Origin Paradise!

Pigments are derived from rare minerals and are very expensive. Moreover, the mixing ratios are a secret knowledge of nobles and religious people. Therefore, for ordinary people, a rich variety of colors is a luxury, and at the same time, it is a symbol of nobility and elegance.

Young Alfred patiently drew the Gospels, adding skillful illustrations alongside the text. Repairing the Iris Gospels was his most important task at the moment. For the Church, mastering the Gospel of God was equivalent to mastering the right to speak. Since God cannot speak, believers could only listen to the Church's interpretation.

"The court painting technique is truly amazing, no matter how many times you see it."

The corpulent Count Iris approached quietly, and the prince's maid, standing not far away, chuckled and said:

“Your Excellency, the style of the Imperial court tends to be luxurious and exquisite, but Your Highness has a style of its own.”

In the Gospels, the setting sun is bright red, yet it presents a strange sense of sorrow. Upon closer inspection, several black lines are hidden within, as if they have suddenly dragged the red clouds into darkness.

Snapped!

Count Iris slapped his maid to the ground.

He said in a normal tone, "Your Highness is disturbing your painting. Guards, lock her up."

Without turning his head, Alfred said, "If the Earl locks her up, she'll probably starve to death in a few days. She's the only one I have left. I beg the Earl to show mercy."

Count Iris smiled and said, "That's precisely why I want to share Your Highness's burdens. Without the interference of a lowly commoner, Your Highness can complete your masterpiece more quickly."

The maidservant's face turned deathly pale. She regretted mocking the count, but before she could beg for mercy, two guards covered her face with a black cloth.

Alfred gripped his paintbrush tightly, powerless.

Count Iris patted the prince on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "Actually, I was asked to do this. Among your brothers and sisters, there are very few who would like to see His Highness safe and sound. Of course, I would never let my hands be stained with royal blood..."

Alfred gritted his teeth, maintaining his composure, and said, "Was the maid who tormented me also acting on someone's orders?"

Count Iris shrugged and replied, "You can't blame me for that. It would be such a waste to let them starve to death. Isn't it a blessing that I let them die as women before they die?"

Alfred's forehead veins bulged as he suppressed his anger and said, "My painting skills come from my grandmother's hometown, unlike those in the court. I can teach you, just please spare her life."

Count Iris chuckled: “Don’t waste your time, Your Highness. First of all, I know your grandmother can’t paint, and secondly, I don’t appreciate these things. If it weren’t for the fact that I need to bring them up as a topic of conversation at the banquet, who would be interested in a broken stone?”

“Hypocrisy! Ignorance!” Alfred said coldly. “The monastery is built in your castle, and it’s utterly filthy.”

"Say what you will, you coward." Count Iris said indifferently, seeing through the other's pretense.

Alfred's face turned slightly pale.

Suddenly, a captain in silver armor walked in and reported, "My lord, the soldiers who were on guard duty outside today have not returned; it is already past noon."

"Oh?" Count Iris turned around; this was no small matter.

Chapter 665 Login

In the dense coastal forest.

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The group picked up the wooden bowls and drank the merchant's blood to replenish their strength. Then, they ran their fingers across the bottom of the bowls and drew blood patterns on their cheeks and behind their ears, fully activating the Saint-level blood energy accumulated within their bodies.

Norlund looked around at everyone and said, "Count Iris didn't have time to gather soldiers. We won't have many opponents, only a hundred or two. But the Count's castle is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Everyone should be prepared to suffer casualties. The bravest can go to Valhalla."

No one answered.

Valhalla is the temple of heroes ruled by Odin, and the final resting place for fallen warriors. Those who die of old age or illness can only go to the underworld, while warriors chosen by the Valkyries will have the privilege of enjoying eternal feasts and battles in Valhalla.

By day, they hone their fighting skills by slaying each other on the plain of Vigrid outside the temple. They are resurrected at night and return to the temple to feast on the flesh and blood of the divine boar Sahrimnir and drink the mead produced by the goat Hydren. The Valkyries will pour wine for the spirits, and one can even see Odin himself on the highest throne, drinking wine but not eating.

Suddenly, the old warrior stepped forward and said, "I'll lure Count Iris out. I'm too old. This voyage was for Valhalla. The nobles of the Thorn Kingdom will not give up hunting down a Viking warrior."

The Kingdom of Golden Oak and the Kingdom of Thorns have a tense relationship, but in recent decades the former has suffered greatly from plunder. For the nobles of Thorns, a Viking slave who can demonstrate their power is worth at most a farm or manor.

Still, no one spoke.

Choosing to die in battle is a veteran's freedom.

Norland frowned and said, "I'm worried he won't fall for it."

Under a tree not far away, Jiang He said, "Then let's run the ship aground on the shore and destroy it. I can build another one."

The old warrior's eyes lit up. Without ships, these Vikings who went out to plunder would lose their way back. In the decades, more than half of the wars in which the kingdoms fought against the Vikings and won were won by destroying or controlling ships and then repeatedly wearing them down by gathering superior forces.

Norlund looked intently at the old soldier, then suddenly smiled.

"When you go to Valhalla, remember not to overeat; you've never eaten anything good in your life."

A group of people laughed. Because of his discord with the Baron, the old warrior couldn't get a chance to fight. That's why he chose to ignore the orders and secretly go to sea with Norland. Without fighting, there were no spoils of war, so poverty was inevitable.

The old soldier waved his hand and returned to the longboat.

……

Sea Cliff Castle.

Count Iris and the captain of the corps arrived at the watchtower.

On the small sand island, a few dozen meters from the coast, the soldiers on duty had disappeared, and a Viking longship approached the shore.

A standard longship can carry 30-50 people, but there was only one old Viking man at the moment. He struggled to even steer the ship and could only drift with the current. He carefully disposed of the bodies of the soldiers on duty and took away the valuables one by one.

"It seems there's only one person." Count Iris frowned deeply.

The sergeant leaned forward, staring wide-eyed, and said, "Sir, this is the first time I've ever seen a living Viking."

"It is said that at a banquet in Yorkshire, the Earl of Philonise smashed a Viking corpse, spending a considerable amount of gold, but fortunately, his bravery won the favor of a royal lady."

Count Iris stroked the gemstone ring in his hand. Only the castle could give him a sense of security, but his greed for wealth was secretly at play. For the sake of benefits, he was willing to make enemies with the prince of the empire. He was not lacking in the determination to pursue wealth.

Dangdang Dangdang!

Count Iris unconsciously tapped the railing, licking his lips as he said, "You have better eyesight; see how many buckets are on the ship."

"Two," the sergeant replied with delight.

Without water, Odin was unable to cross the sea.

Just as the two were discussing the matter, the Viking longship crashed into a reef, its bow broke apart, and it ran aground on the shore.

Count Iris suddenly waved his hand and said, "Call up the guards. Leave twenty men to guard the castle in case anything happens. The rest of you come with me."

"Understood," the sergeant replied loudly.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the castle gates opened, and Count Iris, dressed in silver armor, charged ahead towards the shore, followed by a captain and eighty professional soldiers running alongside him.

The crowd surrounded the veteran, who roared, but due to the language barrier and the lack of a fundamental heroic will, communication between the two sides was difficult.

"I want him alive!" Count Iris commanded from his horse.

Whoosh whoosh!

Ten soldiers drew their bows and nocked arrows, their sacred energy accumulating on the arrowheads. The arrows shot towards the old warrior's limbs, eventually piercing his flesh, but due to the damage reduction from his hero status, they did not cause much harm.

boom!

The old warrior swung his axe, unleashing a blood-red axe-shaped beam several meters long. However, the soldiers in the front row had already raised their shields. When the shields made of True Wood were arranged in a row, the defense was completely connected. The blood-red axe-shaped beam only shattered four shields, killing three people.

"Odin has granted me rage; this battle will end in blood!"

The veteran charged fearlessly into the gap in the shield wall. The blood energy stimulated his entire body, significantly increasing his physical strength. At the same time, the blood energy affected his soul, causing his rationality to fade and turning him into a bloodthirsty beast.

boom!

As the battle axe cleaved down, a soldier, along with his shield and chainmail, was cleaved in two, blood gushing out like a fountain. The soldiers on either side were shocked, and the captain gripped his longsword tightly, looking hesitant. He did not want to fight to the death with a raging enemy of equal strength.

Boom boom boom!

With each swing, blood gleamed on the axe blade, and twenty men fell one after another, their severed limbs and mangled bodies scattered on the ground. Despite his madness, the old warrior still displayed the instinctive skill of an axe and shield master. With a powerful push, the shield and the soldier's head exploded together.

Count Iris couldn't help but roar:

"What are you waiting for!"

Two demon-dispelling golden hooks bound the old warrior's neck and right hand. The holy energy, which had already been mostly depleted, rapidly dissipated, and the blood aura faded. The old warrior regained consciousness, and he suddenly threw his battle axe, smashing the foreleg of Count Iris's warhorse.

"Valhalla, I've come!"

The warhorse knelt down, and Count Iris staggered to the ground.

The sergeant seized the opportunity when the old soldier lost his heroic state. Now, his opponent was no different from an ordinary soldier. He stepped forward and beheaded him with a single sword strike.

His severed neck wound was now covered in frost. As a great swordsman of the Frost School, frost spread across his blade. The secret sword, Frost Pattern, had an extremely powerful destructive force on flesh and blood.

The veteran's head fell to the ground.

But Count Iris also lost his warhorse.

Thirty-three Vikings charged out of the dense forest, including three veteran warriors who were at the "warrior captain" level.

Count Iris and the captain exchanged a glance, their faces turning slightly pale.

……

Meanwhile, on the sea cliffs.

Jiang He reached out and grabbed a protruding rock, climbing upwards, while a piece of broken rock fell into the sea at his feet.

A few meters away, Norlund was a little out of breath. He stopped to rest for a moment and asked, "Augustus, do you know how much ransom a prince can usually get?"

“A kingdom, or a few carts of gold and silver,” Jiang He replied casually. “It depends on who you sell it to and how you sell it.”

Norlund seemed to understand something upon hearing this, and tentatively asked, "You mean, we should support him as a puppet?"

“Not for now, we don’t have enough soldiers,” Jiang He rejected, “but the idea is right.”