Sheltered by the mountains, Rhodok still retains a little warmth, but Nord in the north is already covered in silver. Fortunately, the wide river still flows into the sea day and night, which makes the world seem to be frozen in ice show a little vitality.

However, today is a little special, even though the sky is still snowflakes, a small pier on the bank of the river is already crowded with people. The group of people are dressed in a variety of ways, the only thing they have in common is that their outfits are brand new, and at first glance, they look a bit like the traditional Spring Solstice celebrations in Swadia. However, the small boats docked on the pier and the sad atmosphere in the crowd showed that this was not a celebration, but a funeral.

In late summer and early autumn of this year, Olafjar finally got tired and challenged King Ragnar's throne, and the two sides fought for 300 rounds with their followers, and in the end, His Majesty's royal bodyguard Nord won the challenge, while Olafjarr could only shrink back into his own territory, licking his wounds alone. In the past, when this happened, the loser admitted defeat, and the winner did not embarrass too much, and asked for some resources and slaves. This time, however, King Ragnar, perhaps carried away by last year's victory, not only did he not show the magnanimity of the victors, but instead mobilized his troops to attack Olafjarr's territory, preparing to purge the country of rebellion once and for all. After all, Olaf is also a person who is qualified to challenge the throne, and the background of the clan will not be the same as on the battlefield before, and in a hurry, he has to take it all out and desperately resist the king's attack. Although the king's army prevailed, the battle did not go as smoothly as expected, but reached a stalemate. The Nords, busy with the civil war, regrettably missed the best fishing season and the harvest of Swadia wheat, and most of the grain had been transported into the fortified fortresses, leaving them no longer to plunder. There is no doubt that this will be a disaster.

However, this catastrophe is not something that the Nords here are worried about, after all, they are about to embark on the last voyage of their lives.

A pure white Virginia frost horse rode on the white snow, and the rider on the horseback didn't seem to notice the snowflakes that were gradually turning into frost on her armor, let alone the cold wind that was desperately burrowing into her helmet, she only worried about whether the horse under her could go a little faster, a little faster.

However, on the inky satin-like riverbank, a discordant dot of color attracts the rider's attention. It wasn't until the horse got close that she saw a mother sitting on a stone by the river, her hair and shoulders covered with snow, but she didn't seem to notice it, humming a Nord folk tune in her mouth, and a small cradle at her feet, but her hand was gripping the chisel, and busily chiseling a piece of wood, and only when the snow covered her child's face would she stop her work and sweep away the pesky snow.

The rider instinctively felt that something was not right, but as the horses galloped, the lonely mother and son soon disappeared into the vast world.

Eventually, she caught up, just as they had drunk their last bowl of wine and were about to step into the boat.

"Uncle Gaunt!" the rider rolled over and dismounted, pulled down his helmet, and his long golden hair immediately shone in the snow.

One of the men standing at the front was stunned for a moment, then turned around and recognized the rider at a glance. He struggled to push through the crowd with his remaining arm, limping in front of the rider, an ugly grin on his scarred face.

"The God King bless you, beautiful Engred," the middle-aged man bowed slightly, as if he had bowed, "It is great to see you again on the way to the King to serve the God King." ”

"Uncle Gaunt ... Engrid wanted to say something, but the tears that welled up in his eyes blocked everything, and the words that were held back were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything. Every scar on this man's body is a testimony to a bloody battle. There is no doubt that this heroic man has been at the forefront of every battle, and he has experienced countless ghost gates in his life, and several times he has been cut down to only half a breath, but in the end he survived. When King Ragnar heard of his deeds, he praised him himself and gave him the honorary title of "Indomitable Gont" in recognition of his strong will to bow to enemies, even death.

However, no matter how iron-clad a man is, there will be a day when he will fall, but this day came so suddenly for Gong Te. Engreid's clan continued to hold on to their old position, following closely behind King Ragnar and attacking Olafjarr, and the valiant Gaunt was not going to miss the battle. It is a pity that the name of the person, the shadow of the tree, and the famous Günter are naturally feared by Olaf.

So, during a reconnaissance mission, Gant's troops were ambushed and almost completely annihilated, and Gunte himself was seriously wounded, but still stubbornly survived. His rock-like willpower saved him again and brought him back from his stupor, except that he could no longer fight, and he had permanently lost a leg in that treacherous ambush.

However, the warrior who had struggled all his life in the blood and rain of corpses did not lose much of his life, and he made a decision that almost all Nords would do - to meet the call of the God-King. After hearing about this decision, Engrid, who was still on the front line, immediately asked for a war horse, relying on her unskilled riding skills, and finally felt her destination at the moment before the funeral.

Seeing the girl's tears rolling in her eyes, the man smiled with relief, first gave her a hug, and then wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with his rough fingers, "Now, Engrid, don't cry for me." Everybody's going to have a day, isn't it?"

"But... ”

"Haha, I taught you all martial arts, how could I not understand your thoughts. Uncle Gaunt smiled and comforted, "Engrid, you are a good boy, and your heart is kinder than any Norder. But, and because of that, you must learn to be ruthless, learn to be ruthless, and not let that kind heart hurt you. After all... Saying this, Gong Te sighed slightly, "After all, this kind of virtue does not belong to the Nords." ”

"Uncle," Engrid gritted his teeth and still spoke, "Uncle, don't go, my martial arts are not refined enough, continue to teach me." ”

"What nonsense," Gaunt flicked on her forehead, "I know you're doing it for my good, but even if you're willing to keep me, I'm not willing to live like this." I am a warrior, and only the battlefield is where I survive. And," he pointed to the sky, "we all know that the days ahead will be even harder, and it is better to save one or two more young lads than to leave the food for my waste." ”

"It's a pity," the iron-like man's eyes showed a touch of tenderness that could not be concealed at this time, "It's a pity that I can't see which kid the beautiful Engrid will be cheaper in the end, I was supposed to compete with him at your wedding." ”

"Uncle, I... Tears eventually flowed down her cheeks, and the uncle patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.

"That's it, the God-King is already calling me. The uncle smiled ugly at Engred, "I see you're coming on horseback? Well, that's good, we've had enough of the cavalry." He said. He sighed, "Your unsuccessful weak chicken daddy and our entire clan will be handed over to you." Please, Engrid. ”

Seeing the girl nod firmly, Gaunt's eyes were full of relief. He waved his hand at her one last and stepped firmly into the boat.

Engrid stood on the shore in a daze, until the boat disappeared into the skyline, then took his horse and turned away. On the way back to the camp, she saw the mother again. The wood in the mother's hand had been carved into a small longboat, and Engrid watched as the mother put her motionless child into the boat, and then quietly watched the boat go down the river, just as Engrid had just done.

Is it another funeral? The girl sighed, turned her head, and continued walking. Then, in the south of the continent, in the tall castle of Djerkhala, another beautiful maiden stretched out lazily, and the maid duly pushed open the door and wiped the girl's delicate cheeks with a towel soaked in warm water.

"Your Majesty, breakfast is ready. ”

"Well, okay, yawn~" The girl yawned loudly, "Hmm, help Yu dress." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty. ”

With the help of the maids, Her Majesty finally put on her dress and excitedly waved her skirt in front of the dressing mirror.

"This dress is so beautiful, Yu is very satisfied. ”

"Of course," said the maid respectfully, "this was chosen by His Majesty himself before he set out on the expedition. ”

"Well, Darling knows me so well. The queen smiled happily.

There was a knock on the door of the queen's bedroom, and a well-dressed butler walked in with a plate.

"Your Majesty, today's breakfast is pan-fried veal rolls with scallion-flavored bread, is that okay?"

"Well, leave it there. Her Majesty waved her hand, sat down at the table, and asked, "Hawke, do you have any plans for today?"

"Yes," said the butler, putting down his breakfast and pulling out a small notebook from his pocket, "this morning we will meet with Lord Jemohar, and together we will meet with Mr. Mu, a great merchant who has come from afar, the proprietor of Roden-Ross. In the evening, they will attend a feast at the family of Lord Jemohar to express his condolences to the generals stationed in Djerkhara on behalf of His Majesty the King. ”

"Well, Yu knows. The queen thought for a moment and asked, "Is that Mu a Rhodok?"

"Yes," replied the butler, "he was born in Ross Ridge, and is a descendant of a declining aristocracy. ”

"Oh, Yu remembered, it's the territory where rose perfume is particularly good," the queen clapped her hands, looking very happy, I don't know if she was interested in Mu or if it was pure breakfast that was very appetizing to her, "Then Yu will see it, Mu walked into a living room under the leadership of the guards. The squire opened the double open door, and Lord Jemohar was already waiting for him at the conference table.

"Lord Jemohar, it's been a long time. Mu walked up with a happy expression and shook hands with the familiar lord.

"It's been a long time. Jemohar also smiled happily, "Boss Mu is really our Rhodok savior, he brought life-saving food last time, and he also helped us a lot this time." Come, please be seated. ”

Mu and Jemohar sat down separately, and Jamila was also there, still standing quietly behind Mu.

"His Majesty the King has already understood Boss Mu's intentions, and I am fully responsible for this negotiation. Jemohar gets straight to the point.

Mu smiled, took the glass of wine from the attendant, and shook it in front of his eyes playfully, "If that's the case, it's really great." In order to trap the Sultan of Hakim, you can send a lot of money to the desert bandits, then, in order to contain Svadia, Your Majesty should not be stingy. ”

"Of course," the lord laughed, "we'll definitely make a price that will satisfy you, but... ”

"But?"

"Hmm. But can you tell me what you need, we're here to help. Jemohar said.

"Well, that's easy to say. Mu waved his hand, "Food, military equipment, cloth, leather, herbs, what do you have I want, I really can't do it, you can give it directly to the dinar." ”

Now, it's Jemohar's turn to be difficult, a guy like this who doesn't know what he wants is the most difficult to do, after all, he can't even figure out what he wants, and he has no direction to bargain, right?

"Let's start with the grain... Before Jemohar's words fell, the guards outside the door suddenly shouted, "Her Majesty has arrived!"

The eyes of the two turned to the gate again, only to see that the gate was pushed open again, and a beautiful girl dressed in fine clothes slowly walked in, surrounded by maids and guards, and it was none other than to think that this was the current wife of King Griffos, Her Majesty Queen Mary.

In fact, after the death of his original wife, King Griffos did not continue the strings, and lived a widower's life for more than ten years. It wasn't until the year before last that Griffhos met Mary, who had just come of age, at a ball hosted by a leader, and it was love at first sight, and after dancing two dances, the two fell in love, regardless of the difference between them for more than 30 years.

Unlike his original match, Queen Mary is a typical noble girl, who has been educated by the nobility since she was a child and lives a rich life, and Griffos loves this woman even more and spoils her like a child. Therefore, Queen Mary is like a carefree canary, living a leisurely life in the golden cage of Djerkhala.

"It is an honour to meet Her Majesty, Your Majesty. Mu Ban knelt down and kissed the back of the queen's hand, and Jamila also lifted her skirt slightly and made a very standard curtsy.

The queen generously accepted this gift, "Mr. Mu doesn't have to be restrained, he doesn't understand anything, just come here to be a witness, and you can talk to Jiemaoharqing about business." With that, she sat down on the main seat, and immediately a maid brought a basket of pastries and a teapot behind her, and of course, Mu and Jemohar also shared.

Jemohar cleared his throat with a sip of tea and continued, "Then let's start with food. We in Rhodok are no better than Svadia, after such a long war, there is not enough food to eat, right, Your Majesty the Queen. In order to enhance his persuasiveness, he also moved the queen out in particular.

"Hey?" the queen, who was concentrating on her morning tea, was startled when she didn't expect Jemohar to suddenly lift herself, and almost spilled the tea on her skirt. However, he immediately reacted, "Uh... Indeed, yesterday Talba Qing and Tumu Baqing complained to Yu that their subjects could not even eat bread. After speaking, he sighed and muttered in a low voice, "Then why don't they eat cake, it's so much better than bread... ”

It's just that the living room was silent at this time, and this small muttering fell into everyone's ears without any difference. Mu just laughed when he heard this, but Jemohar's face darkened suddenly.

Seeing that Jemohar's expression was wrong, the queen knew that she seemed to have said something that she shouldn't have said, and hurriedly remedied, "Ah, but it doesn't matter, when the new seeds are planted, there will be no famine in Rhodok, you say yes, Jemoharqing." ”

At this time, Jemohar's face darkened, but Mu was interested.

"Your Majesty, did you bring back the new crop with the peppers?"

Before the queen could answer, Jemohar immediately grabbed the white and said, "Your Majesty, you may be mistaken, the only crop you brought back last time was chili peppers, which cannot be eaten as food." ”

"Ahh ”

"By the way, Your Majesty, my wife is worried about what to wear for tonight's ball. You're an expert in this area, can you do me a little favor?"

"Well, the ball is a big deal," the queen nodded, and stood up, "A woman's dress is the most time-consuming, so I'll go now." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Jemohar stood up and saluted, and Mu, as a guest, was naturally as kind as a stream.

When the queen left the room, the lord breathed a sigh of relief and sat down again.

"So, Mr. Mu, let's start again, about food... ”