Leaving the town, Zhou Qingfeng officially entered the interior of the Northland. His itinerary slowed down, focusing on details such as terrain, roads, and village development. No one ever cared about these situations. For example, no one can say the exact number of people in the Northland.

Whether it was Adrian or Marbury, they didn't know how many villages and towns there were around Coldwind City, they didn't know what economic forms existed around the road from Coldwind City to Banshee Castle, and they couldn't even figure out how many knight lords there were.

A knight is the basic composition of the Otherworldly regime, and a knight can own one or more villages and towns, and is the lowest noble class. Only by understanding the situation of the knight lord can we know how much manpower and material resources an independent lord can mobilize to fight.

A regular knight is bound to leave his work and focus on honing his skills and serving his lord. He doesn't have to be a cavalryman, he can also be a foot warrior, but he must have great combat power. Analogous to the elderly retainers around Inisa.

The regular knights would have a few squires, plus a dozen serfs and miscellaneous soldiers. This is a little worse than the leaders of the human settlements in the Black Forest, but much better than the average adventurer.

However, the equipment is very expensive, especially the armor, so the combat effectiveness of different knights varies greatly. Rich people are naturally stronger.

Zhou Qingfeng went to investigate village by town, and through a simple inquiry, he could basically determine the strength of a certain knight leader. He soon discovered the brutal status quo of the Northland, overpopulation, stagnation of increments, dwindling stocks, and severe involution.

Fifty years of dark life have continued, and the economy of the Northland has long since completely collapsed. It is becoming more and more difficult to obtain survival resources, but the cost of obtaining them is increasing dramatically. The people at the bottom are becoming more and more unable to survive

In Marbury's eyes, the battle for kingship in the Northland was just an aristocratic game. But now it seems that the situation is only very different from what he predicted. ”

Along the way, you will see either scattered mountains and lonely travelers, or tired cattle and dilapidated villages. The decline of the Northland is all in sight, and there is no change, which makes people look weak. And the Banshee Castle is just ahead of the road.

Inspecting the strength of the Fils family is the top priority of Zhou Qingfeng's trip. He must know how long the city can fight in the battle for royal power. Because judging from the current state of exploration, the war in the north is actually just one word, consumption!

Whether it is the lords or the knights under the lords, they do not seem to like to have a tragic decisive battle, but prefer to put their men and horses into a long confrontation.

Maneuvering, detours, ambushes, and sneak attacks are completely invisible to tactics that require high technical and tactical requirements. This reminded Zhou Qingfeng of the situation he had faced in the Black Forest

The serf cannot leave the gaze of the knight, the knight cannot leave the gaze of the lord, and the grass on the wall cannot act alone. The whole force must be pushed all the way, otherwise not to mention the war, even the march will be a disaster.

War is not about counting casualties, but about who has more food and more gold coins, and who can last longer. In this regard, the former king of the Northland, the Fils family of Banshee Castle, has an absolute advantage.

The longer he investigated, the more Zhou Qingfeng felt that although the other lords were numerous, it was only difficult to overthrow the rule of the Fils family.

But for a weak force like Harmony Village, it is not suitable for a strong force to dominate the Northland, and it is better for everyone to be evenly matched. Therefore, Zhou Qingfeng was naturally hostile to the Banshee Castle. Now that he has come to investigate himself, he hopes to find the weaknesses of his opponents.

After several days of investigation, Zhou Qingfeng finally appeared outside the city of the Banshee Castle before the dry food was about to be eaten. Along the way, he also had an intuitive understanding of the attrition of marching, and horses were far inferior to humans in long-distance marching.

Without the shadow to carry the burden, and without using the succubus to provide logistics, Zhou Qingfeng relied on the war horse he rode to carry part of the rations, simulating the daily needs of ordinary soldiers. Eventual discovery

The carrying capacity of people is too weak to go far, but the horse's carrying ability is stronger if the endurance is better, but it is difficult to serve if they eat too much, and if they do not go far, if there is not enough logistical support, a long-term war is a joke.

No wonder Marbury once said that the battle for kingship in the Northland is often a year or two of preparation, a month or two of fighting. In this situation, no one can really afford to spend too long.

"But there may be space treasures in this world of swords and magic, and this is also possible." Zhou Qingfeng thought secretly. The door of his true knowledge is a virtual body of stored knowledge, which cannot be placed in physical objects unless it is placed semi-permanently.

Compared to the villages and towns encountered on the way, the Banshee Castle, with a population of more than 30,000, was significantly larger. In the distance, you can see more than five meters of walls, wide moats, tall defensive towers, and a drawbridge with soldiers guarding the gates.

The majestic city gives people a strong psychological hint that this is a powerful force.

All those who entered the city had to pay a poll tax, and the merchants had to pay more depending on the value of the goods. Of course, if there is a recognized nobility, it is tax-exempt.

Adrian had already gone into the city to find his way. Kelly hasn't shown up in the past few days, and she has less contact with the Holy Light, so she doesn't know where she, a full-time bodyguard, has gone.

Seth followed Zhou Qingfeng and reminded in a low voice: "Master, you must change your name to facilitate your interactions with others." But don't tell people you're from the Black Forest. The aristocrats here will think you are a brute. ”

"What do you think, Count of Monte Cristo?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"Count?" Seth immediately shook his head, "Master, this is too exaggerated. There have never been any counts in the Northlands. If you were an earl, you should be in a chariot inlaid with gold and silver, accompanied by hundreds of heavily armed knights. And not just me. ”

Taking the opportunity of Zhou Qingfeng's contemplation, Seth continued: "Don't use the full name of Victor Hugo. Do you know who is developing the Black Forest? Don't say you're a warrior, change your profession. ”

Zhou Qingfeng is an Oriental in appearance, completely different from the locals of Feilun, it is indeed easy to be noticed, and he needs to change his identity. He thought for a moment, "What about an alchemist?" I know a little bit, but it's not at a high level. ”

"You don't look like an alchemist. But you're a young adventurer on the move, hoping to find a way to learn alchemy. That way, there won't be too many people suspicious. Seth suggested.

"Yes." Zhou Qingfeng agreed, "What's the name, it's called Edmond Dantès." ”

Seth sounded strange, "Sir, does this name have a origin?" ”

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly, "This is the real name of the Count of Monte Cristo. ”

Hey, this uncle is still dreaming of being an earl.

The master and servant paid the poll tax at the city gate and followed the flow of people into the Banshee City. Most of the buildings in the city are made of stone, and they look like military fortresses. In fact, all the castles in the Northland were given priority to military use, followed by civilian expansion.

After entering the city, walk along the streets, the scale of the urban area is not large, and several streets of hundreds of meters in length and width divide different areas. There are quite a few shops in the city, and there are about a hundred.

There are many shops specializing in medicinal herbs in the Northland, and there are also some specialized timber and ore trading houses. Most people in the city make a living from it.

Zhou Qingfeng entered a few shops and wanted to inquire about the price, but the businessmen were very cold to unfamiliar faces like him, and they didn't bother to pay attention to him when they saw him young. He hit a few soft nails, and he didn't get discouraged.

A city with a population of more than 30,000 is more of a town in Zhou Qingfeng's eyes. I've seen a few lively streets casually. Places like military barracks wouldn't allow him to wander around, and his rough impression was naturally not good to go there.

The Invisible Servant is greatly restricted in the city, and there are many places where he goes without information. For example, the city lord's mansion, the church is located, and Zhou Qingfeng walked in front of a tower wrapped in dense fog, and when he looked up, he found that this was a typical wizard's tower.

The necromancer Mondino also built a tower in Harmony Village, which was only three stories above ground. The wizard's tower in front of me has seven floors, which is quite a tall building in the city.

Zhou Qingfeng was still quite interested in wizards and arcane arts, and stopped outside the tower for a while. Although I don't know which wizard's tower this is, there are not many people who come to visit outside the tower, and it is not low in popularity.

After walking outside the tower for a while, someone stepped forward quickly and said happily: "Young man, do you want to be a wizard?" For just ten gold coins, you will be given the opportunity to audit the masterclass introductory class. ”

Where did this guy come out of nowhere? It's like soliciting customers in a small hotel next to the train station back then. Zhou Qingfeng shrank his hand, and the two words in his mouth were cold, "No money." ”

The person who came did not leave, but grabbed the corner of Zhou Qingfeng's clothes, and said in a deep voice: "Young man, the opportunity is rare, eight gold coins are fine." The class is taught by the newly promoted official wizards, approved by the Church of Magic. ”

Zhou Qingfeng sneered, shook his hands again and shouted, "As long as the introductory course of eight gold coins, such a wizard will probably starve to death." There are fewer people, and it's not that I don't understand the market. ”

Tambos once complained to Zhou Qingfeng, saying that his teacher Fabro tried his best to make money, and he had to collect money separately for each class, no less than 100 gold coins each time. Some key courses even come at a markup.

The tuition fee is so expensive that Tambos can't afford to take a few classes a year. In contrast, Mondino, who traded Dementor coins, was the conscience of the industry, and his reputation for being a necromancer was extremely bad.

The price of learning knowledge in the other world is too expensive and too expensive, and it has never been affordable for ordinary civilians. Now I have the opportunity to learn with eight gold coins, which is 100% deceptive.

Zhou Qingfeng scoffed, but Seth behind him reminded in a low voice, "Master, you are going to stay in the Banshee Castle for a while, and now you are a rookie who is eager to learn alchemy." ”

Ah, Zhou Qingfeng was stunned, looked at the one who was soliciting customers, and thought: "Could it be that I know that it is a pit and I still take the initiative to jump in?" ”