The town of Blackcastle should be called Blacktown.

The 25-square-kilometre city was built on the river, with a fortified fortress 6o meters high and walls nearly 4o meters high, which were also equipped with powerful ballistas and trebuchets. Outside the city, a 25-meter-wide moat flows slowly, and artisans have painstakingly built culverts and brought water into the city, forming a river that runs through the city. This 4-kilometre-long man-made river provides a steady source of water for the city, and it is also known as the Rose River because of the roses planted on its banks. On the west side of the Rose River is 12ooo acres of farmland, and on the east side is a complex of buildings, among which of them are naturally indispensable for blacksmiths and warehouses.

Forts, high walls, water sources, farmland, blacksmiths, and warehouses are all essential elements of the central city of the extended family, and the Black City is the central city of the Duke of York.

The knight is the spear and sword of the family to expand its territory, and the unconquerable town is the foundation of the family.

Sylvia used her influence and the situation in her kingdom to lead the House of York westward, expanding her family territory by three times. In order to establish a foundation in the Centaur Hills, the House of York spent millions of gold soles to build the town of Blackcastle.

The town of Blackcastle lived up to the promise and withstood the test of the war, keeping the Ant-Man army out, but the aftermath of the war began to be felt in the town.

It's the coldest time of the year, and the town of Blackcastle is even more bleak, with no caravans, no crowds, no bustling shops, few people in sight on the deserted streets, and less than 4,000 of the more than 30,000 inhabitants of Castle Black.

The most noticeable change is that the freedmen outside the city are gone. Whether the lords like it or not, the freedmen are the measure of the prosperity of the town. The 20,000-odd freedmen who had gathered outside Blackcastle were now empty and the shantytowns had been converted into storage yards.

Caravans will still visit Blacksburgh, but they no longer need to enter the city. The House of York had little to sell, and the caravans unloaded their goods in the yards, where they were soon towed away by vassal lords everywhere. Of course, caravans can also buy a good commodity in Blackcastle, which is wheels wrapped in lizard skins.

Halfway down the road, the wheels break, it's always very annoying, and such annoying things often happen. As a result, the more durable lizardskin wheels were a big hit, which made the York family a lot of money. Other families wanted to copy it, but they didn't have that many lizard skins. The caravan stewards didn't know why the York family had so many lizardskins, but the town of Blackcastle didn't make as much money from the sale of lizard skins as they spent on supplies.

In the eyes of outsiders, the town of Blackcastle is like a wounded beast, constantly losing blood, and it will not be able to recover at all for 7 or 8 years, and the people of the York family do not think so.

The ant plague has indeed damaged the vitality of the York family, and the accumulation of thousands of years has been exhausted. After quelling the ant plague, although they were given more territory and population, they did not have enough supplies and food. Before they could become self-sufficient, the York family had to use money to buy necessities, which was a feast for the rest of the family.

Moldy grain and stale hides are constantly being shipped to Blackcastle, and then exchanged for shiny Kinsol, and when the Yorks have drained their last gold coins, the rest of the families will bare their fangs at the refined iron ore of the Centaur Hills. Despite the strength of the House of York, many things cannot be solved by force. Unbeknownst to them, the Behemoth was about to regain its vitality and become more powerful.

There were no people in the city, because everyone ran to build fortresses, dig reservoirs, graze cattle and sheep, and farm pigs. The introduction of the new farming system has eliminated the need for the Yorkists to import wheat seeds, and by next year they will be able to become self-sufficient in food, and in two years, the number of cattle, sheep and horses will return to pre-war levels. Just wait for the three fortresses to seal the entrance to the Swamp, and the freedfolk from all over the world will once again gather outside the city.

The Duke of Embiser York, who had a keen business acumen, made the layout ahead of time. Instead of the haphazard shacks, Castle Blackburg was replaced by a two-storey two-storey house, with shops below and residences above, neatly planned, and a wide road that could accommodate three horse-drawn carriages, flanked by sidewalks separated by landscape trees and flower beds. As long as the town of Blackcastle recovers, the rents of these shops alone will make the York family a lot of money.

In the middle of the city, a luxurious noble carriage broke through the cold fog and drove slowly towards the majestic Black Castle, and the heavy hooves of the horses trampled on the empty streets, arousing the vigilance of the patrolling soldiers, and when they saw the emblem on the wall of the carriage, they bowed again. The road was unobstructed, and the carriage soon stopped at the back door of Blackcastle.

Victor stepped out of the carriage and looked at the new town of Blackcastle, where the layout of the houses, streets, and landscape trees was very similar to that of Bayou. When the York family imitated him, they also learned a clean and neat style. Before you know it, the Centaur Hills have already left the imprint of Victor.

A small white hand grabbed Victor's arm, and a soft voice sounded in his ears: "It's really majestic, but it's a little cold." ”

Judy got out of the carriage, the snow-white camel hair cloak covered her graceful body, but there was a faint spring love in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, and she walked all the way for fifteen days, so that she had a physical and mental belonging, and it was inevitable that she was a little nervous when she was about to meet an important member of the royal family, so the little bird leaned on Victor's side like a human.

Victor had been with Judy for more than two months, and during his trip to Black Castle, he was even closer, and he knew Judy's temperament well. Judy's every move, smile and smile have a weak taste, which can always stimulate the male desire to protect, which gives Victor an experience that she has never had, and also shows that she has the instinct to cling to the strong. It is difficult to guarantee loyalty with a weak will, but as long as you give her confidence, she will not be easily betrayed.

Victor patted Judy's white and tender hand and asked, "How is this better place than Wild Willow City?"

Judy smiled silently, and Victor also smiled: "Blackcastle Town is definitely not as good as the century-old Wild Willow City, but it was still an empty land a few years ago, and these houses were only built a year ago. Don't look at the town of Blackcastle is very deserted now, it will be prosperous in two years, and it is said that the York family is also preparing to build another outer city, and in five years, it will be off-road Willow City. ”

Judy's eyes widened, looking at the rows of green brick houses and wide streets, and said in disbelief, "This ...... How is this possible?"

"With the right approach, it's not impossible," Victor nodded, and said to Judy, "His Royal Highness Edward and Lord Duke of York are still waiting for us, let's go in." ”

Judy nodded slightly, and followed Victor into Castle Black.

As soon as they entered the Black Castle, they were greeted by two attendants, a man and a woman, who knew Victor politely to confirm their identities and ask about their intentions, and then led Victor and Judy forward.

Victor noticed that the Black Castle was heavily guarded, and there were two strong guards every twenty meters on both sides of the long corridor, and when Victor came, they only gave a low salute. And Judy never let go of Victor's arm, which is a gesture of companionship.

At the door of the reception room, the attendants unfastened the cloaks of Victor and Judy, and changed out of their fur coats, revealing their formal attire. Victor was wearing a blue viscount and a white fine linen shirt, and Judy was a light blue tunic dress. The two cadet knights in scale armor in front of the door glanced at each other implicitly, and then turned and knocked on the door.

Scrivener Max opened the silver-rimmed oak door, and when he saw Victor and Judy, he said politely: "Lord Viscount Randall, Lady Judy, Duke of York, and His Royal Highness Edward are waiting for their audience. ”

When Victor entered the parlor, he saw the Duke of York sitting on the main seat, and on his right hand sat a young man wearing a purple and gold crown and a prince's robe, and on his left sat the simple-looking Bishop Perro, and two men in viscount dresses sat on the right side of the boy. One of them had dark and blue eyes and a handsome face, and the other was a burly man with a bushy beard, and his appearance was very similar to that of Baron Escre.

Seeing Victor and Judy saluting him, the white and chubby Duke of York got down from his chair and smiled affectionately: "Viscount Randall, I have come to introduce you to His Royal Highness Prince Edward." ”

I hadn't seen the Duke of York for a long time, he was obviously a little fatter again, and Victor was warmly pulled by his arm, and his heart was quite strange. Although the Duke of York and Sylvia are only husband and wife in name, as a time-traveler, Victor still feels a little guilty about this guy. Of course, Victor didn't feel the pressure of other men when facing Sylvia, and the Duke of York ate himself so fat, and he also meant to escape from her. The Duke of York's passion for Victor stemmed from a business fit, and he thought Victor would be a great partner.

"His Royal Highness Prince Edward Auguste. ”

Victor and Judy, led by the Duke of York, saluted the boy in the high-backed chair and said, "Good day, Your Highness." ”

"Madame Judy doesn't have to be polite. Little Edward returned the salute to Judy and smiled at Victor, "Victor, we meet again." ”

The little baron had seen Prince Edward in the royal palace, when Edward was only 4 or 5 years old, and he didn't have much impression of Victor at all, but Victor's appearance was too obvious, especially the pure black eyes that no one else had. The little prince made a gesture of goodwill to Victor, and that was for Sylvia's sake.

It's a pity that Victor doesn't take identity to heart, he sees the little guy trying to be like an adult, he only feels cute in his heart, but he respectfully says on his face: "It's my honor to be able to meet His Highness again." ”

Prince Edward naturally took over the introductory leadership, and he said, "Lord Bishop Perro." ”

After the two of them saluted, Perot said politely, "May the Lord of Light protect you." ”

"Viscount Sauron Wimbledon. ”

Sauron got up and returned the salute gracefully, and saluted Victor's jaw, and Victor also smiled and nodded, both of them were very calm, neither enthusiastic nor indifferent, let alone any collision, it was completely normal to pay homage to each other.

Victor took possession of the little baron's body and also inherited his cause and effect, but he had no personal vendetta with Sauron. With Victor's current strength and status, as long as Sauron is not a fool, they can't fight.

"Viscount Squire Escree. ”

Squire returned the salute to Judy before smiling heartily at Victor: "Your Excellency Randall, I am the elder brother of Baron Escre, and you are often mentioned in Kovaan's letters, and I want to thank you for your assistance to our Escre family." ”

Baron Eskeri was very sad, the family was already poor, and after the ant plague, he encountered the Buryat family to drive out the people, and when more than a thousand people flowed into the territory, Eskeri was even more big, but fortunately Victor accepted those people in time, which did not cause damage to the resources of the territory. The Eskerian family is a descendant of the Marquis of Goron and is known for their unity and bravery, and Squier, as the elder brother of Baron Esker, is indeed grateful to Victor.

"Your Excellency Eskeri need not be polite, it is the duty of neighbors to watch and help each other. Victor said modestly.

Squire, however, had a straight face, respectfully bowed to Victor, and said solemnly: "If it weren't for Your Excellency's timely tipping report, with Kovaan's character, I'm afraid he would have died at the hands of the Ant-Man army." We at Eskeri owe you a favor, and we will repay it in the future. ”

Squier's sincerity moved Victor a little, and he didn't say anything polite, but solemnly returned the favor.

When the Duke of York and Prince Edward were seated, Bishop Pero said to Victor and Judy: "According to the New Testament of Light, on behalf of His Majesty the Pope, and in the presence of the Most High Lord, I have the honour to inquire to the two of them about the death of Lord Austin in battle. Please be sure to answer truthfully. ”

"Lady Judy, please describe in detail the reasons and process of your escape to Randall. ”

Judy was secretly relieved, and afterwards she felt that there were many suspicious places, and she was still worried about it, and Bishop Perro's question was obviously biased, so there was nothing to worry about, so she described the cause of the matter in a soft voice.

After listening to this, Bishop Pero nodded, and said softly to Victor: "Your Excellency Randall, please describe the details and location of Austin's death. ”

Victor smiled faintly and raised his voice, "Lord Bishop, I ask to accept the detection of lies. ”

Detecting lies is a third-level divine art, and no lie can be hidden in front of this divine art. The Church generally does not easily use detective lies against lies, and only when the lords mutilate civilians and harbor wizards, causing serious consequences, and there is no evidence, will the clergy use detective lies to convict them.

Before he came, Bishop Perrault read Father Miller's report and learned that Victor had taken on the responsibility of helping the people, and he had a very good impression of Victor. Although the death of Austin in battle is a bit strange, the church is trying its best to attack the northern wilderness, and there is no time to take into account the threat of Ant-Man, so the situation in the Centaur Hills cannot be chaotic, and this inquiry was originally a formality, and it doesn't matter what the truth is. Since Victor offered to detect the lie, the York family must have nothing to do with it, this is actually the York family's statement to the royal family, and they have no intention of offending the authority of the royal family.

Bishop Pero was pleased with this, and he took out a white crystal, and silently prayed, and the white-gold runes appeared above the crystal, and then dissipated into the air as points of light.

"If it's a lie, the crystal will turn red. ”

Bishop Pero showed the transparent crystal to everyone and motioned to Victor, "Your Excellency, you can begin." ”

Until Victor finished telling what had happened, nothing changed in the crystal. At this time, the Duke of York added lightly, "I don't know anything about this either!"

No one would think that the Duke of York was Sylvia's puppet, in fact, this shrewd fat man was one of the brains of the York family, and he had to handle the family's affairs, big and small. The crystal is still as clear as ever, Victor is not lying, which means that Sylvia did not know, and the Duke of York did not lie, which means that the upper echelons of the York family are not involved in this matter.

Bishop Pero said to Max: "Clerk, please record my conclusion that Austin intended to murder the family heir, invade Randall's territory, and died in a fair battle. ”

Max handed over the parchment scroll, and Bishop Pero read it, took out the seal, stamped it on the fire paint, rolled it up, and handed it to the paladin behind him, and commanded: "Send this record to the royal capital of the Gambis, and give it to His Excellency Archbishop Lazarus." ”

When the paladin walked out of the reception room with the scroll, the Earl of York said to Prince Edward with a flattering face: "Your Highness, I have prepared a rich luncheon for you. Look, do you want to go to the feast now?"

"I would like to invite Viscount Randall and Lady Judy to the feast. ”

The little prince swallowed quietly, and he was very satisfied with the delicate and delicious dishes of the York family.

"As you wish, Your Highness. Fat York swallowed openly.

At this time, the silver-haired old butler walked in, bowed and said, "Madame has invited Viscount Randall and Lady Judy to meet at Rose Manor. ”

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