Rose Empire

"That's something you have to consider yourself!"

"I'm not going to your Green Plains Principality. I'm going to the Kingdom of Lesare." said another traveler who looked like he was from the Kingdom of Lesare.

From the Lanwan Isthmus, entering the Viscount Lanwan Territory, to the east is the Principality of Green Plains, and to the west is the Kingdom of Lesare. The Kingdom of Lesare is even closer.

"I don't give a shit where you're going." Jarrod Garcia responded irresponsibly.

The convoys on the Lanwan Isthmus were becoming more and more stuck with travelers, and the news that Viscount Lanwan had closed the border spread more and more widely, causing widespread grief.

Across the isthmus is the Sokya Peninsula.

Charlotte had read some travel notes about the Sokya Peninsula. Due to the different city-states visited and the different identities and experiences of the travel writers, there were some differences in the descriptions of the Sokya Peninsula in these travel notes. However, the travel writers all mentioned the word "narrow" in their works.

The Sokya Peninsula is actually not small. From the nautical charts recorded by navigators and the works of some well-known scholars, Charlotte can basically determine that the total area of ​​the Sokya Peninsula is almost equivalent to the total area of ​​the two duchies, the Principality of Greenfield and the Principality of Bonan, while the population of the Sokya Peninsula has long exceeded the sum of the two duchies.

Then why do people who have traveled to the Sokya Peninsula still have the impression that it is "small"?

Charlotte guessed that this was mainly because the Sokya Peninsula was mountainous, and villages and cities were almost all built close to narrow valleys. Sometimes one side of the mountain was one city-state, and the other side was another city-state. This feeling of living in the cracks inevitably made people feel "small".

The reality seemed to be similar to Charlotte's judgment. Through the small window of the carriage, before Charlotte saw the first city-state on the Sokya Peninsula, Ambulatu, she had already seen the first mountain on the Sokya Peninsula. The mountain was shaped like the upper body of a mule, so the locals called it Horse Head Mountain.

It was almost dinner time when the convoy arrived in Ambratu.

Ambratu is a small city with a population of less than 100,000 people, but it is much richer than the Viscountry of Lanwan. It has stone walls, relatively prosperous streets, solemn churches and presbyteries.

Most of the city-states on the Sokya Peninsula practiced democracy. For example, in Ambratu, the citizens of the city-state formed a citizens' assembly, which elected ten elders, who formed the Council of Elders, which managed the affairs of the city-state's daily institutions.

Other city-states may differ from Ambratu in some details. For example, some city-states call their daily government agencies the Committee of Ten Generals, and some city-states may have a few more prosecutors, but they are basically the same.

As it was already late, Charlotte asked Renee to find a hotel for everyone to stay for the night and rest before going out to buy supplies tomorrow.

The hotel is located next to a small square. There is probably some kind of gathering going on in the square, with quite a few people gathered. There is also a high platform with a cross in the middle.

It was the first time that Charlotte saw such a standard cross in the world. She was curious and stood at the window on the second floor of the hotel to watch the excitement.

Not long after, two guards in leather armor escorted a young man wearing simple linen clothes, who was skinny, pale, and chained with iron chains, up the eastern steps to the platform. The iron chain pierced his shoulder blades and his linen clothes were stained black with blood.

The crowd below the stage suddenly shouted: "Burn him! Burn him! Burn him..."

Charlotte pointed at the young man being escorted and asked the waiter who was pretending to clean but was actually watching the fun, "Who is that?"

The waiter had been looking around a while ago. When he saw Charlotte asking about what happened downstairs, he couldn't help but get excited and told Charlotte about it for a long time. But Charlotte could hardly understand it because the waiter kept repeating the same thing over and over again, saying that the young man was an unforgivable evil demon who should be burned to death. As for where the young man came from, what he had done, and why he was so unforgivable, the waiter himself probably didn't understand.

Charlotte continued to ask others. There were quite a few people watching the excitement in the inn. However, after asking around, she only learned that the young man who was tied up with chains and was shouted by the crowd to be burned to death was called Heath. Apart from that, no one could explain clearly why he was going to be burned to death.

Until Eric Scamario found a businessman for Charlotte who carried an abacus and looked like an accountant.

The merchant spoke the regional language of the Sokya Peninsula, but with Eric Scamario's translation, Charlotte finally understood the general truth.

The young man named Heath on the stage was originally a student of Golgo Academy, which is the most famous academy on the Sokya Peninsula, equivalent to the Giant Banyan Academy in the Orlan Empire, and is located in a city-state called Feidi.

Not long ago, Heath went crazy for some reason and told his teacher that he had discovered a non-existent number and even had an open debate with the teacher. His teacher thought Heath was ridiculous and arrogant, so he sent him back.

After returning to his homeland, Ambratu, Heath still felt unconvinced and started arguing with people everywhere, wondering if there was really a number in the world that no one knew about. Finally, the debate ended in the holy church.

This caused a big stir. Because the Bible had long recorded that when a god was traveling around the world, he saw a shepherd boy worrying about how to identify whether his sheep were lost, so he created numbers and taught the shepherd boy. This is the origin of numbers.

If there are "non-existent" numbers, doesn't that mean numbers were not created by God?

If there are numbers that “people don’t know yet,” doesn’t that mean that God is holding back when teaching the shepherds?

Isn’t this blasphemy against the infinitely great and merciful God?

So, today's public trial took place.

Shortly after Heath took the stage, three more people walked up to the stage from the west steps and sat down on three high-backed chairs. It seemed that these three were the judges for today.

One of them was wearing a respectable dress, with grease on his hair and a gold-threaded brooch on his chest. He looked the youngest. Charlotte learned from the merchant that this man, Martin Kramer, was the youngest elder in the Ambratu Elders' Council. He was very popular among the people because of his handsome appearance, extraordinary eloquence and humorous speaking style.

The second person, wearing a simple robe with an olive branch embroidered on the chest, had gray hair and looked the oldest. The merchant didn't know who this person was, but the olive branch embroidered on the chest was the symbol of Golgo Academy, so this person should be a scholar of Golgo Academy.

The third person was wearing a priest's robe with a scale embroidered in gold thread on the hem. Charlotte didn't need the merchant to introduce him. She knew from the style of the priest's robe that this person was an inquisitor from the church's Inquisition.

However, what caught Charlotte's attention more were the Inquisitor's bare feet.

Barefoot is the symbol of the mendicant order.

The mendicant order, also known as the mendicant order or the begging order.

In the religious world of this world, in addition to the most common priests, there is also a group of people called "monks".

Many years ago, a group of church members who opposed the church's overly secularization and could not stand the flashy and corrupt lifestyle of the upper-level clergy chose to leave the church, give up all their personal property, and live in seclusion. These people were the first monks.

Later, the number of monks gradually increased, and gradually large and small groups were formed, and the mendicant group was the most famous one among them.

Initially, mendicant monks were considered the most miserable among ascetics. They wore linen clothes and went barefoot, begging for food with a bowl, and traveling around preaching. Their quality of life was no better than that of beggars.

Because mendicant monks were known for their strict adherence to doctrine and their high moral character, they were often invited by the church to serve as inquisitors in the Inquisition.

But now it seems... Charlotte looked at the judge's shiny silk clothes, his fat, round butt, and his fair and tender skin.

It seems that even the mendicant monks cannot withstand corruption.

"Citizens of the great city-state of Ambratu, I believe you already know this," the first speaker was the young elder, Martin Kramer, who stood up and said passionately, "This evil and arrogant freeman, Hiss, attempted to use cunning means and sophistry to fool the citizens of our city-state and blaspheme the Supreme God. However, you, the citizens of Ambratu, are wise and have seen through Hiss's evil sophistry. Last night, the great Lord Ig also sent down a warning with the red moon, confirming Hiss's identity as the evil demon. I believe this is already known to everyone..."

"Evil! Evil! Evil!" the crowd in the audience shouted.

Martin Kramer smiled and pressed his hands down. The shouts of the crowd gradually subsided. He turned around and interrogated Heath: "Heath, you still don't want to explain, where did you get all that evil knowledge? Was it the devil who gave you the revelation?"

Heath shook his head weakly: "All my knowledge was learned from Gorgo Academy."

"Nonsense! The professor at the academy gave you such knowledge that is against God!" the scholar from Gorgo Academy immediately scolded.

Heath looked at the scholar and raised his lips with difficulty: "Well, since the academy doesn't want this honor, then it's not. However, please tell my teacher that those numbers really exist. Yes, I said 'they', not 'it', because I found more than one..."

"Shut up, do you want to continue blaspheming Lord Yig?" The mendicant inquisitor interrupted with a stern rebuke.

"I didn't mean to blaspheme. I went to church just to ask the omniscient God, what is the length of the diagonal of a square when the side length is one?" Heath defended himself.

"Shut up!" The scholar's reaction was even more intense than that of the Inquisitor. "I don't think there is any need to interrogate him any further. God's Red Moon has already given us revelation. Heath should be sentenced to death by burning at the stake!"

Martin Kramer looked at the dervish inquisitor, who nodded solemnly.

The young elder then turned to the crowd below the stage and said, "Wise citizens, please vote. Do you agree to sentence this evil blasphemer to death by burning at the stake?"

The people in the audience who had the right to default raised their right hands.

If you agree, raise your right hand; if you disagree, raise your left hand. This is the rule of the Umbrella Citizens' Assembly.

Looking at the right hands raised in unison and the faces that were either excited, disgusted, or indifferent, Heath's cheeks twitched slightly at first, and then his whole body began to tremble. Suddenly he shouted, "You idiots! It exists, it exists! You are all idiots! Idiots! Idiots!"

In his eyes were tears, blood, despair, and disappointment...

Martin Kramer hastily announced: "The Citizens' Assembly sentences Heath to death by burning!"

Two strong guards grabbed the iron chain that pierced Heath's shoulder blades, dragged Heath onto the cross, and tied him up tightly.

Then the slaves piled bundles of firewood at the foot of the cross.

"Burn him! Burn him! Burn him!"

The crowd cheered, and the inn waiter, who had no idea what crime Heath had committed, also shouted along. They were extremely excited and thrilled, as if they were watching a new and strange show.

A torch fell on the dry firewood, and the flames jumped up and burned Heath's sackcloth. Heath let out a painful wail.

This wailing seemed to further ignite the people's joy.

"Evil demon! Evil demon! Evil demon!"

The people of Ambratu clapped and cheered as if they were having a carnival.

"Ah ah ah ah..."

The fire grew bigger and bigger, Heath's wailing became hoarser and hoarser, and the people could no longer hide the happy smiles on their faces.

However, Heath was just a mortal after all, and his wailing gradually faded away.

Some people were still clapping.

Some people, however, were still not satisfied and couldn't help but pout, blaming Heath for not lasting long enough to satisfy everyone.

However, just when everyone thought Heath was already gone, Heath suddenly let out one last roar: "It! Exists!"

The people were once again filled with surprise and cheers rose again: "Devil! Devil! Burn him! Burn him!"

The carnival continues again.

However, there was no sound in the flames.

PS: I would like to say in advance that mendicant is a name that existed in the Western Middle Ages and is not a term made up by the author.

PS2: Thanks for all the votes. This is really a 7-word chapter. One update equals three updates. No discount.

Volume 31: Chapter 28 Chapter Procurement

Heath is dead.

The discoverer of irrational numbers was burned at the stake.

Charlotte suddenly felt like she was witnessing history.

The next day, walking on the streets of Ambratu, Charlotte could already hear people discussing the burning at the stake the previous day. Some thought it was very exciting, while others lamented that Heath died too quickly and didn't struggle much in the fire, so it wasn't satisfying enough to watch.

Listening to people's discussions, Renee couldn't help but frowned: "Miss, the people here are so cruel and barbaric."

Last night, Charlotte explained to Renee, who was puzzled, what irrational numbers are. Influenced by Charlotte and Lilith's strong desire to explore since childhood, Renee did not think that Heath had done anything wrong in discovering irrational numbers.

Charlotte smiled and shook her head, saying, "They are just a group of ordinary people."

"Ordinary people?" Renee softly repeated Charlotte's words. She found it hard to associate a group of people who burned an innocent young man to death in a carnival-like manner with the "most common" ordinary people.

However, Renee soon experienced Charlotte's comments firsthand.

The Sokya Peninsula has its own language and writing system, but because it is adjacent to the mainland, the writing systems of the Orlan Empire and the Kingdom of Lesare are also commonly used in the city-state of Ambratu. Following the signs hanging in front of the doors on both sides of the street, Charlotte and her group quickly found their target store.

This is a shop selling seafood, and it seems to be the largest in the city. When Charlotte entered the shop, the boss saw that Charlotte was well-dressed and followed by many servants. He immediately knew that a big customer had come and immediately came to greet her warmly.

"Excuse me, sir. What may I do for you? Our store has a complete range of goods with top quality. We are sure you will be satisfied." The boss said with a flattering smile.

The stench made Charlotte feel a little uncomfortable. She covered her nose and asked in a muffled voice, "Do you have whale oil here?"

"You want whale oil?" The boss slapped his thigh exaggeratedly. "Then you have chosen the right place. There is probably no other place in this city that sells whale oil except me."

A clerk brought a rough clay pot from the store's warehouse. The boss opened the pot and carefully pushed it in front of Charlotte, introducing it: "This is a whale that was brought back by a ship that just landed not long ago. Look at the color, the feel, and the freshness. It is definitely the best whale oil."

Charlotte forced herself to sniff it. She didn't know the quality, but it felt really fresh. "How much is this whale oil?"

"The price is absolutely reasonable," the boss held up four fingers, "five fuso a can."

The Sokyan Peninsula is not without its own currency. On the contrary, it has many varieties. There are many city-states here, and they are constantly fighting. Often, when a city-state changes its power, it will redesign a new currency. Over time, the Sokyans themselves find it troublesome to use it. Sometimes the citizens of their own city-states cannot recognize all their own currencies. It is better to use the Fuso of the neighboring Oran Empire. The front of the Fuso has always been the head of the founding emperor of the Oran Empire a thousand years ago, which is easy to recognize.

"Five fusos?" Leni immediately exposed the boss's rhetoric. "We've already inquired about it. A can of whale oil this small usually only sells for two fusos at most! How can you sell it for five fusos?"

"Oh, young lady," the boss complained, "you said that was 'usual'. Now we are fighting with the Delmers. You can go to the dock and see for yourself. The big fishing boats have been requisitioned as warships. Small fishing boats can't catch whales at all. Ordinary fish and meat have increased in price, not to mention whale oil."

Delmo is a city-state in the southeastern part of the Sokya Peninsula and one of the most powerful states in the entire Sokya Peninsula.

However, the war the boss was talking about was not the war between Umbratu and Delme. The two city-states were separated by countless mountains and rivers, so they could not fight at all.

The war with Delme was fought by the Elyete City-State Alliance, also known as the "Elyete Alliance". Delme did not challenge the entire Elyete Alliance alone, he also had his own group of allies, known as the "Delmetic Alliance". Ambratu joined the Elyete Alliance.

This war has been going on for more than a year, and the two sides have had many clashes on land and sea. Since Ambratu is too far away from the main battlefield, it can hardly contribute any strength, so the Aiye Alliance has requisitioned most of Ambratu's ships.

Charlotte had also heard about the war on the Sokya Peninsula. She knew that what her boss said was basically true, but she still said, "Even so, five fuso is too expensive. Let's go for three fuso a can."

"This is at least four fuso." The boss retracted a finger with difficulty.

After some bargaining, Charlotte bought two hundred cans of whale oil from the boss's shop for six hundred and eighty fusos.

After purchasing whale oil, Charlotte also bought a batch of fish bladder glue and herring skin in the same store.

Mackerel is a common saltwater fish in the southern waters of Eagle Continent. It is large in size and has amazing strength in the water. Its sharp teeth can bite through fishing nets. In addition, its thick skin makes it difficult for ordinary fishing boats to catch it. However, mackerel swim in groups to the shallow waters near the coast for a few months every year to reproduce. Once in shallow water, it is easy for fishermen to catch them.

There are many mountains on Sokya Island, which is not suitable for raising cattle, so the thick skin of mackerel became an alternative raw material for the city-states to make leather armor. Although fish skin armor is not as tough and durable as cowhide, it is cheap and abundant, so it doesn't hurt to replace it when it is broken.

Fish bladder glue is the raw material for making bows and crossbows. Charlotte knew without checking that the Viscount Lanwan's territory had long run out of supplies such as bows and crossbows. Fortunately, Charlotte brought some craftsmen with her to take up the post. As long as she bought the raw materials, she could make them herself.

After leaving the fish shop, Charlotte found another shop that sold extraordinary materials and took out a list at the counter. The shop owner behind the counter took the list and looked at it, then said, "We only have two of these in our shop."

Unlike the smooth sailing in the fish shop, Charlotte and her friends had a lot of trouble in the shop selling extraordinary materials. They went to the only three shops in the city but still couldn't get all the materials they wanted. Finally, at the reminder of Eric Scamario, they went to find a middleman in the tavern and bought the last two materials.

Of course, all the sellers told Charlotte that they had to pick up the goods and could only trade tomorrow. Charlotte said she understood that each extraordinary material was expensive, and they were worried about being stolen or even robbed if they left it in the store, not to mention carrying it with them, not to mention that Charlotte's demand was relatively large.

After purchasing the extraordinary materials, Charlotte and others went to the livestock market, but not to buy livestock, but to buy slaves.

Slaves are sold in the livestock market. The administrators of the city-state of Umbratu have a sense of black humor.