The merchant fleet traveled north along the tributaries of the Chishui River, passing through Silverlight City, and then sailed into the Grand Canal leading to the royal capital. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Tassa remembers reading in the Chronicles of the Grey Keep that two hundred years ago it was a wasteland. In order to transport the silver ore mined from the nearby mines back to the royal capital, Wimbledon I summoned the stonemasons and nearly 10,000 handymen, and spent 20 years digging this canal connecting the royal capital and the silver mines, and the silver mines gradually formed a city around them, which was later named Silver Light City by the first king.

But the scene he saw at this time could hardly be compared with the wasteland of 200 years ago, with dense farmland on both sides of the canal and villages farther on. This reminded him of the Kingdom Road in the border town, and when that road was repaired, I am afraid that the foot of the Desperate Mountain would also become densely populated.

"I heard that you used to be from the royal capital?" a woman's voice sounded from behind her.

Tassa turned his head and saw that it was Margaery, the owner of the caravan, and he nodded, "I lived in the inner city until I became a palace guard. ”

"How does it feel to be back in your hometown?"

"Honestly, it's okay," he said, "if it weren't for His Highness's arrangement, I'd rather stay in the border town." Although the royal capital is prosperous, it makes people feel like they can't breathe. "This is especially true for the lower aristocracy, Tasa thought.

"Really?" said Margaery, "what do you know about His Highness Roland?"

"What's wrong?" the question made his heart sink slightly.

"I think he's really an incredible person, obviously he had a very bad reputation when he was in the royal capital, and you should have heard a lot of rumors about him, but in the border town...... It's not at all like the rumors suggest that both his actions and thoughts are unpredictable," she paused, "If the steam engine is just proof of his erudition, why is it that even the warriors he trained are so different?"

Tasa glanced at the soldiers of the First Army who were sitting on the deck - they were not armed with muskets or uniform uniforms, and they looked like caravan escorts with a wooden gun on their backs, considering that they should be as discreet as possible in the vicinity of the royal capital. Most of them were far from the Westside for the first time, and despite curious glances and discussions, none of them took off their shoes or weapons.

On the other hand, the mercenaries of the caravan, many of whom had already gotten into the cabin to avoid the sun, while the three or four people who remained on the deck took off their shoes, unarmed their weapons and put them aside, and lay down in the shade.

"I don't know," Tasa said, helplessly. It's not that he wants to hide it, but he really doesn't know - since the fourth prince arrived in the border town, it has become very different from before, "Probably His Highness has been disguising himself before." ”

"Yes...... Is that so?" Margaery was noncommittal to this answer, she was silent for a moment, and then suddenly held out her finger forward, "Look, that's the walls of the royal capital, and we're almost there." ”

At the end of the field of vision, a hazy blue-gray appeared, and just standing here, you could feel the grandeur of the city wall - this was the most outstanding work before the stonemasons were disbanded, both in height and thickness were second to none in the Gray Castle, and I heard that there were even rooms and passages inside the city walls, which could accommodate nearly a thousand soldiers to rest, so as to achieve uninterrupted patrols and rapid support.

When the city wall was clearly presented in front of Tasa's eyes, the figures of the fugitives also entered his field of vision.

A large number of civilians gathered outside the outskirts of the royal capital, and they set up improvised sheds along the city walls, and white smoke rose from the fire pit in front of the sheds, which seemed to be boiling wheat porridge. At present, these people have not run out of food, and their complexion is not bad. However, the relief food in the royal capital will certainly not be distributed endlessly, and when the nobles have selected the right labor, they will send troops to drive these people away.

"What are you going to do?" Margaery wondered, "Send Your Highness's soldiers to propagate the Ra people?"

"No, that's inefficient, and it's easy to attract the attention of others," Tasa shook his head, "If you want to do things in the royal capital, you either have to buy off officials or hire rats, you should know this." ”

"Indeed," she laughed, "I would have cautioned you that they were unnecessary. Well, if there is a need for money, just come to me. Margaery handed him a sign, "As soon as this is revealed, the shop manager will contact me immediately." Of course, less than 100 golden dragons can be withdrawn directly from it. ”

"Thank you. Tassa took the token—a crimson stone, clear through, with a line of never-before-seen words carved into the end.

"You're welcome," she chuckled, "Your Highness will repay me with interest." ”

Upon arriving at the Canal Wharf, Tassa told the First Army soldiers to stay on the outskirts to wait for news, avoiding the sight of the royal city patrol as much as possible, while he himself entered the city with the caravan. As he passed through the gates, he noticed that the guards were much stricter, apparently not wanting to let fugitives from the east infiltrate the city.

When he entered the city, the first thing that caught his eye was a row of towering gallows.

There were four women with their hands tied behind their backs, emitting a foul stench under the scorching sun, which made Tasa frown.

"Tifeco is hunting witches all over the city, and they are all unfortunate people who have been caught," Margaery sighed, "but it is not accurate to say that, some witches are just nobles who are tired of playing and take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of them." It's hard to say whether it's better to remain imprisoned in a darkroom with no light, or to get rid of the pain sooner rather than later...... Anyway, I hope they can rest in peace. ”

During his six months in the border town, Tassa has come to realize that witches are not unforgivable as the church advertises, and that they are no different from ordinary people except for their strange abilities. Judging from the shape of the woman on the gallows, the youngest may have been fourteen or fifteen years old, which made him feel a little suffocated in his heart, and the feeling of being out of breath returned.

The outer city of the royal capital has not changed much from half a year ago, except for the main road facing the city gate is a bluestone pavement, and the other forks and alleys are muddy. The midsummer sun cracks the ground, and whenever a carriage passes by, it kicks up a cloud of yellow dust. It is hard to imagine that the capital of the kingdom has lost out to a deserted town outside the western border in municipal construction.

After crossing two streets, the caravan made its way to the market district, where Tasa waved goodbye to Margaery and turned into an alley alone.

He came to the door of the "Underground Trumpeter" tavern and pushed the door straight in.

"Hey, it's only open at night!" someone shouted.

Tasa ignored it, walked directly to the bar, and said in a deep voice to the strong man who was wiping his glass: "Do you remember me?"

"Which grasshopper did you pop out of a crack in the rock, didn't you hear that the tavern only opened at night?" he put down his glass impatiently, and raised his head with a gloomy face, while the two sommeliers who were arranging the tables and chairs also gathered around, "Now I'll count three times—Lord Ta, Lord Tasa?"

"It's me," Tassa spat aside, "I have a good business to hand over to you." (To be continued.) )