The war in the West has even begun in a strange stalemate.

The various countries around the Savage Highlands sent envoys, and in just a few days the king received several batches. Most of these people came with the same intention, they all asked the emperor's ** team to stand still, because their country had merchants in Oufu City. Some of these smaller nations have already recognized the city as a new independent state. No matter how much the military advocated war, the tremendous diplomatic pressure caused His Majesty the Emperor to order that the troops in the west should not act rashly. At the same time, Oufu City also kindly returned all the goods that had been looted some time ago, and the people and many nobles also began to have anti-war sentiments. It seems that Cedros's means and methods have indeed worked.

On the other hand, strange military information came back from the west. A giant undead monster appeared in the wilderness, and Priest Nags led all the mages in the army to destroy them, but they were all wiped out. The military said that the priest of the Ernie family was so happy that it led to this result, and the Ernie family accused General Sanders of miscommand, especially the pain of the loss of his son, which made him even more urged to change the commander. Naturally, the military could not easily agree, and the daily government affairs almost became a place of quarrel between the two sides.

The Academy of Magic was relatively calm. Bishop Ronis made a rare statement on political matters this time, and he proposed to the emperor to withdraw from the army. He seemed to be dissatisfied with the last recommendation of the Nags priest, so this time he did not appoint the son of the prime minister or accept the candidates offered to him by the military ministers, and was ready to appoint an obscure ordinary monk to replace the fallen Nags priest to command the remaining priests in the army. This is a method that is not biased towards anyone, and it is very much in line with the bishop's usual style, and the ministers can only accept it obediently. As for why such a person was chosen, it is said that it was because of the monk's devotion to his faith and his prayer for the corpses for several years that he was able to gain the respect of the bishop.

In these extraordinary times, the selection contest for the Holy Knights was still held. And precisely because this kind of power struggle is fierce, the significance of this competition is naturally extraordinary.

Although the generals of the empire had control over the army, they never dared to support their troops and be self-respecting. What can make these generals with a large army dare not come to the center is the core military force of the empire, directly under the orders of the emperor and the Holy Knights of the Church. Although there are less than a thousand people in total, each member has the combat power of a high-level swordsman, and the dozens of magicians and priests in it are almost all the top elites in the empire.

The Holy Knights must act under the joint orders of His Majesty the Emperor and the Bishop, so they rarely have the opportunity to be sent into battle, but they have a transcendent position in the Empire, and the leaders of the small orders are assigned to important positions in the army in order to exercise their abilities. This was a shortcut to the military for the Ernie family.

Of course, the selection of such an important unit is also extremely strict. Every year, thousands of knights from all over the country participate, but only a dozen or so are selected from among them. The most important thing is that the examiner is the head of the Holy Knights Roland and Bishop Ronice, although the head of Roland is a member of the military faction, but the strictness of the military, the selflessness of the iron mask and the meticulousness of personal cultivation are famous for the effect after the perfect combination of his body. Together with the seemingly conservative Bishop Ronis, he ensured that the core of the empire was not influenced by political forces. Whoever belongs to any force, if you want to enter the Holy Knights, you must pass the test hard and come honestly.

On the first day of the selection meeting, a variety of preliminary examinations were conducted, equestrian, spearmanship, knightly etiquette, faith, etc., and more than a thousand candidates were scrambling to be washed down like mud and sand in these rigorous examinations, leaving only a few nearly 100 elites. The survivors then compete for the last dozen spots in the next day's joust. The champion will receive the badge of the Holy Knights personally issued by His Majesty the Emperor, which is a great honor for every knight and a capital for promotion. Generally, champions have the opportunity to become the squad leader of the regiment, commanding dozens of regimental members who can be used as a thousand-strong army.

Every year, this competition has become a grand festival in the royal capital. Tall temporary stands were erected around several arenas in the open air to meet the needs of the spectators, and His Majesty the Emperor even came to watch the finals.

The people in the square can no longer be described in more than one word, it seems that the people of the entire royal capital have gathered here. Both nobles and commoners were talking enthusiastically about the upcoming jousting tournament. The betting market has also come out. Based on the past results of each contestant and the evaluation of professionals, each participant was given their own odds for supporters to express their enthusiasm with coins.

The biggest favourite on the market is a contestant named Rodhart. The knight, Rodhart, had already passed all the tests on the first day, and he was doing very well in every case. According to the eyes of several veterans, his skills and bearing are also the best among all the contestants. So he became the favorite to win the championship.

Although the odds have fallen below 1-to-1, there are still people betting in support of him. The amount of money accumulated on him has exceeded the mark of a thousand gold coins, and this huge amount expresses a huge amount of support.

Whether it's based on such enthusiasm or such a large amount of money, bettors have even investigated the origin and experience of this knight. It is said that this horse came from the knightly school of Erathia, and the origin of this rich hero and general added to his bloodline. And the rumor that has long been circulating among the aristocratic youth is that this hero also rescued the daughter of Duke Mrak from a group of big-eared monsters, which is a heroic deed worthy of trusting his ability. Although he did not have any illustrious family background, and did not become Duke Mrak's subordinate because he rescued the duke's daughter, the only reward for the duke was to help him, a commoner, to get the name of the game, and some people heard the accent from his mouth that was said to be from a poor place near Airy. However, this poor background in the grass field, combined with his experience of saving the United States and his current achievements, has the momentum of a hero who is a teenager pulling onions from the dry land and soaring into the sky, which fully meets the psychological needs of ordinary people. The integrity of Bishop Ronice and the rigor of Head Roland have always ensured the fairness of this selection meeting. So his astonishing bet on the possibility of becoming the first civilian champion was all the more astonishing - unlike the glittering but small gold and silver coins of the rich, which were tired of the small mountains of copper of the common people. Just by looking at it, you can feel the momentum.

Betting is coming to an end. The last bettor stepped up to the table and placed three silver coins in the box marked 'Rodhart', a rare gesture. This is a girl who is dressed up to be a little flamboyant, a fancy long skirt that shows off her shoulders, and her shoulders and small half of her chest are proudly exposed to the coveted men around her, and her already very cute and well-behaved face is a little extra makeup. It can't be blamed, this is probably an extension of work habits and work ethics, this young lady named Xuan is a fairly famous red card girl in the largest brothel in the royal capital.

"Hey, this beautiful lady, the odds have dropped to six points, why would you bet on this knight named Rodhart?" asked the staff member who received the bet loudly.

"Because I like him. The pretty prostitute twisted her slender waist. "He is handsome, temperamental and courageous, and he was born poor and worked his own, this is the real hero. Those aristocrats who rely on family background and nepotism are compared to him, I bah. She spat imposingly, a casual posture that all the ladies of good families could never learn.

Her speech immediately aroused the applause of the surrounding crowd.

With everyone's support, Miss Whore was a little happy. She winked at the wooden board with her name written on it, as if it were the person she wanted. Holding his face with his delicate hand, he said with some resentment: "I don't know when he will come to me." ”

"That's a good point. I'll make a note of the young lady's innocent feelings. The staff shouted loudly and solemnly wrote it down in their notebooks. "May our heroes live up to expectations and let us all win some money for drinks. I also wish this young lady that you will receive all your wealth and taste. ”

This performance won the heckle of all the men around him. "Do you want to be free for this hero?" "Heroes seem to be usually boys, so you're lucky, remember to work harder." "When I come, you'll be free." I am also an aspiring youth...."

In the cheers, the prostitute lady held her head high triumphantly and stepped down in front of everyone's eyes. Walking past a young man who was smiling at her with his arms crossed, he pinched his arm, and the young man smiled and reached out to pat her on the head as if encouragingly. She continued to walk into the crowd with great fanfare.

With the smell of shavings oil left behind by the prostitute lady and the obscene comments surrounding her, Asa felt as if she had returned to her hometown in a tavern. He now just needs to wait for all the formalities to be completed before heading to the west and use this last opportunity to watch Rodhart's game today.

Asa made his way to Rodhart's break room, wanting to see how the hero, who had gathered the public's expectations, was ready. If nothing else, Rodhart really deserves the title. He watched yesterday's exams and competitions, only to realize that this friend of his seemed to be born to be a knight.

Of course, it wasn't really born like this, and this excellent performance was due to the knightly dream that he had been obsessed with since childhood. When a person completely indulges his life in a dream, the energy and achievements he has received are incomparable to those who rely on 'hard work' or 'hard work'.

The key is that he is no longer the little child who is obsessed with dreams, and spiritual maturity and steadiness are where a person's greatest wealth and strength lie. Bearing and calmness of mind can fully exert human abilities, and in Asa's eyes, Rodhart is now quite strong.

The rest room for the contestants was set up in a hotel on the outskirts of the square, and in order for them to have a good rest, it was guarded by soldiers and was not allowed to enter by ordinary people. However, one of the prefects recognized the monk who was highly regarded by the bishop, and immediately let him go, and politely asked him if he was going to pray for the warriors.

Rodhart's room was on the innermost part of the top floor. Asa went upstairs just in time to see a man enter Rodhart's room, while several other guard-looking men stood outside with a look of arrogance and vigilance. A few curious contestants wanted to go over and have a look, but were immediately scolded by the guards.

It's not a place to come in at will. And these participating knights are not people who can be scolded at will. Asa was curious. He looked around, turned and walked to the end of the hallway, climbed out of the hallway window while no one was looking, and climbed under the eaves into the middle of the mezzanine under the roof with a few clicks of the outside wall. The hotel is of a very high grade, and it is not very old, and the wooden planks on the top floor are very strong, and people do not make a sound when they climb up. He crawled silently in the middle like a gecko to the top of Rodhart's room, and saw what was going on below through a gap in a plank.

A richly dressed middle-aged fat man sat on a chair with a big grin, not necessarily magnificent, but at least very imposing. With the same imposing eyes, he looked at Rodhart standing next to him with his hands down. This man was the one he had met in the Academy of Magic the other day, the current Prime Minister.

"I think I can succeed with a person's mind and ability, but because I am young, I only have my own fool in my eyes. A truly intelligent person is someone who knows the times and knows how to adapt to them. Although the Prime Minister was sitting, he looked at Rodhardt, who was standing next to him, with condescending eyes. "I can see you're a smart guy. Really smart people. ”

"Thank you, Prime Minister, for your compliment. Rodhart looked respectful.

"I'm sure you'll understand me, so I'll get straight to the point. This championship is useless to you. It will only be useful if the truly powerful people get it. Even if you have been rewarded by the emperor and supported by those ant people, but without a background or background, do you think that a person from a poor background like you and who does not have any noble blood of the family flowing in your body can really be smooth sailing in this changing court? You can't imagine that the struggle between the political forces in the DPRK and China is so fierce that a person like you, who has no background, can only be pushed around by the political tide and is just a small chess piece, as long as those of us who are really in power are not happy, or if the political struggle has that need, we can still turn you back into a grass farmer and even make you fall to the ground. "The Prime Minister told the country boy the seriousness of the matter with a very modest majesty.

Rodhart was silent. Asa didn't think it was alarmist, it seemed to be true.

The Prime Minister's tone softened, and then he showed his magnanimous side. "I can see that you are a very talented man. But personal talents are useless, and whether you want to join any faction, it will take time to prove your loyalty and talents, and to get the opportunity to be reused. I'm also the right time to hire people, and as long as you slowly prove your talent and loyalty to me, you will definitely have a real day. Did you understand what I said?"

Rodhart was still silent, Asa could not see his face, but he could see a flicker of unease in the Prime Minister's pretended calm expression.

After a while, I heard Rodhart's flat but affirmative answer: "I understand." ”

"Good. The Prime Minister looked very satisfied and said. "Listen, now is your chance to show your skill and faithfulness. That is to give up this title that is useless to you. Your opponent in the final will be a knight named Stronker. He's the best in this tournament, he's the favourite, and most importantly, he's got the noble blood of the Ernie family, and he's a nephew of mine. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood. ”

"The venue for the final was in the big ring in the center. The third plank on the left side of the ring is a little loose, and if you step on it, you will sink slightly. You know what I mean?"

"Yes. ”

"At that time, there were not many masters among the people watching the battle, and Captain Roland was the first swordsman of the empire. The fake show must be done, and it is inevitable that everyone will get hurt a little, but with so many pastors around, it shouldn't be a big deal. You know what?"

"Yes. "The hero, who represents the dreams of the people, is now as tame as a little sheep in front of the majesty of the Prime Minister.

"Yes, that's good. The Prime Minister was very pleased with the young man's understanding of the times, and took a small bag from his bosom and threw it on the table with a heavy thud. "Here are fifty gold coins. I'll give you more when it's over. And these small sums of money are just the beginning, and I admire young people like you who understand current affairs, know the stakes, and are capable. I can tell you that as long as you work hard, your future will never disappoint you. As long as you don't disappoint me now. The Prime Minister stood up and nodded, and walked out of the door with great majesty.

The door to the room was closed, and Rodhart was still standing still. After being stunned for a long time, he walked to the table and picked up the money bag left by the prime minister, and sighed with satisfaction, took out a yellow gold coin, held it in his hand, and flicked it with his fingers, making a pleasant sound.

Asa climbed out of the mezzanine on the top floor and back into the hallway, walking towards Rodhart's room. But when he reached the door, he scratched his head, and found that the matter was Rodhart's own, and what he was going to do was naturally his business, so he turned and walked out of the hotel again.

Asa suddenly remembered the prostitute just now, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the three silver coins she had bet. Her money is at least sweat money, if not hard-earned money.