Volume 3: The Vortex of Strife Chapter 414: Warm or Cold (I)
Ayana personally opened the box containing the moon shield and other small items, and the inconspicuous shield lay there quietly, not even the dust outside the box had been touched, and Feide's worries proved unnecessary. Luca met Selena and the others a day earlier than Fed, and apart from the harassment of some of the nobles of the Duchy of Deraman, the Potato Mercenaries encountered no obstacles on their way to Dawn City.
According to Jasmine, the lords of the Duchy of Dramain all charged tolls to the Potato Mercenary Corps on the grounds of "mercenaries of the Duchy of Mageni". Those guys think that the potato mercenary group has been working for the Duke of Yannis before, and the head of the group, Fidel, has become the ruler of the Duchy of Mageni, so now the potato mercenary group going west seems to have become a lost dog that has been driven out, and most of the nobles of the Duchy of Delamain have put on an unfriendly face because of this.
Fei De didn't know much about this principality, and no one in the Potato Mercenary Regiment had their hometowns here, so everyone didn't have any good countermeasures, so they could only settle down in Morning Light City first.
The Potato Mercenaries didn't enter Morning Light City, they camped not far outside the city. The potato mercenary group with a number of nearly 3,000 people basically cannot all be placed in the city, even in the original base of Dumu City, most of the mercenaries live in villages and towns outside Dumu City.
However, Fei De still had to go to the city, because several of his subordinates were already in the city, and the city lord of Morning Light City had already sent an invitation to the Potato Mercenary Group, but Fei De was not there at that time.
"I didn't expect the sunset here to be so beautiful!" Mustang was like a little boy who received a gift, and he couldn't walk with his feet on the ground, "I heard that the morning in Morning Light City will be shrouded in mild sunshine, and all the people who live here will not sleep lazy, because the morning here is so beautiful." β
Selena, who was at the front, said, "Indeed, I could see the morning light in the tent for the past two days, and it blew away my dreams at once. β
Feder looked up at the mediocre walls, a city known for its morning light was rich and calm, and the people entering and leaving the city were safe, and they walked slower than the citizens of the Singleton City. The sunset is dazzling and magnificent, and it is much warmer than Akadou Castle even though it is winter, perhaps because the city is under the sun all day.
Some travelers with the accent of the Kingdom of Salins surprised Fett's affection, since the Duchy of Dramain sent Koth to Mallot, the relationship between the two countries has been getting better and better in recent years, and the exchanges have become deeper and deeper. Many people from the Kingdom of Sahlins emigrated to the Duchy of Dramain with a pleasant climate, and some people from the Duchy of Dramain saw the big market of the Kingdom of Sarins and did business in the kingdom.
Vendors can be seen along the street, citizens are chatting and laughing in front of the stalls, pedestrians on the road do not squint, and no one cares about Fidel and his party, because most of them are focused on their children.
"This city is much more vibrant than the One Tree City, and the taverns are very distinctive, if Marcus were still aroundβ" Lukka sighed as he thought of his big brother-like friend.
At the crossroads of the streets, Fed is separated from Bronco and Luca, and Fed is going to the city's hospital to find Ligu, as Vittorio has moved to Dawn City. Mustang is going to the Courier Bureau, where he plans to gather his men to join the Potato Mercenary Regiment. Lukka and Selena are in charge of contacting the Mercenary House here to see the mercenaries in the Duchy of Deramain.
"Vittorio, his body seems to be a little better. Fidel and Ayana walked side by side, and Ayana had grown a little taller, but still on the short side.
"His illness is a heart disease, wait a moment and don't mention the matter of the Mageni Principality. β
Fylde nodded, and when he came to Morning Light City, news about Black Swamp City also reached here. Ludwig had to prepare to return home due to pressure from within the Kingdom of Cose, and the siege was halted halfway through. Count Endrida was given a respite, but he also lost a lot of support, and many of his supporters chose to join the Independent League. Looking at the large territory of the former Duchy of Magini, there are less than ten cities that claim to support Endrida, and these cities will not provide any substantial help, and the Duchy of Magini has already existed in name only.
The Eastern Oguna Empire and the Winter Army were at odds with each other, and the Imperial Army began to target the nobles of the Duchy of Mageni who had not yet fully decided to join the Independent Alliance. Several cities belonging to the southern region were taken by the Eastern Oguna Empire with both soft and hard measures, and most of the original owners of those cities died in the southern army camp, and no one could save them.
If Vittorio, who was still ill, had been told of these news, the young merchant who cared about the Duchy of Magini would have been even more depressed. Ligu's subordinates have explained to Fid that the reason why Vittorio has gray hair overnight is because his spirit has been greatly stimulated, and the invisible pressure of self-blame has crushed Vittorio's body and mind, and he can only use time to calm down bit by bit.
When Fide walked into Vittorio's hospital room, Mary was coming out of it and almost hit Fed's black armor.
"Open your eyes!" Mary, who was more grumpy and fierce than Octavia, pushed Fidel away with her hand, and walked down the stairs with only one word. Ligu, who came out with her, immediately greeted his captain and told Vittorio about his situation.
"He's lost a lot of weight, even if it's the rice porridge that his sister boiled herself, he only eats a little bit," Ligu shook his head, he also looked tired, "He hasn't improved much in nearly a month from Dumu City here, but the hair loss has stopped... Commander, you might as well take a look at him for yourself. β
After taking a few steps, Fidel saw Vittorio lying on the hospital bed, with pale hair and a book in his hand. Vittorio's expression was calm, but the book he was holding upside down had betrayed his inner emotions. Vittorio also noticed that Fed had entered the room and put down the book, tucking his upper body into the quilt and turning his back to Fed and Ayana.
"That's it, he doesn't want to see anyone, and he's always thinking about things that make him suppress his anxiety... Alas, those things are knots in my heart, and I can't untie them at all. Ligu whispered in Fiddle's ear.
Ayana turned her head and said to Fidel, "Or it's a good way to divert his attention, I like to distract my prey and then hunt them." With that, Ayana and Ligu left the room, leaving only Fidel, who trusted Vittorio the most.
Vittorio seemed to notice that Feder was the only one left in the room, and he pulled the quilt tighter, as if it wasn't thick enough.
Fidel didn't speak first, he walked around the hospital bed, looked at the medicine Vittorio was taking, and looked at the books Vittorio had taken with him. Most of the books are story books, and the stories in them are made up, not real people. However, these story books have one thing in common, that is, they are all children's stories.
"The Mercenary Guild is planning to make a big splash in the days to come, and they've already got Levier on board. Fidel threw up a topic that Vittorio might be interested in, but Vittorio didn't respond after waiting for a long time.
"I've got some treasure maps, the location of the treasure is in the kingdom of Cose, and I'm thinking about digging it up. β
Vittorio didn't look at Fidel, but Feder could see that the emaciated face of the other party had half-open eyes.
"It's possible for us to stay in Morning Light City, this should be a suitable place for the potato mercenary group to develop and live. β
After Fidel said this, he glanced at Vittorio again, and the other party still didn't react, but Fidel knew that the other party was not asleep. After pacing back and forth a few steps, Fed chose to leave the hospital room and walk with Ayana and Ligu to the camp outside the city. Ligu said that Captain Fed couldn't get Vittorio back to normal, and it seemed that the young and promising deputy warden would have to spend more time slowly accepting the consequences of the fall of the Duchy of Magini.
After returning to the barracks, Fei De immediately gathered all his subordinates and told the details of the "Mercenary Future" gathering. Claude and Bronco became squad leaders under Fett's introduction, and Octavia's departure was also mentioned by Fett, citing "personal reasons".
"That female rebel has the strength of a mercenary captain, but her personality is too stubborn to fit in with us. Selena didn't know how worried they were about getting to Morninglight City.
Jasmine: "So have we become enemies of the Mercenary Guild now? Actually, I don't think the Mercenary Guild is a... Options to consider. β
Jasmine's words spoke to the hearts of some of the captains, after all, Fidel's description of the "mercenary future", as well as the things that the guild leader had privately found, clearly pointed out that the potato mercenary group had a chance, an opportunity to use the mercenary guild. None of the captains present liked the Mercenary Guild, but they all felt that the Mercenary Guild could be used by the Potato Mercenary Regiment in turn.
Fidel also felt a trace of regret in the opinions of his subordinates, after all, Octavia was right. The mercenary of the future is just a kind of identity, it cannot say what you really are, whether you are a mercenary or a remnant, a thief or a businessman, the "mercenary group" can carry these meanings and identities.
"The past is gone, there's no need to dwell on it," Patrick said, gesturing to the two treasure maps, "How much do you think these treasure maps are worth?"
Franklin had long been focused on the treasure map, and the other captains had circulated the treasure map. In the end, everyone came to a conclusion, that is, the places marked by these treasure maps are deep mountains and old forests, and it is difficult to accurately find the treasure points pointed to on the map without using most of the mercenaries.
"If it's really a box of gold... So what are you waiting for!"
"But both of these locations are in the kingdom of Cosai..."
"Then let's get out of here, I'm fed up with the warmth, I want the cold!" Jasmine grabbed the treasure map with both hands, she was an authentic mercenary.