Lord Helanza

The village of Wall is in the depths of the Paglos Mountains and is blocked by two steep mountains. The mountain roads are rugged and difficult to navigate. It is considered the outermost area of ​​the Helanza leader. Go deeper. It's about to enter the Desolate Land of Paglos Mountain, where there is a lack of all the resources needed for production and life, and humans cannot survive there. Not only that, even demonic beasts are rarely seen in that area.

It takes almost a day to go on horseback from Helanza City to Wall Village. The Tax Officer Byrd rides a short four-legged brown stallion and complains constantly that Helanza City’s mountain patrol team will only have The four Panyangs rode away, so that he could only ride a short-legged stallion.

This kind of stallion is not suitable for walking on mountain roads. Only Panyang can walk smoothly on rugged mountain roads.

Although the tax officer Bird is not tall, his usual pampering life has given him a belly that is bigger than a pregnant woman. His legs are very thin, which makes Surdak a little curious. With thin legs and short legs, how do they support his tonnage-level body in normal times?

This little stallion looks very stocky, and the tax officer Bird rides on the stallion as solid as a rock.

The two entourages of the tax officer were riding Gubolai horses, and one of the entourages was assigned by the tax officer to rush to the village of Wall first, to inform the village chief of the village of Wall, they The entire group will arrive at Wall Village at dusk and ask the head of Wall Village to prepare temporary shelter and dinner for it.

Surdak followed the tax officer Bird on the mountain road for a long time. He thought to himself that if he walked with the entourage, he would almost reach the village of Wall by now, but unfortunately he didn’t. Foresight, you can only follow the tax officer byrd through the mountains slowly.

Climbed the first dangerous mountain, the lush and green trees all over the mountain became more and more sparse.

A large area of ​​green grass and large rocks are exposed between the mountains behind. When you pass the 2nd steep mountain, you will find that the trees in the mountains can be counted on one's fingers, and the grass is too thin. It can only be seen in some gullies.

The northern slope of the distant mountain wall is full of gravel and gravel. The entire mountain is like a complete huge rock, but under the effect of years of weathering, these rocks have mottled cracks.

Didn't expect that after walking out of Helanza city and entering the mountainous area, the landform here is so different from the surroundings of Helanza city.

Surdak has no expression on his face, just like a wanderer who has been away from home for many years, standing at the door of his house and dare not walk in easily.

After walking on the mountain road for nearly a day, the tax officer Bird sat in the saddle, twisted his butt unnaturally, pointed to the mountain pass in front, and finally took a breath and said to Surdak: "It's almost here. After this mountain pass, you should be able to remember!" Surdak rode on the horse and bowed a Knight to the tax officer byrd. He couldn't wait to rush. Taking a look at the front, the Gubolai horse under him seemed like an arrow from the string, rushing directly to the mountain pass.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a village with only dozens of stone houses appeared in the mountain col in front of you. This mountain col seems to be the only green mark in the nearby mountains.

He remembered that he used to be on the battlefield. When the second squad member was resting on a ballista, Surdak told him in detail about his childhood life. That beautiful village gradually overlapped with the village in front of him. , He couldn't help turning over and dismounting, one-knee kneels was on the avenue of the mountain pass, propped his hands on the ground, and put his head close to the ground to smell the fragrance of the soil.

The tax officer Bird catches up from behind, looks at the deserted village in front of him, the long exhales one breath saying, and says with ease: "I don’t have to run here to collect taxes anymore. It's great!"

Surdak looked at Tax Officer Bird with a look of stunned expression, wondering where his joy came from.

The tax officer Byrd walked up to Surdak, stretched out his hands and patted his thick shoulders, and said to Surdak earnestly:

"Be honest, Surdak Knight, since you have become a Knight, the village of Wall will be your territory from now on. Although the official Knight certificate has not been issued yet, it will be sooner or later."

"Speaking of which I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s not you. I’m afraid I have to walk four times a year so hard. Every time I come to such a poor mountain village to collect taxes, my heart is full of heavy guilt."

Surdak didn't 't expect The Byrd tax officer would be happy because he doesn't have to go to Wall Village to collect taxes in the future.

It seems that Wall Village is a bit poorer than imagined.

Surdak asked the tax officer byrd: "Don’t you have to wait until I get the Knight certificate before handing out a piece of Fiefdom? Will this village be assigned to me? The village here. How do other people live?"

Surdak is a little worried. If his arrival is more like a disaster for other villagers in Wall Village, it will be the worst.

"Uh, that's right!" said the tax officer byrd, and then explained:

"But by convention, I think it's in the vicinity. Give you a piece of land. After all, you are impossible to deprive other villagers of their land. Even if the land belongs to you in name, you must continue to lease it to these villagers in the form of lease. The annual rent increase shall not exceed 5 of the total rent. %, and unless they are unwilling to continue to plant these land, otherwise you can not take back the land."

It turns out that the Imperial Code also has some protection policies for civilians, so who will compensate for this part of the loss? Woolen cloth? Surdak thought nonsense.

"...So the above will also give you a piece of land that really belongs to you." The Tax Officer Byrd continued.

Surdak curl one's lip, ask the question: "Wasteland?"

Byrd tax officer didn't expect Surdak to speak so bluntly, considering that he is a Knight who has entered the Academy, and has not received the Knight etiquette training of the system, the tax officer Bird felt that he could forgive his recklessness, so he explained: "This... indeed... you need to pay for the cultivation by yourself."

The most indispensable surrounding Wall Village is probably these unowned wasteland, and it is still the wasteland full of rock and gravel that cannot be cultivated. In this way, what is the difference if you do not divide the land for yourself? Even if the land is not divided, can't he take the initiative to reclaim the wasteland around the village?

"...How do you feel that you have become a Knight? It seems that there is no benefit." Surdak murmured.

The tax officer Bird mounted his stallion again, waited in front of the mountain pass, and said with a smile to Surdak: "The good territory has long been occupied, so the Grimm Empire is now encouraging the Knights. Go to other fertile planes to open up new territories."

Surdak turned on his horse and chased him up.

"I heard that the land on the plane of Warsaw is very fertile?" The Tax Officer Byrd asked Surdak curiously.

Surdak nodded, the scene of the forest camp came to mind: "It is indeed quite fertile. There are large pastures in Handanar County, where the alfalfa can grow to waist height..."

"That's really fertile ground." The Tax Officer Byrd said hopefully.

At this time, Surdak added another sentence: "Some devil will run out from time to time."

The tax officer byrd immediately complexion changed, and barely laughed and said: "Uh... actually I personally think Helanza City is still very good."

……

A meandering river flows out of dark gray stones and flows along the valley into the big mountain col. Dye this world into emerald green.

The small village of Wall was built in this mountain col. The stone houses were not neatly built. The small roads were distributed in the village. A wooden board was hung on a dead tree at the entrance of the village. The'Wall' painted with white lime powder looks a little fuzzy.

A group of villagers in linen clothes stood at the entrance of the village. They were looking forward to the sunset, and the silhouette of Surdak stretched their backs in the sunset.

As Surdak and the tax officer byrd got closer and closer, the young people in the village began to cheering excitedly, and even everyone began to sing the song of triumph in unison. The villagers used the most simple singing , Welcoming the hero in their hearts.

At this time, Surdak's heart was very disturbed. After the horse riding approached, the feeling became more and more intense. He looked at the woman standing in the front of the crowd with some anxiety.

all around from time to time someone shouted: "Surdak, good..."

At this time, a girl wearing a linen skirt and a headscarf from She ran out of the group, shouting loudly: "big brother..."

She ran very fast with the hem of her sarong in both hands, and her pace was full of youthfulness.

Running in front of Surdak, his face has become flushed, his bulging chest undulates violently, a pair of maroon's eyes are staring at Surdak, but the surprise in his eyes turns into surprise and doubt, standing in Surdak In front of him, it was like staring at a stranger.

"Are you Rita?" Surdak quickly got off the horse, put down the reins, strode to the girl, and looked at her seriously.

Surdak is right. He has a very beautiful younger sister. The white face is three-point similar to Surdak, but in the bones exudes a kind of softness. His eyes are bright and energetic. The two ends of the diamond-horned lips are slightly raised, it looks like in the bones is full of pride.

Rita looked at Surdak suspiciously, and faced the handsome Knight who could call out her name at a glance. She wanted to find some of the big brother’s shadow in her memory from the person in front of her, some places It’s very similar, and absolutely not in some places. The girl became a little confused in this brief moment, and opened her lips lightly and said: "You are..."

Before they could say it, a group of happy villagers surged up behind them. Everyone raised Surdak involuntarily, threw him into the air and caught him. This was repeated three times, and the cheers did not stop.

"Duck, your appearance has changed so much that we almost can't recognize you." A young villager punched Surdak in the chest and said with a smile.

Surdak stretched out his hands and hugged the young villager who looked a little thin, dressed in a leather apron, and was full of lambs, and said, "You are still the same...Hood!"

The young villager named Hood was so excited that he hugged Surdak fiercely, and shouted at the surrounding villagers:

"I said Duck would not forget me, if When I met in Helanza, I didn’t dare to say hello to you. I haven’t seen you in five years and I became so strong."

A villager in the crowd asked: "I heard that you have done a great job on the battlefield. , Has been named Knight by the nobles?"

Several youngsters surrounded Surdak and exclaimed in excitement: "You are really good when you come back. This time we will definitely beat the grandsons of Guta Village. scared witless."

Surdak has a lightly smile on his face. Facing these strange and enthusiastic villagers, he really doesn't know what he should say.

A male child wearing linen bloomers and a cut-sleeve shirt squeezed into the crowd and hung on Surdak’s thigh like a leather monkey. Surdak reached out to patted the back of the male child and asked him "Are you Peter?"

Peter blinked a pair of smart eyes, and said to Surdak milkily: "father, mother said you are my father, great! I finally have father. Now, I’m really afraid they say that I’m like Jim, both are wild children.”

Peter’s innocent words made Surdak’s heart seem to be a fire, and he reached out and stroked Peter’s head lightly. With long soft hair, pinched his hands under his armpits, he lifted him easily above his head, and then put little Peter on his shoulders.

Peter grabbed Surdak's hair with both hands and sat on his shoulders giggling.

All the villagers were surrounded by Surdak. Everyone looked happy. Instead, Surdak’s family stood outside the crowd, watching all this without saying a word. Natasha looked worried. Old Sheila asked softly: "Sheila..."

Which mother in the world would not know her son?

No matter how this person changes his face, some small habits in his body will never change. Sheila looks at the strong youngster in front of her. She is at most similar to her child Surdak by five points, but she can be sure that she will be affected by the crowd. Surdak must not be surrounding him, because his smile is so strange and his eyes are so strange.

It's just that this youngster who can be sent back personally by the Byrd tax officer and has the identity of Knight, who is it?

The wrinkles on Old Sheila's face are about to squeeze together, but still can't figure out these things.

Hearing Natasha calling herself, Old Sheila's loving eyes fell on Peter who was laughing on Knight's shoulder, and she whispered to Natasha, "Go home first! "

The sunset has set, the blue and purple sky darkened a little bit, and the light became dimmed.

The villagers flocked Surdak to his home. Surdak kept saying a few words to his wife and his wife, but unfortunately they couldn’t find a suitable opportunity. Little Peter walked home with everyone.

The Lord Tax Officer Byrd did not follow. The village chief has already arranged a place for dinner and lodging. The Tax Officer Byrd is fatigued all the way, thinking about taking a rest early, and returning to Helanza City early tomorrow. Back and forth, even if riding a horse, it is a kind of torture for his fatty.

Walking along the dirt road in the village, and seeing the low stone house in front of him, Surdak recognized it at first sight. It is the home that Surdak has described countless times, although it seems It's a bit shabby than expected, but it's exactly the same as he said.

The small chestnut tree at the door has grown very high, and the tree is full of fruits.

The stone mill in the yard looks like it has not been used for a long time, and the small half of it has been buried in the soil.

I remember Surdak once said that at the beginning he often used this stone mill to crush wheat ears, but he was the only one who could pull this stone mill.

Surdak crossed the crowd and walked to the gate of the yard. He put Peter off his shoulders and reached out to touch the pear tree at the gate of the yard. On the trunk, he found a few crooked letters engraved with a knife. Entering the yard again, squatting in front of the stone mill, holding the two ends of the stone mill with both hands, squatting slightly, the blue veins on the forehead floating, and only shouting "get up", the stone mill half buried in the soil, once The son was pulled out of the mud by Surdak.

Then he walked to the edge of the courtyard wall and touched the wooden figure practicing sword technique who was leaning against the wall that was about to rot and grow mushrooms.

He turned around, just moved towards these people with a smile on their faces.

The villager standing at the door wanted to walk into the yard, but was stopped by the old man who looked like the village chief and drove away all the villagers at the door like he was driving a livestock, only that was left Several family members of Surdak...