I can provide you with a place to recuperate. Logan took a deep look at El, handed the parchment roll to Tiana, and said with a smile: "There used to be an open-pit mine on the hill west of Thunder Fortress, and we used to build a castle next to it, but after the ore veins dried up, that castle gradually fell into ruin. However, it is no problem to clean up a little and garrison 18,000 people. ”

The generosity of the lord of Churkin was beyond anyone's expectations, and in this day and age, the amount of manpower and material resources required to build a castle was unimaginable. Generally speaking, only a duke of real power or a warlord lord of the same rank could build a real castle fortress on his domain.

A single castle is insignificant compared to the entire fortification complex of the Thunder Fortress, but don't forget that the latter is a magnificent project built by the Kingdom of Oakland over the past millennium. And the abandoned castle that Logan said can accommodate tens of thousands of people, which is not ordinary. You must know that even the inner city of Eastalen, the military fortress built three hundred years ago, can only hold the upper limit of the population.

This was far beyond the psychological expectations of Tiana and the others, knowing that all she expected before was that Lord Churkin would be able to accept these refugees. It's just that I didn't expect to find out that the environment here is completely different from Isttalon after arriving at Thunder Fortress. She had already prepared for the worst, but she didn't expect to receive such a huge surprise.

Yes, surprise. In any sense, being able to get a castle out of thin air can be called a surprise, and it is the most urgent need of the exiles.

But will there really be a surprise for no reason? Although there are many young people here, they are not flowers in a greenhouse, they have fought all the way, and they have already experienced the most terrifying darkness, and who will easily believe this kind of pie falling from the sky?

Tiana unfolded the parchment, glanced at it, and handed it to El, who was sitting behind her. Although he did not sit on the seat of honor, this move was undoubtedly a hint to the lord of Churkin that El had a true place in the group. This kind of behavior may make Prince Romus feel embarrassed, but under the gaze of Lord Churkin, Prince Tiewei, who is covered in cold sweat, is eager to find a crack in the ground at this time, where can he pay attention to the mood of others.

The parchment scroll has a topographical map of the vicinity of the castle, which is not very detailed, but it can basically give a glimpse of the surrounding geography. Judging from the map, the location of this castle is indeed a bit strange, in fact, this should be the outer side of the Thunder Fortress defense line, that is, the border between the Oakland Kingdom and the Falcon Empire.

Although the history of the development of human civilization has lasted for thousands of years, and almost 80% of the plains on the continent have been conquered and developed, it is still unable to grasp the lofty mountains and mountains crisscrossing this continent. Before the Camille Wasteland was artificially created, it was as unspoiled as the Yunlu Mountains. Humanity's most powerful knights are also unable to exert their true strength in the Black Forest, and can only rely on the slash-and-burn farming of their descendants to gradually encroach on them.

The founding history can be traced back to the end of the Barbarian Age, the Falcon Empire, which occupies a pivotal position in the human world, and in terms of national power, the Kingdom of Oakland is at best comparable to a few of its border provinces. However, the establishment of the Kingdom of Oakland still exists today, and there are also objective reasons.

Politics aside, this impassable pristine mountain range, which serves as the dividing line between the two countries, is no less important than the Thunder Fortress.

The castle given by the lord of Churkin is located in the mountains west of the Thunder Fortress, more than ten kilometers deep into the mountains, and it is safe enough from the environment This ghost place is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and there is only one road leading to the interior of the Thunder Fortress, and it is estimated that the birds will not be able to fly in before the Thunder Fortress is breached.

On the west side of the castle are the signs of several mining pits painted on the mountain wall, which are presumably the veins that the lord of Churkin said. Judging from the scale, a rich mine must have been found here, otherwise it would not have cost so much to repair the city and pave the road.

It seems that there is only so much information that can be inferred from a map. On the surface, it's a great place to recuperate. If you don't consider the problem of survival resources, its existence value is far more than that of a lord's castle in the general sense.

"Killian's red hat......" The girl's murmuring suddenly sounded in El's ears, although it was only a few words, but El subconsciously gave a cold shiver.

It's an old proverb that "Killian" refers to the bottomless cliffs in the forest, and "Red Hat" is a blood-red mushroom that grows on top of the cliffs. It is said that the mushroom itself is highly poisonous, but when it is treated with special methods, it becomes the finest ingredient.

If someone mentions "Killian's Red Hat", it means that the stakes are high, but the profits are just as lucrative and difficult to choose.

However, this proverb is indeed a bit old and obscure, and has long since disappeared from the lingua franca, except for hunters like El, who have survived in the forest since childhood, and I am afraid that only those scholars who like to delve into historical texts will know about it.

El turned his head to look at the girl sitting beside him pretending to be mysterious with suspicious eyes, and the latter immediately showed an innocent expression, and raised the corners of his mouth and laughed softly, "I'm just helping to relay Miss Lorana's words......"

El nodded, it would be more reliable to say that this was said by Lolana, but with the eldest lady's talent for broken mouths, even such a simple proverb may not be as simple as it seems in the literal sense.

Although the red hat is a highly poisonous mushroom, its toxin is not deadly, but hallucinating. El knows something about this because in the past, there were merchants who bought the mushroom in Queensland for a long time. It is said that the powder that is ground after drying can be used as a magic ingredient for the caster to cast illusions.

When you think about it this way, the meaning implied by Lolana in this proverb is self-evident. If Lord Churkin's generosity exceeded everyone's expectations, it was likely to be a "Killian's Red Hat". It is an obvious fact that benefits and risks coexist, and the host takes out the food to entertain the guests, and whether he can eat it depends on his appetite.

Tiana gave the map to herself, in addition to hinting at her status to the lord of Churkin, and also to consult her own opinion. With her wisdom, she may not be unaware of the problem, but in this case it is more necessary to be patient and cautious.

At this time, however, El could not directly relay Lorana's proverb to Tiana.

I came here to ask for food, and now people bring you a pot of delicious food, but you suspect that people are poisoning...... Even if your brain is in water, you shouldn't talk about it, right?

Although the old man was still happily waiting for a response from his side, El would never believe that he hadn't heard Jessica's whispering just now. In terms of the strength shown by this lord, I am afraid that the wind and grass within a hundred meters will not be able to hide his perception, not to mention that everyone is now seated at the banquet, even if it is the point of lowering the voice?

But that's the rule among the nobility, what doesn't come up on the table will be tacitly assumed that it doesn't exist. Jessica and El's whispers were private conversations, and if the lord was annoyed by this, he would be slapping himself in the face. But if El can't relay the same sentence to Tiana, it would be extremely rude.

Fortunately, he has his own unique skills.

El patted little Langa's head and nodded and smiled at Lord Churkin who was watching him.

"Those of us who are in distress originally wanted to ask for your refuge, but we didn't expect that the adults would be so generous, which is really beyond our expectations. This gift is too heavy for us to be flattered, and we don't know how to repay your kindness. ”

Tiana's eyes flickered slightly, and she had quietly changed her tone when she spoke again.

The implication of this sentence is that even if the mushroom is poisonous, we admit it, but we don't know what the price of the antidote is?

The old man's gaze looked between Tiana and El with some surprise, and suddenly patted the door of his head, and laughed: "You little guys are very careful, but if you don't even have this little heart, you can't survive until now." Don't worry, what's the use of the few kittens and dogs you have left?"

Hearing the old man's ridiculous words, Tiana's face couldn't help but blush slightly, but as the old man said, she didn't care about such a little shame after being able to hold on until now. Regardless of whether Lord Churkin is sincere or not, since the words have been said here, it is better to ask clearly, otherwise you will not be sure where you will cause trouble later.

"We have come here to seek refuge, and we are naturally at your disposal. While it's natural for you to look down on the remnants of our defeated army, it's certainly incumbent upon us to do so if there's a need for us. Calm down, Tiana said.

"You yourself know that you are a remnant of the defeated army, so don't save face in front of me. Logan shook his head and said with some disapproval: "I picked this place for you to let you rest for a while." As for the problems on the outside, you don't have to worry about it. You want to help me with something, and it's not too late for you to come out when you lick your wounds clean. ”

"I disagree!"

Just as Logan opened his mouth to comfort the girl, a loud voice suddenly came from outside the door