchanged helpless glances with each other and shouted.In fact, they all had the support of fighting energy, and they didn't consume much physical strength at all, but they were mentally exhausted by the thick fog like continuous drizzle and the slow marching speed.

This job was not as difficult as they imagined. Many strong refugees were happy to go to the forest to cut firewood under the protection of the soldiers, and the escort mission was even more risk-free.As more and more figures came back with firewood, piles of bonfires burned quickly. If one looked down from the sky, the entire camping team along the way turned into a huge fire. The snake cut through a quarter of the thickness of the dusk forest, which was like a thick black barrier.

This night, under the protection of the crackling campfire, the night, the cold and the dense fog seemed to be driven far away, and at the same time, the heavy haze that had been lingering in people's minds since they left the capital, no matter what Whether it's the nobles of the royal capital or the poor farmers, everyone's bad mood has been greatly relieved.When they were on the road early the next morning, Li Wei and others were pleasantly surprised to find that the speed of the brigade seemed to have increased compared to yesterday.

This should really be attributed to Bamilian, the head of the palace, but when the Griffin Lord found him, the eunuch seemed to have contracted a fever because of his wet clothes yesterday. His round face was red and hot, and he was wrapped in a bed. The blanket shivered in the carriage.

Li Wei had no choice but to perform a healing technique for him, which saved him from the embarrassing situation, and at the same time, he received a lot of gratitude from the eunuch.It wasn't until he got back to the front of the team and rode the Black Nightmare in the North that Li Wei suddenly remembered that what he originally wanted to say to the court chief had been completely forgotten.

With the experience of the first night, when they camped in the evening of the second day, the knights led their soldiers to cut firewood without orders.The light and heat brought by the bonfire made the Twilight Forest no longer look scary, and after several days of continuous felling, the Road of Glory that runs through the forest itself has been doubled in width, and the trees on both sides of the road have also thinned out a lot.

Looking at the road wide enough to allow four fully armed knights galloping side by side, Li Wei showed a thoughtful expression on his face. After this, the Dusk Forest may not continue to be an obstacle blocking the northern and southern parts of Northern Border County. , both business travelers and pedestrians can pass through relatively safely and smoothly.

This is a result that no one thought of before.

After the golden sun and the three moons alternated three times, Lord Cedric, who volunteered to serve as a ranger patrol, galloped back before noon, with a satisfied smile on his face. the first time.

"Lord Li Wei, the exit is not far ahead, it's only two kilometers away at most."

(End of this chapter)