"The north, it was a terrible and cold place indeed. If you don't mind, please tell me about the situation in the north, for this kingdom has long forgotten about that place. But as Mrs. Kesley, we should not forget. ”

Lord Medrly sat on a tiger skin chair and chatted with Rhodes at length. The charcoal in the room provides a constant source of heat, and the flames are sometimes strong and sometimes faint.

"The Great Wall of the North, the pride of Lady Keighrie, our ancestors have defended this world by defeating the Chaos invaders time and time again. However, many years passed, and when the war was no longer there, the northern frontier was slowly deserted. Today, the Great Wall is only in ruins, and the former sentinels have long since been disbanded, and their whereabouts are unknown. All that remains of the North is now a series of loose fortresses and fortresses, which serve as a front line against the Beastmen and various mutated creatures. The glory is long gone. ”

Rod took the hot coffee from Medry, took a sip, and continued—

"There are about ten castles and fortresses in the north today, namely Blackhammer Castle, Heidelberg, and Ringland in the west, and Eagle's Nest and Overwatch in the middle...... Crackstone Fort, Fireplace Fort, Snow Rock Castle in the east...... The combined strength of these ten strongholds is about 10,000 people. The largest of these castles is the Watchtower, ruled by Count Cyril. It is said that the castle has 3,000 soldiers and countless iron armor, and the Watch Fort is also the richest place in the entire North. ”

"It seems that there are a lot of soldiers, and the strength is not small. ”

A smile hung on the face of the old lord Mederie. His withered fingers gripped the teacup, wisps of white mist slowly rising from the cup. Coffee is expensive as a foreign product, and ordinary civilians hardly need to think about it, even nobles, it is not something that can be drunk casually. However, for this Lord of Lone Wind City, it was an ordinary thing, enough to get a glimpse of its strength.

"No, less. As the most important frontier defense line for Kislev and the Empire, the North is the first shield against all kinds of chaotic creatures. Today, there are only 10,000 people on this shield. And they are scattered all over the north. Once the real Chaos Legion invades, with this person, he is no match for the Chaos Legion at all. ”

Rod replied solemnly.

"My lord, Black Hammer Castle is urgent. ”

While Rhodes was chatting with the newfound noble lord, Lawrence the Ranger hurriedly handed over a note. It was an urgent letter from the north.

"I'm sorry. ”

Rhodes said politely as he faced Lord Medri. Then in front of him, the note was opened.

The handwriting of the Chief Knight Virgil came into view, and the letter was so short, but the message was so important - Blackhammer was in an emergency, and the Norscan warbands were disobedient.

Rod crushed the note on the spot, he had already guessed that the Norscans were not easy to manage, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. However, the news also gave Rhodes an excellent reason to return to the realm.

That afternoon, Rhodes asked to see Queen Caterina.

"Your Royal Highness, things have reached a point of urgency, and on my way out of Blackhammer Castle to here, my men, the mercenaries, betrayed me. They claimed to be the king of Blackhammer, and demanded protection money from the peasants and miners to dig the ore for them. Damn, it's all because I trusted them too much in the first place. These barbarians are damned!"

Rhodes grumbled as much as he could in front of the Ice Queen, Caterina, who kept her eyes in the eye and secretly observed her expression. Fortunately, the queen does not seem to be interested in the little Black Hammer Castle, in fact, she has never been interested in the Black Hammer Castle, let alone Rhodes, and the reason why she summoned Rhodes to the capital is very simple, it is because of the Frost Witch. Dennis is a genius, and that's what Caterina cares about.

As for Blackhammer Castle, the queen didn't look at it at all. A castle with only fifty people, in the city of Kislev, an ordinary workshop is bigger than it.

"Barbarians?Mrs. Keighrie shouldn't hire these beasts, we are a civilized country, barbarians are barbarians after all, they may be able to serve you for a while, but it is not forever, barbarians have no loyalty to speak of. ”

"Definitely. ”

Rhodes chimed in.

"Alright, I'll give you permission to go back, go back now, go back to your territory, and eradicate these monsters. ”

Katerina's cold voice echoed through her ice palace again. She sat down on her throne and waved at Rhodes, motioning for him to come down, she had other more important things to do. Indeed, something more important......

......

After being sent away by the Ice Queen, Rhodes hurried to the inn, packed his luggage, and prepared to return to Blackhammer Castle.

"Lord, let me help, it will be faster. ”

"No, I have an important task for you. ”

Lawrence the Ranger asks to come in and help outside, but is stopped by Rhodes. As he simply packed his bags, he said to Lawrence, "Remember the old farmer we met in the field that day?"

"Well, I remember. The old man who died of his son. ”

"Yes, that's him. The ice pepper he mentioned, I haven't had time to buy yet. You stay here, go to the market and pick up a bunch of good ice pepper seeds, buy them, and take them back to Blackhammer. Remember, only you know about it, don't talk to a third party about it. Brother, I'm sure you can do it. ”

Rod said seriously, and left the gold and silver coins for the purchase of the ice pepper seeds to Lawrence. Time is so important to Rhodes at this moment. He must get back to Blackhammer as quickly as possible, and Lawrence's procurement is also related to the future revitalization of Blackhammer.

A few minutes later, Rhodes packed all his luggage, mostly some dry food and clothing necessary for the trip, as well as money. Money is the most important thing. Heading north from Kislev to Blackhammer Castle, you'll pass through many towns and villages, with hostels, taverns, and currency to replenish along the way.

He finally put a foot on the shoulder of Lawrence, the Ranger, and stressed to him again in earnest—"Stay in Kislev until the best seeds are chosen." Blackhammer needs it. ”

Lawrence nodded earnestly. He had never lived up to the expectations of his lord, never before, and never will.

After leaving the city of Kislev, Rhodes drove north, changing from plains to forests and then from forests to plains, and the closer to the north, the cooler the temperature became. The snowflakes fell again, dyeing the hair white. He remembered the words of the scholar, this is the spring cold. Spring is an unstable season for Kislev, it will rain, it will rain, and sometimes it will even alternate with rain. This is probably the cold of spring, Rod thought to himself.