Heart of the Castle

Chapter 695 Destroyed Army, Coincidence or Conspiracy

The main body of the towering city wall of Dirk City is still largely intact, but the subsidiary crenels and towers are all damaged due to the flames of war, especially near the city gate that has been fiercely contested several times.

When Li Weiston rode the Dark Nightmare of the Northern Territory and passed the iron gate with several thick gaps, he couldn't help but look up at the extent of the damage, and at the same time he secretly estimated in his heart that if the battle continued, the city that used to be the Northern Territory would be destroyed. How long can the city survive under the siege of tens of thousands of undead troops?
The answer, of course, is not ideal.When passing under the granite arch, Li Wei saw that the surface of the city walls on both sides was covered with traces of great swords and battle axes. I can imagine the horror of the battle at that time.After the twenty-centimeter-thick oak gate covered with brass was hacked into pieces by the undead with a huge axe, the iron gate alone could not block it for too long. The guards even had to build a defense line to protect the city with flesh and blood. There was a fierce confrontation with the army of the undead at the gate of the city.

The leader of the city guards of Dirk City was seriously injured in the fierce battle on the first day, so the guards have temporarily been assigned to the command of Flame Wheel Knight Wilps. Wearing the iconic fiery red armor, he led the griffin Several high-ranking members of the regiment and the city guard team leader stood inside the city gate to greet them.Seeing Li Wei's figure appear, Wilps took a step forward and slammed his right fist on the breastplate.

"Your Excellency, the guardian of the entire Kingdom of Arthur, Willpus, the head of the first branch of the Griffin Knights, has completed the task of guarding Dirk City and returns to you!"

"Loyal and brave soldiers, the Kingdom of Arthur will remember your achievements and reward you with territories and titles." Li Wei jumped off his horse neatly, knocked on his chest in return, and announced loudly. Sweeping in front of the two knights, the Griffon Lord couldn't help secretly heaving a sigh of relief when he saw that all the familiar faces were safe and sound.

"It seems that the deceased did not attack with all their strength. If their goal was to destroy Dirk City, it would be difficult to hold on to it by relying on the strength of the city guards of Dirk City and the first regiment of Griffins alone. It's also very dangerous to have the angel Restoration Robinson assisting in the defense." Levi thought as he stepped forward, and then saw a strange face in the crowd wearing a tattered aristocratic dress.

"Wilps, this is..." Li Wei frowned and asked softly, but he didn't get an answer immediately, and he also saw a rather embarrassing expression on the face of the flame wheel knight.

"Lord Li Wei, he is... I mean, it was a misunderstanding, an unfortunate misunderstanding." Wilps' explanation could only be described in vague terms. Before Li Wei could continue to ask, the stranger had already used He cried out in a sad and resentful tone, "Your Excellency the Regent, it's me, don't you even recognize me? I'm Ba... Chief Berrick!"

It took Levi at least ten seconds to remember who the divine "Bo...Berrick" is, and then it took another ten seconds to vaguely see the blood-sucking prince's face from the swollen eyeballs and black cheeks. look like. "Bo... Chief Berrick," the Griffin Lord showed a surprised expression, "How did you become so inhuman and ghost? Could it be that those liches who sued the Council of the Dead to you? Under the poisonous hands?"

In fact, Li Wei still has more questions that he wants to ask, that is, if the Council of the Dead really turned against him, how could the Chief Bamilian be able to stand here alive?

The expression on the face of the Bamilian manager was very aggrieved. He glanced at the flame wheel knight Wilps standing beside Li Wei, and then took out a white handkerchief from his arms and wiped the corners of his eyes, "Your Excellency the Regent, just as Wei What Mr. Wilps said just now, this is an unfortunate misunderstanding. It is also my fault that I came too hastily when I came, and I didn’t bring enough tokens to prove my identity. Mrs. Wilps and the others are so vigilant , so..." He let out a long sigh, closed his mouth and stopped talking.

Li Wei knew that it would be rude to smile at such a time, but it was not easy to hold back. He lowered his head and suppressed his smile with a dry cough. It took a full minute before he spoke, but there were still some tremble. "My lord, please come with me. In the event of the siege of Dirk City by the undead army, your contribution is no less than anyone else, and I also want to hear the final whereabouts of those who sued the dead."

"Everything is in accordance with your instructions, Your Excellency the Regent." The Bamilian manager showed a flattering smile, but due to his bruised face, the effect was not good, but it had a strong sense of comedy.Li Wei gritted his teeth to stop the smile, flew on the horse, and then patted the head of the black nightmare in the north. The black horse leaped forward lightly and ran to the forefront of the team.

The sheriff's mansion in Dirk City is a rather large square building with a simple and solid style unique to the northern counties. With several pointed guard towers like giant guards, this building is not so much the residence of the Northern County Sheriff as it is a small military fortress.

However, since the owner here, Ricardo Feng Earl of Ansair, died in battle at St. Whitestone Castle, the mansion has been in a state of desertion. Most of the servants of the Ansair family have left, and only the old housekeeper brought a few elderly people. The servants are still standing silently, looking forward to the master who may never return.

When Li Wei and others arrived in front of the mansion, the old butler who had met him once led all the servants left by the Ansair family and stood on both sides of the opened gate. Nightmare's youthful figure and the vigorous voice of the old housekeeper are still the same as before. "Guardian of the entire Kingdom of Arthur, Sheriff of the Northern Territory, Lord Leviston, Lord of the Griffin!" He announced loudly, as if there was still an owner in the mansion, and he would come out to greet him in the next moment.

Li Wei jumped off his horse. He really wanted to say comforting words to the old man, such as his master is still alive, but thinking of the current embarrassing situation of Earl Ansair, the Griffin Lord finally gave all The words turned into a sigh.

Although the mansion was dilapidated due to the loss of its owner, it was not left unattended. At least the stone hall was clean and tidy. A raging fire was burning in the fireplace, illuminating the surroundings, but it didn't look too hot.The long table covered with red velvet has already set up silver candlesticks and various fresh fruits. The old butler opened up a seat for Li Wei, and waited for the Griffin Lord and his entourage to take their seats. Then he clapped his hands and held all kinds of delicious food. The servants came out one after another, and the waiter who walked in the front was holding a pot full of appetizing cold soup, and the air was filled with the smell of sweet cheese, honey, fennel, mint, pink flowers and other precious spices.

At most, Li Wei was only focused on filling his rumbling stomach, and he didn't even try cold appetizing soup in a carved silver bowl, because he found that this kind of cold soup made with precious spices and red wine tasted delicious. Afterwards, it seems more hungry, even if a lot of cheese is added to it and it is made as thick as possible.While waiting for the main course to be on the table, Li Wei and the manager of Bamilian, who was arranged on his right side, talked in a low voice from time to time, and the haze between his brows was still difficult to dissipate.

In fact, the news brought by the Bamilian chief is almost all favorable. For example, the members of the Council of the Dead have led the high-level undead creatures to leave, and the other four pieces of the seven secret treasures of the undead are also left in exchange; If you personally admit defeat, the organization of the deceased will be silent for a hundred years, re-accumulate strength, and wait for the day of eternal night in the legend of the long-sleeping leader Ku Ximo.

However, Li Wei has always been hard to let go of certain things. Although Dirk City is relatively close to the border, it is still nearly a hundred kilometers away, and there are more than a dozen villages and towns scattered around. Due to the large-scale construction of the northern border, these Villages and towns have wooden walls, watchtowers, and dozens of well-equipped guards.The army of undead suddenly poured into the northern border as many as tens of thousands. Of course, the self-defense forces of these villages and towns could not resist, but Li Wei was a little surprised that even a bit of news could not be spread through the earth altar in time.

More importantly, the timing of the appearance of this undead army was too strange. It happened to appear at the critical moment when the coalition forces of the second eastern county and the desert country regained the king's capital Fermeyer and lost the battle. The possibility of going to the rescue is completely wiped out.

There had been collusion between the abyssal demon and the accused for a long time, but they were so highly consistent with the actions of the coalition forces, which made Li Wei doubtful, wondering whether it was purely a coincidence or some kind of conspiracy.

Accompanied by the sizzling sound of lard frying, the main course of the banquet was brought to the dining table with the joint efforts of two cooks. It was a huge silver plate like a knight's tower shield, engraved with the words of Ansair The Iron Ring crest of the family.The old butler walked to the silver plate with graceful steps, and lifted the lid on it. A burst of hot air filled with a rich aroma spread out, and several roasted pigs with golden skin and crispy skin lay quietly in the middle of the plate.

Li Wei secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, running around all day and fighting all night, he felt that he might be able to clean up these roast pigs by himself, and he didn't even have to spit out the bones.The other people on both sides of the long table also had expressions of hunger and thirst, and their eyes were fixed on the roast pig, even Wilps, who had always been rigorous, was no exception.Only Bamilian, who has always been fond of exquisite food, looked a little gloomy. He didn't even look at these delicious roast suckling pigs, and just drank the schnapps in the horn glass one after another.

When the cook cuts the suckling pig into thin slices with the skin on with a sharp silver knife, the crisp crackling sound is simply mouth-watering, not to mention the boiling hot oil that flows out.Half of Li Wei wanted to divert his attention, and half of him approached the Bamilian manager with some curiosity, and asked softly, "My lord, from the very beginning, I saw that you just drink, is it because the taste of the food is not to your liking?"

"Oh, Your Excellency the Regent, this is the roast suckling pig that the famous Ansair family entertained distinguished guests. How could it not suit your appetite?" The tone of the Bamilian manager at least contained a sense of grief and resentment. As for Li Wei couldn't judge other emotions. "You must not know, right? Even the last time His Majesty the Dragon King came to the northern border, he was unable to eat this kind of roast suckling pig because of bad timing. Eat it once, even if you lose a year of life, you are willing."

"That's strange," Li Wei raised his eyebrows a little strangely, "Boss Bamilian, since the food is in line with your taste and it is the food you dream of, why is your face so ugly?"

"Isn't it because of the vampire..." Director Bamilian blurted out without thinking because of his emotions, but his cautious nature made him wake up later, and replied in a low voice, "This body seems to be indifferent to everything that has been cooked by flames. Interesting, I ate a boiled apple just now, it was cooked thoroughly, it should be sour, sweet and juicy, but the taste was so horrible that my tongue was almost numb, and only shochu could barely drink it.”

Li Wei took a sympathetic look at the sad-faced Chief Bamilian, and then watched the waiter put the steaming pork in an insulated wooden plate and bring it in front of him.Li Wei was born in a poor peasant family, and even though he later became a high-ranking official, he was not greedy for food, but the pork in front of him was too tempting. He picked up a silver knife from the table, and at the same time, another Reaching for the salt dish, he sprinkled a pinch of salt mixed with cinnamon and cumin powder over the meat.

It's a pity that the griffin lord's delicious meal was destined not to be enjoyed smoothly. Just when Li Wei forked a piece of pork and was about to put it in his mouth, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. Pulling out the saber from its scabbard, he raised the shield with his left hand to protect his body, while shouting in a deep voice.

"On the order of Li Weiston, the head of the Griffon Knights, unless there is an emergency military situation, no entry is allowed!"

"Yes, it's an emergency!" A sergeant major of the Deke City Guards came running quickly, panting heavily, and said loudly, "A troop suddenly appeared outside the city, the number of which is about two Around a thousand, they claimed to be allies of the Kingdom of Arthur and asked to enter Dirk City to rest and take refuge!"

"A troop of about 2000 people?" Li Wei put down the table knife in his hand, pushed aside the seat and stood up, "Please come in and report in detail." He ordered, and the two champion knights moved away to the left and right.

Dozens of well-known knights in the northern region were sitting in the huge hall, and their eyes were all focused on the direction of the door. The sergeant major had obviously rarely seen such a big scene, so he swallowed nervously, and then He tapped the breastplate in a hurry, and bowed deeply to Li Wei again. "Your Excellency the Regent, and my lords, I'm very sorry to disturb you, I mean..." His face turned pale, his voice trembled, and the meaning in his words began to be confused.

"Don't be nervous, speak slowly." Li Wei picked up a horn glass full of red wine from the table, walked up to the sergeant major and handed it to him, "Let's take a sip to moisten your throat... Since they claim to be allies What kind of armor do you see those people wearing, and what kind of banner are they flying?"

The sergeant major took a few sips of the wine glass in both hands, the paleness on his face gradually faded, and most of the sense of fear had obviously disappeared, "Your Excellency, the light outside the city is very dark, and the army didn't light many torches, but there are still It can be seen that they are very embarrassed, as if they have just lost a battle. Many people were injured, and the armor they wore was damaged and messy. Some of them didn't even hold anything except a weapon. As for the flags... The flag..." The sergeant major narrated while trying to recall the details in his mind, and suddenly he exclaimed in surprise, "I remembered, it's a blue-black background with a red crescent moon embroidered on it!"

"Red Crescent?" Li Wei raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't that the flag of Abraham, the desert country? They have already arrived here?"

Sir Rodriguez took a step forward, "Master Levy, let me represent you." He suggested in a low voice, "Whether those people are Abraham's troops or not, it is not appropriate for you to come forward from the beginning."

Levi thought for a while, then nodded heavily, "Just do as you suggest, Sir Rodriguez, please lead twenty champion knights to meet our allies outside the city. To ensure safety, Reese Trubinson is going too."

Seraphim, who was sipping ale, raised his handsome and indifferent face, and answered in an equally rigid and indifferent voice, "Yes, Lord Li Wei."

Sir Rodriguez tapped his breastplate to express his orders, and when he was about to turn and leave, he was stopped by Li Wei again, "If possible," the Griffin Lord ordered softly, "Try not to conflict with them, after all, they are both The kingdom of man."

The Scourge Knight was silent for a while, then nodded his head very slightly, "I will try my best. But Master Li Wei, what I want to say is that conflicts between human nations may not be better than foreign enemies."

After saying these warning words, Sir Rodriguez suddenly turned around and strode away from the sheriff's mansion. His black cloak fluttered in the night wind, like spreading a pair of black wings.Rist Robinson, who was wearing a white linen robe, followed closely behind, with the Holy Sword of Dawn casually hanging on his waist, his breath indifferent, as if he was just an ordinary person who didn't even understand the seeds of battle energy.

Li Wei watched them leave, and then returned to the long table to eat in a hurry. Although the roast suckling pig had cooled down, the taste was still amazing. The tender and juicy pork just entered the mouth, and the pork fully soaked in the sauce was accompanied by The taste of precious spices exploded, filling the entire mouth, as if even the tongue would be completely melted in this delicious taste.

An expression of disbelief appeared on Li Wei's face, and the movements of his subordinates did not slow down at all because of surprise, and the knife immediately forked towards the next piece of pork.Fortunately, he ate fast enough to barely fill his stomach before there was another noise outside the mansion, and then got up to greet him.

(End of this chapter)