When the cool north wind blows across the land, slicing through the yellowed broad leaves of the triangular poplar branches like a sickle, Quaid recalls the cold winter of the ice fields from the dust that smells of home. Storms raged through the woods and valleys, snowflakes sliced through the condensed air, animals moved to the warmer edges, and the Frost Maiden, Yusel, stirred up the storm with her long whip made of ice crystal hearts and white dragon skin, spreading the majesty of the gods in the dead winter.

At this time, the Battle of Tower City had ended for more than a natural month, and Longinus and Pompeira had also returned to their former prosperity. After King Harrison's Serpent Pupil and Caroline, Countess of Fort Freit's messenger, agreed to an armistice, the reopened golden corridor was immediately filled with carriages. Merchants transported the Morian goods squeezed from the harbors of the Duchy of Lucius to Middle-earth, or reversed the gold of the Kingdom of Santa Marta to the seashore - this is where the name "Golden Corridor" comes from...... The desert peoples were so fond of gold that the captain could only carry them across the turbulent North Sea to buy precious necessities and luxuries such as spices, carpets, and precious stones from the mainland to the south.

The peace that ended the war led a significant part of the Quaid to return to the ice fields. The barbarians had already spent most of the summer in the Golden Corridor, and more than five natural months of mercenary life had left them with a large amount of steel coins in their hands—enough to buy food from the human state to feed the tribe for several natural months. As the cold winds from the far north of the Pamir ice fields swept southward, more than four dozen warriors boarded ships from Karasang, in the northern province of Longinus, and sailed against the wind to Harusa of the Cheerst Alliance. The city-state was no longer in the midst of war, because the nobles had won the final victory. However, the people of the church were unwilling to admit defeat, and they advertised that the lowly nobles had hired killers to stab the commander of the Church's army. And threatened to take revenge on the enemy who blasphemed the majesty of the gods.

The bandits on the Fabrek River were also wiped out a few weeks ago, and the fleet of Harusa and Dragoninus sank all the black-sailed ships, leaving less than a dozen remnants to swim away and never to be seen again.

The narrow surface of the corridor before winter is unusually calm. However, although there was no war between the half-dozen principalities. There is no shortage of competition in the shadows. The same is true of Longinus and Harrison, who signed the armistice.

The remnants of the Water God Priests and the Serpent's Pupil Army quickly retreated into the country, leaving only a few thousand men to occupy the fortress on the border. Under the new armistice, the castles would henceforth belong to Harrison. The king hurried back to his realm wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to occupy the land belonging to the Water Temple, but the Holy See unexpectedly chose to unite with the weak to defend against the threat of war from the royalists.

The Serpent Pupil is in trouble, but his opponent, who has just escaped the war, is even more helpless.

The Harrisons plundered the eastern and southern borders of Dragoninus and did not launch the massacre as they had imagined. The Serpent-Pupil listened to the advice of the Godfather and swept away the wealth. Then drive the commoners and nobles who had only a few pieces of bread left to Pombera and let these hungry people cause problems for Caroline, Countess of Fort Freit. Caroline, who wanted to become the Grand Duchess, did not anticipate this, so she got the news from the maid when she had finished her friendship with her handsome aristocratic lover, took a bath, and put on makeup.

The Harrisons left the nobles with only old horses and broken carts, so they advanced unusually slowly, like the commoners. The first to bring news to Pompeira was a troop of Grand Dukes leading the southern cavalry, and Caroline's sister, Count of Rose, Olivia, was on the way to the cavalry. The pure and kind sorceress did not want the Dragoninus to suffer, so she quickly arranged for a convoy to be loaded with food and rushed south. Winter is already lingering in the north, and hungry civilians can't stand the biting chill of the air.

The displaced people eventually came to a halt a dozen miles south of Pomberra. After receiving the food, they temporarily lived in the wilderness, where the nobles managed to maintain order, waiting for the soldiers of Longinus to lead them back to the south. The Harrisons have begun to withdraw from there. But the remnants of the robbers are still wandering. The people of the East and South subsided for the time being, but when the Countess of Fort Freit's previous remarks about abandoning the two realms spread among the crowd, the Dragoninus, who had just lost their homes and land, were immediately outraged. The nobles cried out for betrayal, and then they encouraged the commoners to start supporting Count Rose as the Grand Duchess.

Olivia herself didn't have such an idea, but the unwavering support of the nobles of the two realms forced her to appear opposite her sister. Because both sides are direct bloodlines of the Dragoninus family, the powerful warlocks who can dominate the war do not appear. They hide in the shadows like demons. Staring at the two sisters who were forced to stand opposite each other with cruel eyes. The bloodlines of dragons and demons make them ruthless and ruthless, and they believe that only the victors can bring the dragon Inus back to the top.

Riga and the remaining Quaid warriors became the Count's bodyguard. As the head of the guard, the Knight of Mondstadt liked these strong and brave warriors, and it would be better if he could get rid of his long hair and beard and his inability to understand the dragon inus language. The human aristocracy is now learning the 'fresh' customs of the kingdom of Santa Marta from Middle-earth, shaving their beards, cutting their hair short, and bathing frequently. The Northlanders weren't like this before, they had long hair and braided beards like the barbarians, and they only bathed twice during the festive season during a winter cycle.

Ever since Count Rose was proposed to be the Grand Duchess by the nobles of the two realms, Caroline, Countess of Frederiksborg had not come to her sister again. The hunters even felt a little more malicious in their eyes, and the Mondstadt Knight reminded them to be silent and careful. 'Take care to protect the Count, Riga. This is our vows to fulfill. ‘

And when the scorching sun of the next morning tore through the haze, a scream of panic rang out in the frugal palace where Count Rose lived. The maid who got up early to fetch water found the corpse of a woman in the garden, who had been viciously tortured before her death. Her nails were all pulled out. ** There are only two dented blood holes left. The once beautiful and delicate body was covered with bruises and purple marks, and the Knight of Mondstadt tore off his cloak to cover the corpse that had been violated to death, and ordered the maid to remain silent.

"She is a former servant of His Excellency the Earl. The knight stared at the corpse with his dull blue eyes, and then slowly squeezed a voice out of his throat. "The daughter of a petty businessman, but three years ago she was freed to marry an officer. ”

ps: Thank you Momoyin girl and the slippery world for the tip. Additional exposed population: 335. 137，928。 I don't think anyone will come