"Grand Magician...... Very strong! ”

Mu Qingyang glanced vigilantly at the gorgeously dressed mages on the magnificent building, and put the hood on his head......

It was only in the evening that the caravan owner returned with a tired look. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

The first thing he did was pay the mercenary money to the mercenary soldiers. But after the fighters lined up to get the money, their faces were still not good-looking. Some of them were still grunting as they walked back.

Surprisingly, the boss actually came to Mu Qingyang's room to give money to the three of them.

"Thanks to your help last night." He said politely, using a smile to show the helplessness on his face: "I have to trouble you a little more on this trip to Blackstone City." ”

When we set off the next day, the sun had just broken through the shadows of the mountains.

Hurd yawned as he cleaned up, and then cursed in a low voice: "Those ogres downstairs are really energetic brutes, noisy and noisy all night long. I think they'll be able to walk a few miles today! And the gargoyle, who stretched out his nose early in the morning and screamed, and no one cared. Also, this room was cold and wet, and the bed was so small that it wasn't even worth stretching my legs, which made my legs sore. If you know it early, you can directly bless yourself with a tolerant environment, and then sleep on the floor more comfortably! ”

Sofina was about to lose her temper, but was stopped by Mu Qingyang again: "Don't make any noise, those ogres are really noisy, and they stink." Fortunately, I don't have to accompany them tonight. Hurry up and pack up, we're about to go. ”

The team crossed a long bridge across the river in the city and slowly walked towards the gate on the other side.

Walking on the bridge as wide as six four-wheeled carriages, Mu Qingyang couldn't help but sigh at the engineering capabilities of this world. The bridge is free of crevices and piles of masonry, and is completely fused together by magic, and shaped into a beautiful long bridge with beautiful curves and strong support according to the needs of mechanics and aesthetics. As a stone bridge, its height is also extraordinary. Below you can pass large inland river ships carrying more than 100 passengers or small coastal cargo ships.

As the caravan walked on the bridge, looking at the neat and tall red-roofed buildings on both sides of the river, and the endless flow of large and small ships in the open river, I suddenly felt a sense of prosperity and tranquility. It's hard to imagine having to deal with all sorts of cannibalistic intelligent creatures once you get out of the city.

The boss and the mage rode horses, accompanied Mu Qingyang's caravan, and introduced to them: "After crossing this river, you will enter the trade road. It was a commercial route dedicated to trade between the East and the West, and the areas traversed were ruled by cavemen, so there were far fewer bandits. However, you will encounter many lord levels, and you will have to pay a high tax to pass. But as long as they don't want to die, they are better than those jackals, demon thieves, and jackals. ”

"So, what other non-caveman kingdoms are there in these regions?" Mu Qingyang asked. From the words of the boss, it was clear that many areas were not under the control of the cavemen.

"That's a lot." "The biggest is the Dwarven Kingdom, which spans 4 caveman kingdoms and has a well-trained griffin flying unit," said the boss. The strength is very strong! The lords of the cavemen pay a large amount of fine wine to the nobles of the kingdom every year, and if they make a mistake, they will be looted by the dwarves, like a group of robbers. Oh no, worse than a robber! Robbers are occasionally encountered, and they come to ask for food and wine at any time. So that everyone from the lord to the farmer can't have a peaceful day. Luckily, the short bandits live in the tall and steep mountains, and don't threaten our trade routes. Otherwise, we businessmen will be miserable! I have heard that everyone who has dealt with dwarves has said that it is better to make friends with gnolls than to do business with them. They're rude to cavemen! “

Four or five days later, the team came to the border of the wasteland.

Here, the plains turn into hills and sparse forests, and a border town stands on one side of a trade road.

"It seems that there are very few robbers here," Mu Qingyang said to the boss with a smile, "With this kind of simple town with a mixed structure of wood and stone, a large group of jackals can take it down." ”

The boss nodded, "There are really not many robbers, and sometimes some wandering dwarfs come here every summer to try their luck. However, they are too small, don't have good equipment, no high-level spells, and don't have enough food, so this kind of town can handle it. ”

Mu Qingyang asked, "What about the jackals?" Aren't they coming? ”

The boss said casually: "There are mountains on both sides of the walk, and the gnolls who live in them have been slaughtered and eaten by those rough dwarves." The two races are feuding, and when they meet, they will kill each other. ”

Mu Qingyang noticed that he used the word "they", obviously treating dwarves as animals. Combined with what he said the other day, it seems that the relationship between the dwarves and the cavemen is very poor.

The caravan is getting closer and closer to the humble town.

Surprisingly, there were many caravans gathered outside the city. Everyone crowded around the city walls, feeding horses or playing cards, sleeping boredly or gathering to brag. A lively and leisurely scene.

However, caravans should not stay in such a small place where there is no business to do, let alone be so leisurely. The boss suddenly became nervous, not knowing what was going on in front of him. He ordered the group to stop, and then ordered several men to split up to inquire about the situation.

The men went on to inquire about the caravans under the city walls, and after a while they all came back and reported: "The stinky dwarfs have gathered thirty or forty thousand men in the plain area ahead and are ready for battle. We can't get by! ”

"!" The boss scolded: "It's annoying to fight around in a big fart!" That mountain is not big, and hundreds or thousands of people die for it every time, so it's not worth it at all! I think the dwarves are getting water in their heads. ”

Another person who had just entered the door said: "I heard that the dwarves have made up their minds this time, and they are mobilizing all the manpower, and hundreds of thousands of people will come one after another." ”

"Ahh The boss exclaimed, "Why is this year so outrageous?" It's too bad now, I won't stop this time without distinguishing between life and death. I don't know how long it will take! ”

He kept lamenting, "Why am I so unlucky! If the goods cannot be transported to Blackstone City in time, it will be a violation of the contract of the Chamber of Commerce. Finished! When the loan shark comes to the top, my life will be over! ”

Wasteland Frontier area.

On a large open plain, two armies of tens of thousands of people stood opposite each other. Not only did they set up camp, but they also brought in stout logs from the distant mountains to make large fences, large tents, towering lookouts, various vehicles, and other war equipment, and prepared for a long war.

But the heavens don't do it, at least for now.

The lord met with a village chief in his simple tent, the head of a large village.

The village chief, who was over sixty years old, walked tremblingly as if he was about to fall down at any moment, making people feel nervous. However, his spirit was not bad, and he was not afraid of the mighty and fierce generals in the big tent, the hideous felt made of beast skin, the bloody axe and sword, and the lord with shining golden armor, as if he were surrounded by his neighbor next door.

He knelt down to the lord with difficulty, and after saying a flattering word without nutrition, he stepped into his proper body: "Spring ploughing will be coming in the next few days, and I hope that your mighty army can start a war with the enemy and end the battle as soon as possible." Otherwise, the people in the village would not dare to go down to the fields to cultivate, and if they miss the farming season, this year's harvest will be over. ”

The old lord was also in his prime, and he wore thick armor and a thick red cloak to ward off the cold and humid breath of early spring. He has a crown made of pure gold on his head, but the crown is really "not fancy". Even the edge pattern and the string of runes in the middle are crudely made, as if they were typed out of a goldsmith's shop in some small town. And there are no gems on it, just cheap pearls set on it as a substitute. The clothes of a rich man in a big city are dozens of times more gorgeous than his!

His face did not have the legendary "lord's shelf" at all, but asked with a sad face: "Did you also send someone to the Black Dragon Castle opposite to say the same thing?" ”

"Yes, wise dwarven lord." The old village chief said, "It is your business to fight for the sacred mountain, but now that the battlefield is here, it affects the work of us farmers. As you know, food has always been supplied by our village, and if this results in a poor harvest this year, there won't be enough food to sell. At that time, whoever won on either side had to spend a lot of money to buy food in other places. The merchants who heard the wind will take the opportunity to raise the price of grain higher than the sky, and it is the winner among you who suffers. ”

The old man, with a sophisticated expression and a fearless face, continued: "Therefore, please start a war between your two countries as soon as possible, so as not to delay agricultural production. I think the two wise lords will be able to understand our painstaking efforts. ”

"Of course I do." The lord showed a helpless smile: "I will discuss with the Black Dragon Lord and try to start the war as early as possible." You can rest assured that you will not miss this year's farming. After speaking, he ordered someone to send the old village chief out, and he didn't dare to slack off.

"Are you really going to war early? We're not ready yet! The two mages in Blackstone City still haven't delivered the goods we ordered. Once the war starts, we will lose. A strong man in his twenties with a short golden beard stepped forward and said urgently. He was dressed in a golden cloak and glittering armor, and he looked like a golden man. The momentum was even brighter and more majestic than that of the lord.

The old lord waved his hand helplessly and said, "Dear Duke, don't worry. As far as I know, the Black Dragon Lord doesn't have many magic tools either. Our two countries are still even, and if we start a war like this, neither side will suffer. ”

He pondered as he said, "And if the war starts like this, the number of dead and wounded will probably be smaller." After all, neither side has powerful magic tools. This is also a blessing for the soldiers. ”

The strong man with the title of duke still insisted: "However, we have been preparing for a long-term war, and now we have suddenly changed to a quick victory, I am afraid that the situation will become unfavorable." Do we really have to change our plans for the sake of just one village? This is a war between two countries! ”

The old kingdom sighed and said, "It's all because of my poor thinking that led to this situation. Don't underestimate that village, they are only a village in name, but in fact they have arable land within a radius of nearly ten miles, with a population of six or seven hundred. That's more than a fifth of your territory. And you know, the noses of the big merchants are more agile than flies. As soon as they knew that this year's harvest was not good, they would join forces to raise the price of food. Do you remember a few years ago, when our grain production was reduced due to drought, they raised the price of grain by six or seven times? ”

He sighed again and said, "We don't have much surplus grain to support the production of the mine this year." If you don't do it, you will have a situation where you won't be able to make money if you win. Even if there is surplus food, it can be used as a reserve for war against those insatiable demon lords. It is very difficult to support the production of a large mining area. ”

The duke hesitated and said, "But once the crystal mine of the Holy Mountain is in hand, it will be able to continue to bring income. One year of loss, what about two years? What about three years? One day, I will be able to earn it back with interest. ”

The old lord smiled helplessly: "You are so calculated according to the current raised price, but is it possible that the price of crystal ore has always been so high?" It's been an abnormal price hike this year. I'm afraid it won't last long. ”

The Duke said with some excitement: "Don't worry about this, I heard from the high mage of Black Rock City that this price increase will last for at least 7 years. You also know that the High Mage's prophecy spells are sometimes more powerful than the Mage. ”

The dozen or so dukes and counts sitting down below couldn't sit still, and stood up one after another and begged the lord not to start the war in advance: "What we have is time to make a profit, don't delay our big event because of a small matter in a village." It's better to wait for the two mages from Black Rock City to come before fighting! ”

The more they talked, the more excited they became, and they all rushed to the lord and shouted noisily, without any etiquette at all.

"Okay, okay." The lord stood up helplessly to reassure them: "Just wait for five days." If the two of them don't come, we'll talk about going to war. ”

When the nobles of all sizes left, the young people on one side complained dissatisfiedly: "They were the ones who wanted to start a war with the Black Dragon Kingdom at the beginning, and they are the ones who want to postpone the war now." What a group of people who are difficult to serve. Father, you are too indulgent to them. Sometimes you should show a little bit of the majesty of the lord, and you can't listen to them in everything. ”

He wears a plain silver heavy scale armor with neither a cloak nor an ornate helmet. At first glance, I thought it was an ordinary guard, but the scales and armor were relatively clean, and it could reflect a little silver light.

He looks less than 20 years old, but his expression is calm and sophisticated, as if he has experienced the vicissitudes of the world. Just now he was just standing next to his father, looking at the nobles with a blank face. It wasn't until they were far away that they showed resentment, showing a hint of young man's stubbornness.

And his lord's father, still slumped on a simple "throne" covered with lion skin, kept touching his short gray beard and said, "Majestic? Child, is it possible for a small lord like us to have majesty? Do you know why our territory is so close to the Blackstone Mage Alliance, and yet it has never caught our attention or encroached on our territory? ”

Seeing that the prince shook his head slightly, he continued in a calm tone, "Because we are the shield it uses to resist those mountain dwarf tribes. You think about it, if it annexes our two small countries, then the border borders on the mountain dwarves. At that time, once the mountain dwarves invaded, it had to bear the obligation to expel the dwarves. But does it dare to turn against the dwarves? Once you go to war with the dwarves, you won't be able to get sophisticated equipment and weapons. And it doesn't have the ability to go into the mountains to exterminate the dwarves, so it can only be consumed on the border. In this way, its strength will be greatly weakened over time, and it will soon be swallowed up by other kingdoms. ”

"So it deliberately allowed us to exist, to endure the endless predation and oppression of the mountain dwarves, and it was able to stay out of it! and even pretended to be friendly and mediated. Hmph, your grandfather has long seen this kind of trick clearly, so when he was alive, he bribed the magnates of the Blackstone Mage Alliance twice to merge our kingdom into the Blackstone Mage Alliance. It's a pity that they all failed. ”

The old lord said in a deep voice: "We are actually outcasts, and you and I are the kings of many outcasts. What majesty is there for such a king? We can only grovel in exchange for aid before the great powers, pretend to be strong in front of the mountain dwarves to lead the people, and in front of the subordinate nobles we can only compromise to gain their support. But in fact we are a few angry, and the great powers think that we, the lords of the dwarves of the wasteland, are not obedient enough; The mountain dwarves think we are strong on the outside; The aristocracy thinks that we do not have enough power and benefits to allocate; People always say that we don't have what it takes to make them rich. Hmph, rich and strong? How can such a beleaguered family be rich and strong? It is very wise to be able to lead them not to be slaves of the country! ”

The old lord became excited as he spoke: "I don't want to pay attention to these nobles, but without them to contribute money and troops, how can we stop the continuous raiding of the mountain dwarves?" Once we can't stop it, then all the sins belong to us royalty! As long as those nobles push the resentment of the people and the mountain dwarves on us, they can continue to be their rich men in peace. And our family will have to pay the price of blood! ”

"I don't want to fight at all about the crystal mine this time. However, these nobles saw the money, and had already contacted the mountain dwarves to go to war, and they wrote a contract for the distribution of mineral profits behind my back in advance, and after discussing it, they collectively forced me to sign it. Hum! I'm just a puppet of the flag that they pulled out. Even if I don't fight, they will find a reason to start a war with the Black Dragon Kingdom privately. And then use the so-called 'obligation' to pull our royal family into the water! ”

The prince asked eagerly, "Is there really no way to refuse them?" ”

The old lord snorted coldly and said, "If we refuse, we will be in even greater trouble." These lords will collude with the dwarves of the mountains and use the arrogant dwarves who have long been dissatisfied with us to purge us! Why was your grandfather attacked by an unknown dwarven force in a manor far from the border? And the attackers were carrying a large number of spell tools? This is obviously an inner ghost pointing out! ”

The prince bowed his head and was silent. My father had already said this several times. At this time, the revival of the old thing is completely to remind yourself not to underestimate those nobles who are lower in status than yourself. Sometimes they are more lethal and more ferocious than foreign enemies.

The old lord's gray hair and beard became more and more unenergetic, and the whole person seemed to be ten years old, and he shook his hand weakly and said, "Don't complain about it in the future." As a royal family of dwarves, this is our fate. A fate that even the petty officials in the metropolis can't match! I just hope that we can return to the heavenly kingdom of the gods after we die. Only there can we be free from the troubles of the world. (To be continued.) )