The farewell ceremony for Captain Aldington's body took place in the Captain's Tomb at Fort Colossus. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info This is the underground of the Great Wall, where hard rocks and unknown binders make up a huge cave. Here, the captains of the rangers of the past generations, such as Brando, the "Ranger of the Night" and Valanger, the "Inquisitor in Red", are buried for a long time, and each captain has a statue.

Sam had been in charge of cleaning the captain's tomb, and in the deserted and silent catacombs, the white statues looked at Sam silently.

Brando's statue is heroic, full of muscles, legend has it that 800 years ago he took 800 rangers, on the Great Wall to block the attack of the giants, up to three days and three nights of battle, into a stalemate, Brando selected 50 elites, detoured the long way, killed out of the Great Wall, severely damaged the giants' own formation, forced them back.

When the next few captains were alive, the Giant Clan had not woken up, and it was quite peaceful.

The "Red Inquisitor" Valanger's expression was serious, and his face was thin. While he was alive, he was surprised to find that Rhodes had led a large number of troops out of the Misty Forest and confronted Rhodes. After three rounds of fighting Rhodes, he knelt down and swore allegiance to Rhodes, so Rhodes led his troops to attack the Kingdom of Meno.

Historically, Valanger's decision has been debated.

Those who agree believe that his 300 Rangers inflicted heavy losses on the 800 knights of the Kingdom of Meno in the jungle, making the Rangers famous and promoting the unification of the Empire. Opponents argue that the Rangers' actions have made the originally isolated Nimuyagata the imperial province of Gasgarnik, losing much of its tradition and independence. As a result, more and more people are forgetting the ancient fears, and more and more people hope to climb to the top through bloodline, knighthood, and being a knight, and fewer and fewer people choose to be a ranger.

Oil lamps were lit in the tomb, and there was a faint smell of embalming spices.

The statue of Captain Aldington had not yet had time to be carved, and he himself was buried in the tomb. Only earth and masonry covered his shattered body.

The injured Lange, the lame Ed, the frail Jonathan and others all insisted on attending. Every Ranger, Craftsman, and Clerk looked gloomy. Sam was in charge of the speech.

"Richard Aldington, 60 years of the Imperial calendar, born in the shallow waters of Selves, 81 years of the imperial calendar, participated in the Imperial Knight Single Competition, and won the second place. Joined the Rangers in the same year. In the 91st year of the imperial calendar, he became the captain and was nicknamed the 'Jungle Ranger'. Sam held the "Ranger Canon" and read it aloud, he held back his tears, his voice choked, he wanted everyone present to hear the glorious deeds of the captain, "In the 100th year of the imperial calendar, he led the leading detachment and went deep into the sleeping place of giants and killed 10 giants. On his way back to the Wall, he was killed by a ranger traitor. He was 40 years old. ”

"Sleep in Si, protect the empire, and rest until death. Ed concluded, clenching his right hand into a fist and placing it in front of his chest.

"Sleep in Si, protect the empire, and rest until death. Everyone saluted with a solemn expression.

On the practice ground of the Colossus Fort, there were more than 50 rangers, more than 20 clerks, more than 20 craftsmen, and more than 10 novices, who formed a circle and gritted their teeth one by one.

"It was an accident!" Hartman was escorted by two men and tied to the gallows.

His voice was louder than everybody: "We're shooting those murderers, rapists, thieves, those scum kidnapped Sam!"

"No, you want to kill me with you!" Sam clenched his fists, cried out, "you pretend to let those novices go, and designate me as a hostage, it's a trap, you want to kill people with a knife." ”

"You're so smart, little Sam. Malone sneered, "Your dad is back, and he was shot into a hornet's nest." ”

Ed's face was gloomy, his leg was broken, and he limped forward and said, "Hartman, Marlon, do you have any last words?"

"you, Eddard. I regret that I became captain too late, and I didn't enjoy it. Hartman spat in Ed's face, "Kill if you want to." ”

"Aldington was the sinner, he buried a quarter of the Rangers. Malone shrugged, "He doesn't deserve to be the captain, he deserves to die." These are my last words. ”

Ed raised his hand, the two Rangers kicked over the stool, and the short-lived Captain Hartman and Vice Captain Martin kept kicking their legs on the gallows, making terrible breathing sounds, and after a while stopped struggling.

No one rejoices. The entire Colossus was immersed in great grief.

A few days later, the Rangers resumed their daily work.

A lame Ed sits in a chair and instructs the Rangers on their horses and practices how to assassinate giants. Jonathan is responsible for instructing novices in basic martial arts and swordsmanship. Lange was physically strong, and his wounds were largely out of the way, and he commanded the craftsmen to repair weapons and armor.

Sam stood on the edge of the Great Wall and looked into the distance. The misty forest in the distance is lush and green.

"Sam, I guess you're here. William looked up at the sun and said, "It's the end of June, and it's getting hotter. You beware of tanning. ”

"William, it's just in time. Sam beckoned, "I'm thinking about a lot of things. You say, Cassiu really killed Grant?"

William hesitated for a moment and sighed: "It's a pity that we didn't see it." The captain has also been buried in the ground. Cassius is also dead. ”

Sam shook his head, his expression gloomy, and said, "I don't believe in the Cassian rebellion. He has no grievances with the Rangers. Here, on the battlements of the Great Wall, I talked to Cashew, and he was a funny, optimistic man. Moreover, having survived the one-year war and being given the title of 'White Demon', he must have won the trust of his men. ”

"Everything goes with the wind. William let out a long sigh, "I'm more worried about who else will stand up when the Giants attack. ”

"Ed can, he's a seasoned ranger and has combat experience. Sam walked to the other side of the wall, and below was the training ground. Several Rangers kicked their spurs and charged at the giant scarecrow with their swords raised. Ed cursed, holding the branch and pointing.

William handed the mint leaf to Sam and said, "This is a pick-me-up." But Ed's leg ...... It's been so long that I can't keep him alive and kicking like he used to. In the event of a battle, he could not command from the front. ”

"Jonathan maybe. Sam said bitterly.

William shook his head: "No, this is the selection of a new Ranger captain, not a circus clown, you can't choose a tall one among the short, just do it." Jonathan is only suitable to be a ranger, not a commander. ”

Sam pounded the wall, his mind sifting through the candidates, only to see the dead members of the advance team.

"We have so much to do. Sam sighed and said to William that the captain could be reconsidered, perhaps through voting. It was imperative that Lange and Söhne take the craftsmen and work in three shifts to strengthen the Great Wall, especially those gates. Blackskin went to recruit men again, and this time I asked him to bring my letter and give it to the lords along the way, and if we were lucky, maybe one of the lords would show mercy and bring us some soldiers. ”

William stretched and smiled, "Hey, yes, Sam." ”

Sam looked at the smiling William, confused. He put the mint leaves in his mouth, and the cool fragrance filled his mouth and soaked his heart. I should have thought about what Captain Aldington would have done with the situation if he had been here.

At lunchtime, most people gather in the long hall. The novice riot of the previous few days seems to have passed, and everything has calmed down.

"William, what do you want to do with the palm of the giant you brought back?" Lange ate an astonishing amount of food, and asked for two steaks, a mushroom soup, and a long bread for lunch.

"I wanted to do research and look at the body structure of giants. William frowned, "But it's already starting to rot." At least from the current situation, the body structure is not much different from that of us humans. ”

Sam thought for a moment and said, "I thought these giants were intellectually inferior, but according to Jonathan, they have the king of giants, they have magnificent palaces, and they talk like roars. In other words, in addition to being inferior to us in terms of equipment and intelligence, they also have a well-established leadership organization and language. ”

Ed struggled to drag his right leg to his left foot to make himself sit more comfortably: "We're not even as good as them, we don't have a core. ”

Jonathan continued: "That's exactly what I'm going to say. Once the fight starts, we are a mess. Those newbies can't use it. Black skin beckons people to be hungry and hungry. ”

"There are fewer and fewer people willing to be Rangers. Ed's words were bitter, "We are working hard, we are not as good as knightly competitions, there are rich women, there are fiefdoms, who would be a bitter ranger?" Oh, don't look at me like that, Captain Aldington is an exception." ”

"We have to prepare for the worst. Sam thought about it, he thought a lot on the Wall, maybe it was the mint leaves that refreshed his mind, "William, cut off all the fingers on the giant's palm, apply antiseptics, pick some people with clear minds and clear words, and novices can also take the giant's fingers to the Prime Minister's Tower and the lords of each province." ”

"Are you crazy?" William smacked his lips, "you know what that means? ”

It means a warning. If I say that my letter is disposed of as garbage, then the real giant fingers are enough to convince them. Sam said categorically, "We've got to take a gamble." ”

He turned his head and said to Jonathan, "Lange and Söhne will work in three shifts and will be responsible for reinforcing the Great Wall, especially weak places such as the city gates, but it is far from enough. Jonathan, you lead people to prepare the equipment for the defense of the city, barrels filled with oil, catapults, and giant crossbows. ”

Ed whistled, "Where did you learn that?"

"On the book. Sam replied without hesitation, "In the 37th year of the Imperial calendar, there was civil strife in the empire, and there was a siege battle in Sheldon in the Haan region. ”

William smiled, Ed smiled, and Lange patted Sam on the shoulder.

Jonathan stood up and shouted to everyone, "Listen, brothers, this is Sam Henrik, one of the few literate and arithmetic men in the Colossus, Captain Aldington's affairs officer, and logistics chief. ”

"We unanimously selected Sam as the acting captain of the Rangers. Ed propped himself up with his cane and said in a loud voice, "Until the next captain is born." ”

Sam hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I'm not a ranger, and I haven't fought the giants. ”

Lange patted Sam on the shoulder: "But there is no better suited to defend the city than you." The world you see in books is much bigger than any of us have ever experienced. ”

William smiled: "Do you know why Aldington trusts you? It's just that you don't see your strengths. ”