With the collapse of the Arcane Empire, the natural disaster that lasted for more than twenty years made all the creatures on the European continent take care of themselves, all disputes and grievances had to be put aside, and when necessary, they had to form alliances and mutual assistance to fight against all kinds of natural disasters and monster riots, so in a sense, the European continent was completely peaceful.

It's just that as the fluctuations of the root law of the entire continent slowly subsided, more than ten or twenty years after the end of the natural disaster, the various races gradually recovered, and some local disputes inevitably resurfaced. And the most common of these is still the struggle between races, the southern orc tribe actually invaded the Great Plains twice in the past ten years, plundering and burning a lot of material population. And some aristocratic lords who have lived comfortably have rekindled their love for elven slaves, and the elven slave catchers, who have been extinct for decades, have begun to haunt the northwest jungle again.

Compared with the elves and orcs, the relationship between the dwarf race and humans seems to be good, at least there is no such thing as a point where they will inevitably die once they meet, so in the north near this dwarf base camp, even in Osstar City, you can see the dwarves, and in this northernmost frontier town, the barrel-like short figure can be seen almost everywhere.

The fact that dwarves can barely maintain such a relationship with the human race is of course not because of the kind character of this sub-human race accustomed to living underground, in fact, these short barbarians, who are naturally drunk, have a rough and irascible temperament, and the danger of rage is no less than that of orcs. In Oss, even if you occasionally see a dwarf lying drunk in the back alley like a dead pig, the beggars are afraid to search their bodies. What can make these not friendly barbarians calm down and get along with humans is human food and ale.

Orcs are murderous, dwarves are alcoholic. If dying in the heat of battle is the best fate for the orcs, then drowning in ale, or getting drunk with ale, is the dream of all dwarves. Dwarves seem to have an innate penchant for alcohol, and tradition and circumstance have taken it to the extreme: they can go without food, without any entertainment, without even having to breathe air, but without drinking. Even during the oppression of the Arcane Empire, some of the greatest uprisings and resistances were aimed at getting the Empire to supply them with a minimum of ale.

But the saddest thing is that the mountains and underground where the dwarves are accustomed to living are hard to find suitable winemaking. There may be all kinds of fungus in the ground, and the barren land of the mountains can be improved to grow all kinds of crops containing tubers, but the best grain and fruit trees for winemaking will always grow only on the fertile plains with plenty of sunshine and rainfall, and the dwarves have no tradition of farming, and their tempers are not destined to engage in agriculture that requires patience and care.

Therefore, it is destined that the dwarves will either build an empire that can occupy the Great Plains and enslave countless serfs to farm, or they can only obediently maintain a considerable degree of cooperative relationship with humans, of course, the former only exists in theory, and even the dwarves have never had similar thoughts. Fortunately, the dwarves are not without resources, and the underground gems and various precious metals are also in constant demand. They also have a short enough temper, a sharp enough axe, and a heavy enough sledgehammer to keep their say.

All of this quickly led to a valuable and relatively stable commercial chain in the Northlands, and several military strongholds under the command of the Northern Legion gradually became strongholds for handing over supplies and trading with the dwarves. The ale wine and various gem minerals handed over here every year have gradually become an indispensable income for the nobility of the West Coast, and almost every family has more or less intervened in it and made their own oil and water.

And the largest part of the oil and water naturally belongs to the Northern Army.

The Oro Empire collapsed so quickly, dealing with the dwarves in the Northern Legion, the Southern Legion against the Orcs, and the Northwest Legion, because of the paralysis of logistics and the resistance of the lower-level soldiers, the entire army did not have time to retreat to the imperial capital to participate in the extremely tragic battle of God's Fury, and the center of the empire completely collapsed in that battle. Over the decades of natural disasters, the former imperial army slowly degenerated into a deformed organization that mixed warlords, bandits, mercenaries, and aristocratic private soldiers, and became entangled with the aristocratic forces everywhere. The Northwest Legion and the Southern Legion have been asking the nobles of the Great Plains for military expenses and materials one after another, and the Northern Legion is far away and can't eat this kind of official food, so trading with the dwarves on this kind of fat on their own land, of course, must bite off the largest and fattest piece.

Therefore, a place like Ash Valley Town is naturally firmly controlled by the Northern Legion. No matter what outsiders want to inquire about or what they want to do here, the Northern Army will always be a hurdle that cannot be bypassed.

In Ashdale Town, in the camp of the garrison commander, Gawain looked at the new commander with some dumbfounded. This is the supreme governor of Gray Valley Town, and it can be said that he is the first person to grasp the military and government, but this is not the one he knew who he only met yesterday.

"Mistress Torris......"

"Lord Torris received an urgent order from the Legion Staff last night to send him to the depths of the mountain range to monitor two strange monster lairs. Pending his return, I will take over as Resident Commander. The new commander was a fat man of forty or fifty years old, and he could barely tell from his demeanor and the scars on his head and face that he had the military demeanor of his youth, but now the most prominent thing was the big belly and fat face, and a pair of small eyes in the fat brain and intestines gave off a vigilant light as he stared at the holy warrior in front of him. "I've heard that you're trying to investigate any cultists, and churches and temples are never allowed in the Legion's garrison, and we haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, so I advise you not to investigate anything. ”

“... Well, my lord, but we have received definite news that the cultists who assassinated the Viscount in Ossing City have indeed escaped here. And Mistress Torris has allowed us to do some of the proper ......"

"It's his business to allow it, and I don't allow it. The new commander slapped the table, shaking the flesh off the table and his face. "During this time, there have been many conflicts between the dwarven clans in the mountains, and there are many dwarves belonging to the defeated clans in the town, and the security of the town is extremely dangerous. At least I won't allow it until Master Torris comes back and takes over. ”

Usually such a categorical refusal is only a prelude and foreshadowing to the bribe, as was the case with the previous commander, Lord Torris, who relented the next day after receiving a hundred gold coins. But the repetition of the old tricks of the new commander in front of him made Gawain feel that it was not very good. This rejection seems to be a real rejection.

And he really didn't have any money, and the hundred gold coins before had almost all the available liquidity in the town's Guardian Hand branch. Although the guard business of the Guardian Hand is varied, the fees charged are not heavy, and a lot of money is spent on the purchase of equipment, the treatment and aftermath of the dead and wounded, and the relief of the helpless people.

"If it weren't for the great help of your guardian hand to the caravans, we would never have allowed you to station people here. This is the garrison of the Northern Legion after all, this is the front line, this is the front line! Do you understand? Lord Guardian!"

"Also, how many times have we reminded you? It is strictly forbidden to spread your faith and doctrine here! I know you are not taking the initiative...... At least not on the surface, but didn't you explain it before you established your stronghold? Even if a soldier asks to come and worship the Guardian Hand, you have to refuse! At least within the legion stronghold, you must refuse, and I will remind you again today!"

"Alright. I've just taken up my new role, and I have a lot of business to deal with. Just ask Mr. Gawain to leave, and don't come to me again in the meantime. There will be no relaxation of your surveillance, as I said this is a sensitive time, and we will be equally careful with all outsiders. If you and your Westerner friend do anything drastic, we will expel you immediately. Right away, understand?"

Under the watchful eyes of several of the guards, Gawain walked out of the commander's tent with his head buried in his head, his face ugly as the gray rock walls around the town that had not been cleaned for decades. Feng Yinqiu frowned and walked beside him, also silent.

“... Could it be that the Northern Army is secretly colluding with those cultists?" Now in such a situation, it really looks like the Northern Legion took the initiative to cover up the tracks of those cultists.

"This should be unlikely, at least not at the top. Gawain thought about it and shook his head. "There has always been no clerical power in the Imperial Legion, this is a military rule established in the Imperial era. Especially after the War of God's Wrath, even if the middle and lower ranks of soldiers and junior officers would secretly join the temple, the senior officers would never have the courage to let any church power into the army. Not to mention a cult like the God of Vengeance. ”

Feng Yinqiu thought about it and nodded. The gathering of hearts and minds is the most important thing in the military, and unless the top brass in charge of this army is crazy, it will never be associated with any church that is good at winning hearts and minds. Even a sect like the Guardian Hand, which would help them, had to barely have a stronghold, and they had to be subject to all kinds of restrictions, not to mention the sects of other gods.

“...... It must be just a small part of the legion that is quietly messing around..."After a moment of silence, Gawain came to a conclusion. "There are too many factions in the Northern Legion, some of them cling to trade, some of them collude with the nobles of the West Coast and count as half of their personal soldiers, and some of them disguise themselves as bandits to raid caravans and villages. The details are complicated, even many people in the legion can't figure it out, I think it's just a handful of people who have been bought by those cultists..."

"So now......"

"Looks like we have to find a way to find the upper echelons of the legion," Gao Wen sighed. "Luckily, our Guardian Hand still has some access to the upper echelons of the Legion, so we can leave here tomorrow and try it out."

"Thank you so much, I've troubled Mr. Gawain all the way. The wind chanted and arched his hand. If they were faced with an organization like the previous gang of the port, he and Gao Wen could have relied on their strength to crush them all the way, or secretly use their hands and feet. But on the other side is the former imperial military organization, which is completely different. Don't look at the many soldiers I've seen these days, but it's certain that as a legion force that has inherited the military legacy of the Empire, there are definitely military golems hidden in those strange and huge rock buildings. It may not be as delicate and high-end as the Adamantite Golem used by the mage of the Revival Society at the beginning, but once the number accumulates, it is by no means a force that can be countered by pure human power.

In short, in other people's territory, even if you have confidence in your own strength, but when you don't fully understand the depth of dealing with it, it's better to do things according to other people's rules first. Feng Yinqiu has traveled through the rivers and lakes for decades and understands this very well.

Gawain sighed deeply, and the tiredness on his face became thick again: "No, Mr. Feng doesn't need to thank you. The purge of cultists is also one of the obligations of our Guardian Hand, and the concepts of sects and gods based on violence and killing, even if they have the greatest reasons, can only become tools for the devil to corrupt the world. I don't know if the Noble Council's urgent request for the help of the temple personnel is really due to scruples about the Revival Society or some other political interests, but even if I am alone, I will find out about this cult. ”

"Hmm... Devils?" Wind Yinqiu touched his chin, remembering that when he fought the two Revival mages not long ago, one of them had conjured up a strange creature with arcane art. It's just that the one that seems to be called a demon is a monster in the other world with which the European continent is vaguely connected.

Although he has made up a lot of knowledge related to this European continent during this time, he still doesn't know much about these things, just looking at Gawain's appearance as if he was facing a great enemy, these otherworldly monsters seem to be extremely harmful.

“... However, didn't the new commander say that the surveillance of us will not be relaxed?" Feng Yinqiu suddenly looked around, and the soldiers who had been swaggering around them for the past two days were suddenly gone. This rare feeling of relaxation made him a little uncomfortable for a while.

“...... Maybe it's going back to prepare for a replacement?" Gawain was also slightly puzzled. "Forget it, it doesn't matter. Let's go back and get ready, and we'll leave tomorrow. ”

Mu Qinyi was woken up by a distant noise.

Beneath him was a cold stone floor, and there was not the slightest trace of stitching on the entire floor, but it was as smooth as a mirror. If it was someone else, she would not have been surprised, but she understood at a glance that this was the ground created by the Five Elements Spell, or the elemental spell of the Euro Continent.

The walls above and on both sides are of the same flat stone surface, some resembling a square stone box, and only one side of the metal fence shows that it is a prison cell. However, judging from the fact that there is no filth or garbage in it, but a lot of dust, this cell should have not been used for a long time.

She straightened up and looked left and right, and the soft light emanated from the two crystals on the wall not far away, illuminating the outside clearly, the same cold and neat stone face as in this prison, the wide, empty but dusty walkway, and the natural light outside, which seemed to be the interior of some great fortress or simply the belly of the mountain or underground.

There was still a faint pain in her head and neck, which was the sequelae of Mr. Qiu knocking her out. Judging by the feeling in her womb, it had been at least a full day, and the mysterious High Priest of the Vengeance Cult was indeed amazing, and he actually knocked her unconscious for so long just by using the outer door technique, but he didn't really hurt her. However, this also seems to indicate that the high priest may not be from a famous family, otherwise the internal methods are the most beneficial to control people.

The sound of quarrels and footsteps coming here echoed far away in the empty space, and it sounded as if someone was explaining something impatiently and pleadingly, Mu Qinyi's heart moved, and he lay back and closed his eyes, pretending to be the same as when he didn't wake up before.

“...... You just have to wait a little longer, just a little longer... You don't have to do anything, just wait for us to arrange everything and the plan will be executed immediately. Everything was in place on the Legion's side, just a minor accident..."It was a very young and restless voice, and the footsteps were also light and fine, as if they were trotting.

"That's none of our business, we've waited long enough. Too boring, too boring. Even the ale can't satisfy my appetite anymore, and I'd love to slaughter a few people as soon as possible. Breaking those slender arms and thighs and listening to the screams of those people was much more interesting than listening to the poets singing in a tavern. The voice was thick and powerful, and it should have a wide and heavy chest cavity to resonate, and the footsteps that followed were unusually dull and steady.

“... But the Knight of Gawain, the Guardian Hand, suddenly arrived in Grey Valley. You've probably heard of him, the foremost guardian of the West Coast. It's a big trouble to have him there, and we're trying to figure out how to force him out. ”

"Why do you want to force him away, wouldn't it be nice to kill him?" Although the tone of this voice seemed to be very flat, as if talking about family routines, it also had a hint of bloody and violent flavor, and this accent also had an indescribable strangeness, as if it was a foreign race that could not speak very skillfully.

"But the Guardian is very strong, and it seems that he has a strong helper. If we don't kill them and let them escape with the news, it will be a big hindrance to our future plans..."

"Yes, yes. But it's none of our business. We just need to slaughter enough people and get enough grain and ale. ”

"We're already taking steps, please believe me...."

"Measures? Are you going to sacrifice two unlucky ghosts to find a chance that we can kill that Guardian directly? Toris has already sent someone to do this, but unfortunately it fails. Listen, I don't have the patience to play those disgusting little tricks with you guys now, and I've decided to do it myself...... Oh no, maybe there are some little toys that can increase my patience......"

The sound of footsteps and conversation stopped outside the fence, and Mu Qinyi seemed to feel two lines of sight fall on him.

"For example, this Western woman you sent here can let me kill my boring time. The tavern maids and the prostitutes were boring, mainly because they couldn't bring them back for fun. I like to rape women and slowly break their fingers or tear off some other little thing, that's the only time I think humans are cute..."

Feeling the malice in one of the sights, like a tongue with a stinger and slime on his body, Mu Qinyi suddenly opened his eyes and saw two people outside the fence. Or a man, and a dwarf.

"Ah, you see, she's pretending to be stunned and eavesdropping on us, and that's so uncute. I've decided to punish her for a whole day, so you'll have another full day to prepare. The dwarf looked at Mu Qinyi and smiled like a scavenging beast.

PS: I'm sorry, it's a lot of chores, I'm dizzy, I'll try my best to restore the update