Heart of the Castle

Chapter 558
Most of the conflicts were caused by the nobles of the royal capital.In the minds of these people, Northern County is a wild land full of bumpkin lords, rude knights, and lowly refugees. It simply does not belong to the same world as the glorious capital of Firmeyer.Life in Northern County deepened this impression. They could not live in comfortable and luxurious mansions, eat exquisite and elegant food, and enjoy wonderful songs and dramas. Even the cold air was lingering with mud, Smells of leather and steel.

If all of this can be tolerated, what is even more unacceptable to those nobles who claim to be the elite of the kingdom is that in Northern County, the royal capital with a long history does not receive due respect at all.

According to the imagination of the nobles in the royal capital, this kind of "due" respect naturally includes adoring eyes, humble replies, and a respectful attitude. However, in Beijing County, even the most ordinary villager did not treat them like this Do.

If it was in the royal capital, the nobles who felt offended would of course give those low-status civilians a whip without hesitation.However, it is not so easy to do here. All the bumpkins in the north have beards and long hair, with rough expressions, burly figures, and unruly eyes. They look like a group of bandits.

Several nobles even drew their swords during the conflict, but the country bumpkins still refused to apologize, but with angry expressions, they tightly held the agricultural tools that could be used as weapons with their thick and big hands.

Picks, sickles, and pitchforks are no less powerful than the rapier swords loved by nobles in the royal capital, and the peasants holding these tools don't look like mud that can be squeezed at will.The two sides would often stand in a stalemate for a while, until the guards maintaining order arrived, and the royal nobles put away their weapons cursingly.

In the minds of many nobles in the royal capital, the guards who maintain order should stand on the noble side, use sticks to teach those stupid bumpkins a lesson, and let them know how to respect a noble lord from Fermeyer.However, to their great disappointment, the guards just ordered the farmers to put away the agricultural tools that were used as weapons, and then waved them away.More than one royal nobleman yelled at the guards, demanding that they immediately arrest those peasants who offended him. However, the knight leading the team responded with indifferent refusal and a contemptuous smile, and then led the guards to leave quickly.

These royal nobles who are as proud as male peacocks don't know that no matter whether they are lords, knights or soldiers in the northern borders, they don't have a good impression of those wealthy nobles who evacuated the royal capital in embarrassment. All fell, and the halo that lingered on the ancient family also collapsed.Even more than half of the once prestigious Nine Pillars family of the kingdom have cut off their blood, and the rest can only linger under the protection of the Griffin Lord's wings.

At least in the eyes of these northerners, that's right.

Among the Jiuzhu family, only Princess Fleisher, who is close to Lord Li Wei, is worth mentioning, and the remaining three are not worthy of respect at all.The once famous sky knight can only linger on the sick bed, even lying on a closed stretcher when evacuating; the once wise and wise star mentor is now an old man walking with a limp, and was also beaten by the flame wheel knight. He cut off his beard with a sword; as for the chief minister of the court, Lord Bamilian, although he has no ability other than flattery, he has firmly stood on the side of the Griffin Lord from the very beginning, which made many people in the northern border The impression of him is better.

While this attitude made the nobles of the royal capital feel even more disappointed, it also aroused an involuntary sense of fear.Beijing County has accepted refugees from the capital and nearby areas well, and has started to develop rapidly by taking advantage of the good opportunity of the increase in manpower, but there are not many noble children from the capital to integrate into it.

These noble children are not completely incompetent. They have all received more systematic studies. Some are good at government affairs, some are good at business operations, and some are good at planning. Compared with those northern lords, what they lack is Practical experience only.The lack of all kinds of talents has become the biggest bottleneck restricting the development of Beijing County. These noble children could have easily gained important positions, but in front of their arrogant attitude, their natural integration has become an irreconcilable contradiction.

Just like these guys standing under the steps.

Li Wei sighed silently, and pushed away the large stack of parchment on the table. "Are these all your accusations?" The young griffin lord asked calmly, at the same time slightly closing his sore eyes, pressing his aching forehead with the index fingers of both hands.

During the period when Li Wei left the northern border, the ancient hall of Green Castle was redecorated, and the once bleak huge fireplaces on both sides rekindled raging flames, baking the whole hall as warm as spring; The four walls have now been covered by gorgeous Boer wool tapestry, and the exquisite patterns describe various scenes in the legends of King Arthur's founding of the country, especially the content of previous wars.

A giant blue and white tapestry is located at the back of the hall, covering almost the entire wall. On the tapestry, a lifelike and majestic image of a griffin is drawn. Its sharp eyes are facing the direction of the gate, as if it might be possible at any time. Swipe down from the tapestry and tear the wicked to pieces with razor-sharp claws and pecks.The seat of Liviston, the lord of the Griffin, the guardian of the entire kingdom of Arthur, the head of the important ministers and the sheriff of the northern county, is located directly below the tapestry. Although it is just an ordinary oak high-back chair, it matches the aura The dozen or so heavily armed Griffin Knights standing on both sides still looked solemn and aggressive.

There were more than a dozen well-dressed nobles standing under the steps. Although they tried their best to put on a calm and composed look, their faces were all pale. If you observe carefully, you can see that their bodies are trembling slightly .

It wasn't just anger -- or fear -- but also the cold and cold along the way.Although the attires of these nobles look very decent, silk and cotton cloth are obviously far less warm than wool and animal skins. Although it is already early spring, the weather in Northern County is different from the mild climate of Glory City Fermeyer. It can still be said to be quite cold. Occasionally, when the sky is covered with overcast clouds, there will even be tiny snowflakes that melt when they fall to the ground.

"Lord Griffin, even if we take out all the parchments stored in the library of Star Academy, we can't write all the injustices we have received on it." An elderly nobleman said Said loudly in a tone as if performing a theatrical performance, and bowed deeply to Levi. "This kind of injustice has even faded the glory of our ancestors. According to the law of the kingdom, we should have drawn our swords and washed the insult with blood. However, we know that the situation is extremely serious now. Every day A citizen of the Kingdom of Arthur should put the overall situation first, which is why he came here, and I hope you can uphold justice."

"What you want is to let Master Li Wei uphold justice?" The old red-robed scholar Master Sujiad, sitting on the lower seat on the right side of Li Wei, narrowed his eyes while stroking the necklace around his neck, which was composed of gold, silver and bronze. The chain rattled between his fingers. "But judging from the things you have accused, I don't see anyone offending you, let alone fading the glory of your ancestors so seriously."

"For a rich family in the royal capital with a long history, a contemptuous look is enough to offend, not to mention that some commoners dare to straighten their necks and look straight at us when they see the figure of a nobleman, instead of bowing deeply to us! "The elderly nobleman retorted forcefully.

"That doesn't comply with the laws of the kingdom. Although there are clauses in the laws that commoners must salute nobles, it doesn't stipulate whether to bow or pay attention." Master Sujiad lowered his eyes and opened the old kingdom book in his hand. Codex, and turned to the page with the goose-feather bookmark. "Lord Earl Villars, it is rumored that you have studied the Kingdom's code of law for nearly 20 years. Presumably there shouldn't be such obvious negligence?"

Earl Villar looked at Master Sugard with a stiff expression, offended anger flashed in his eyes, but at least he knew that the status of the red-robed scholar was aloof, not inferior to an earl of a kingdom without real power. "Mr. Sugard, I hope you will think about it carefully. Your status is as honorable as ours. Would you rather stand on the side of those rude bumpkins than defend the interests of the rich and nobles?"

"Lord Earl Villar, I would like to remind you that the group of rude country bumpkins you speak of are the most solid cornerstone of Northern County." Before Master Sugard could answer, Li Wei, who was sitting in the middle, had already spoken, with a voice Cold as ice. "As a nobleman of the kingdom, I should have taken on more important responsibilities than ordinary people, so as not to tarnish the honor of the ancestors, but what you have done has disappointed me."

A young nobleman beside Earl Villars took a step forward, a white pigeon family crest inlaid with gold edging on his chest reflected the firelight of the fireplace, "I'm afraid I have to deny your accusation, Mr. Leviston. "His voice revealed a taste of contempt, and if the expression on his face was not so arrogant and disgusting, he should be quite handsome. "It's not that we nobles are unwilling to serve the kingdom, but that you haven't given us a chance to take responsibility!"

"Master Sugard, how many positions have we offered in total for all the nobles from the capital to choose?" Sir Grace, who was sitting on the other side, stopped playing with the dagger in his hand, raised his eyes, and looked sharp like a falcon After sweeping over the nobles standing under the steps, several of them couldn't help but take half a step back.

"There are a full two hundred positions, ranging from administrative officials, clerks, logistics and warehouse management officials in various towns, to teachers and librarians in Greencastle College." Master Sugard took out a bag from his sleeve. A piece of parchment, replied slowly. "However, less than [-] nobles from the royal capital have signed up, and there are even fewer who are qualified for the job."

"This is the most unbearable one of the many injustices we have complained about!" Earl Villar raised his voice and said, "Master Levy, we all come from a long-established and ancient family, among which Part of the family’s history can even be traced back to before the Kingdom of Arthur was established. We should be born to hold power and decide the future direction of the kingdom; not to manage those stupid country bumpkins in a small manor in a remote country!”

"Lord Count Villars, I believe what you said is right." Li Wei cleared his throat and said with a calm smile. "But now the kingdom is deeply troubled by evil disasters. All that can be done is to accumulate strength as much as possible. There are no important decisions that require your wise opinions. The northern border county is indeed barren and cold, but the land is vast and has a large area that has not been The reclaimed forests, wasteland, and mines are enough to supply a large army. It can be foreseen that in the future, we must develop in a down-to-earth manner, and what we need are talents who can do things in a down-to-earth manner, not just talking about it fool."

The Griffin Lord's words were resounding, and in Earl Villar's ears, it was like inserting a sharp dagger into his chest. sleeve.

"A pompous idiot?" There was a feeling of suppressed anger in his voice, "Lord Leviston, your evaluation is a bit arbitrary, isn't it? And what identity do you use to evaluate the ancient nobles of the royal capital?"

"This evaluation can only be said to be appropriate for many nobles in the royal capital." Master Sugard said, twirling his white beard. "As for Lord Li Wei's identity, I would like to remind all of you that he is the head of the kingdom's important ministers, the governor of the northern border county and the guardian of the entire territory. He is fully qualified to judge the actions of your lords during this period."

"Although Princess Fleischer is the last bloodline of the Arthurian royal family, she has not been crowned, so she does not have the power to be the guardian of the whole realm." The young nobleman whose family badge is a white dove said coldly.

"That's right! Lord Leviston, what right do you have to sit on that chair? There are people here who are much more noble than you, but they just lack some luck..."

Before the noble could finish speaking, his companion covered his mouth forcefully.However, this reckless statement had already caused enough provocation. Sir Grace, the magic sniper archer, suddenly stood up from his seat. On one side of his shoulder, the silver fir longbow had already fallen into his hand, and he immediately put on a silver alloy bow. Armor-piercing arrow, the firelight of the fireplace coated the three sharp edges of the arrow with a layer of cold blood.

"Take back your words, or I'll use this arrow to send you back down your throat." Sir Grace's voice was as steady as his arm, but the coldness of his tone left no doubt that he was going to put his words into practice. determination.

There was a commotion among the nobles of the royal capital under the steps. Even if some people have not seen the magical archery skills of the sniper archers, as long as they see the cold eyes in Sir Grace's eyes and the traces of fighting spirit on his arms, There will be no doubt about his terrifying strength.At such a short distance, unless he had the power of Dou Qi Tianhua, it was absolutely impossible to escape from Sir Grace's sharp arrow.

"What an idiot!" Even Earl Villars couldn't help but twitch his cheeks. He never thought of breaking face with Levi Ston, let alone think that Levi Ston was a lucky one who cheated the world.Although such a saying is widely circulated among the nobles of the royal capital, anyone who is reasonably clear-headed will know that it is simply the ravings of fever patients.

Airborne on the volcano of the old man, raiding the altar of demons; building the Great Wall of Ice, guarding the natural dangers of the Heihe River; fighting fiercely at the Holy White Rock Fortress, and turning the tide in the face of danger; including the night when the king's capital Fermeyer fell, the Griffin Lord led his troops to fight against the madness of the demon army The attack was resisted for four hours.Although Earl Villars didn't witness all of them with his own eyes, which of these battles can be described as lucky?If it is said that Li Weiston has achieved these great feats by virtue of luck, then his title of God of the Earth Goddess, I am afraid it would be more accurate to change it to Goddess of Destiny, right?
Seeing the sudden tense atmosphere in the hall, Count Villars hastily took a step diagonally, blocking the nobleman who was speaking rudely with his body. "I'm very sorry, Lord Guardian of the Kingdom, we have no intention of offending." He deliberately used the title that a royal nobleman denied just now, showing that his side did not question Li Wei's attitude of holding power. "That's not what Viscount Pyne wanted to express, but that he was too sad for the fall of the king's capital, and he was a little unscrupulous. Please forgive me."

Li Wei stood up slowly, his face seemed to be wearing a mask, his expression remained motionless, "Since he did not intend to offend, then I forgive his gaffe." His eyes fell on the sniper archer, "Sir Grace, Please put away your bows and arrows, these people are loyal subjects of the kingdom, although they may not be able to adapt to the change of roles for a while."

"Yes, Lord Levi." Sir Grace nodded, then put away his bow and arrows, and sat down again.

Li Wei's eyes slowly swept across the audience, and he raised the volume so that his voice could be heard clearly by everyone in the hall. "My lords, the situation facing the kingdom is not optimistic. The pace of development of Northern Border County must keep up with the changes in the situation. Once the demon army appears from the extreme northern ice field again, and the demon army occupying the king's capital will also go north at the same time. Although Jing County has two natural dangers, the Great Wall of Ice and the Twilight Forest, I am afraid it will be difficult to sustain a long-term battle against the enemy. So I ask you adults to think about it, how should the glory of the real ancient family be reflected? Is it a pretentious and arrogant gesture? Or do things in a down-to-earth manner, so as to get the respect from the people from the bottom of their hearts?"

Looking at the different expressions on the faces of the nobles below the steps, Li Wei sighed softly, "At least some people are really moved." He thought, and then raised a hand, "Today's meeting will see this So far, Master Sugard, Sir Grace, please send your lords away."

(End of this chapter)