After experiencing the crowds and high-rise buildings of Parniera, and then entering Chester, which has the charm of an ancient town, the stark difference in style makes people feel the vast land and wealth of the East Coast and the passage of thousands of years. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Like the city of Parniera, Chester is made of stone walls complemented by brightly coloured roof tiles. But with the exception of a few mansions that stood out from the crowd and were apparently built by the town's wealthy men, the entire Chester house was a one-story bungalow.

In the southern part of the East Coast, where the average adult male is only 1.7 meters tall, many houses were built hundreds of years ago when they were not as prosperous as they are today. Because of the standard of living, people were afraid to be smaller at that time, so these houses were not as tall and majestic as Parnira, and the tall man like the sage rode on horseback and could even look through the roof to the endless view behind him.

The houses are small and all of them are one-story bungalows. Judging by the mottled white lime on the walls and the dampness, many of these houses are quite old. But compared to these, the most eye-catching thing is probably the stone pavement on the ground that has been polished to a smooth stone slab like a pebble because of thousands of years of people.

Compared with the modern kiln-fired smooth brick and stone paving, it was obvious that some things were used in those days. As a result, Chester's roads, while looking very chic, are bumpy and annoying to walk on.

Therefore, the three of us were asked by the local guards and administrators to get off horseback when they entered the town only a little more than 100 meters away.

Most of the territory of the Padrosi Empire was accessible on horseback, with only a few noble territories restricted to the privileged class, and trespassers on horseback were even punished. The town of Chester doesn't fall into that category, but it's also off-limits on horseback riding, and it's all about money.

The town's main road is about as wide as two and a half horse-drawn carriages, but that's about it. If carriages and mounts were allowed in, the space would be much narrower. As we said before, Chester is a paradise for wealthy travellers and artists, and if an unscrupulous man is allowed to ride through it, the delicate and helpless artist and rich man will be so frightened that they will never come here again.

In addition to the impact on this important income of the town, the cost of maintenance is also a significant reason, and Parnila, as a first-tier city, has the manpower and financial resources to hire cleaners to clean up horse manure on the road at night to maintain a relatively clean day. This was not the case with Chester, where a large number of the prime-aged workforce sought work in Parnila, which paid better, leaving only a few old and weak women and children. It was okay for them to manage the inn and provide directions and painting materials for artists and travelers, but the noble Lamanites were obviously unwilling to do such dirty and tiring work.

So the solution is to simply ban the entry of livestock and prevent them from polluting the beautiful town. After entering a distance of more than 100 meters, he was stopped, and after the payment was completed, he was led to the livestock pen in Xicheng District and stored it temporarily.

Concentrating all the dirt in a place where ordinary people don't go so they can get dirty is not dirty, this kind of practice that has been seen in the south, Luo An Maiden deeply doubts whether it is actually part of the "Laman culture".

There is only one inn in Chester, and the ranch in Xicheng is their subordinate unit. Therefore, after making it clear that they were going to stay here, the supplies placed on the flatbed carriage were pulled by the clerk from the side road outside the town towards the back door of the inn along with the carriage.

Of course, valuables, including weapons, armor, and books, Henry and the others took them down in advance. After all, although the Lamanites have a thousand-year-old cultural heritage, they are loyal and honest, but they are not among them.

Along with these 600-year-old towns, they are also known for their cunning nature, and it is not uncommon for locals to gang up outsiders, and even when they go to find law enforcement agencies to administer justice, the other party will often favor their fellow villagers.

Although Henry and Mira, who have mercenary cards and are blue cards, can be regarded as having the mercenary guild as their backers in a sense, what really happens that really damages the mercenary's face and interests, they go to the mercenary guild, and the other party will also help out. But more is better than less, if you pay more attention, these guys will understand that this is a hard bone and will retreat in understanding.

The paralyzed and careless foreign tourists will be suitable for slaughter, and the mercenaries who come here to help them solve the entrusted task are fully armed, and the well water does not interfere with the river water is the right solution.

After getting accustomed to the comfort and lightness of wearing only a thin short-sleeved T-shirt and a rattan sunhat even when traveling, Mila put on the leather liner and heavy cuirass and leather gloves again, and Mila had a little resistance for a while.

However, this is where the mental maturity lies, not to easily retreat and compromise and choose the easy path because of the environment and physical discomfort, but to adjust the mentality through rational consideration to overcome and persevere.

Mira looked at Henry in front of her, and with the girl's current level, she couldn't cope with all changes like her teacher, but with such an excellent example, she was always able to convince herself with "this little problem is nothing" and cheer herself up again.

After getting used to the stuffiness and weight of the steel armor weighing several thousand grams and the leather lining, the group of three walked forward, wearing armor and swords shining in the sun, which made many local people frequently look sideways.

Humans instinctively have a desire for shiny things, and in an age when the world is made up of stone, dirt, and trees, it's normal to be the center of attention with a carefully polished metal object in your hand – but that's not all.

As we mentioned earlier, even on the East Coast, the vast majority of mercenaries live in poverty. Due to their poverty, the armor they wore and the weapons they held were often of the most rudimentary styles, and many of them were even slightly outdated. Admittedly, larger mercenary groups with better financial resources will have volume discounts offered by familiar blacksmiths, but the concentration of such mercenaries should be on the main road rather than in such a small place. In Chester, well-armed mercenaries like Henry and Mira are rare.

Humans are judged by their appearance, and with their tall stature, blue card level, and excellent equipment, it is only natural that many townsfolk who are interested in issuing commissions will immediately have their eyes on them.

But equipment doesn't seem to be the whole story, and adventurers who travel all year round are sensitive to enemies or dangerous creatures in their surroundings, and Mira can easily detect that there are far more eyes being thrown at her than the other two.

But whenever she followed that gaze, the other side always quickly looked away, pretending to look up and down, left and right, to avoid meeting eyes with the white-haired girl.

It made her furrow at her good-looking eyebrows.

The confusion continued until a child on the side of the road stared at her in a daze, and even if she looked over, she didn't know how to look away, and Mira noticed that the other party was not looking at her own face, but going a little higher.

She grabbed her bangs on her forehead, then looked left and right, and sighed slightly.

Just leaving the main city of Parnira, this is how much has changed.

Chester has an old-fashioned rural feel to it as a whole, and the laid-back slow pace that can't be hidden is impressive compared to the noisy and fast-paced Parniera that is full of people coming and going.

Perhaps because the prime-aged labor force has gone to Parnila, leaving only the old and weak women and children behind, the place is generally quiet and leisurely. Pedestrians on the street are walking slowly in the bright sun, either in groups or in twos, or alone. The pace of life slows down, and they have more time to be curious about their surroundings.

The representative colors of Padrosi are black and gold, black is naturally not mentioned, the same is true of the national flag and the national hair color, and gold is the color of their national flower. Our Loan Maiden, with her gray hair, is a rarity on the West Coast, and the contrast with her surroundings inevitably attracts a lot of attention.

But that's all there is to it, as the Lamanites, as an Eastern civilization, are more reserved and reserved than the West Coasters. It's easy to say that it's xenophobic, and it's cute to say that it's shy. In short, despite their curiosity, they tend to take a wait-and-see attitude towards things, and even turn their heads when they are far away.

"No, we are not ashamed, but humble. The Lamanic literature that Mila had read had written in a joking tone with the author of this sentence has a deeper understanding to this day. The warmth and smiling faces of a port city are only one side of this thousand-year-old empire, but what you see in such a town today is the other side of it.

"The world is so big. Mila Ling, who had been quietly sighing, was happily observing the common people and the houses that "could be built so small", and Margaret turned her attention back to her, and the client nodded her head in agreement, and then continued to observe.

But despite her excitement, wearing thick leather armor, the exertion of moving in such weather was obviously not something that a young lady who had not exercised much could bear. So before she had gone far into the town, Margaret's little face turned red, and then she stumbled and almost hit Mira's back with her head.

Chester's floors are not made of fired masonry or carefully polished flat slates, and the technical limitations of many centuries ago have made the pavement of the patchwork slate more difficult than it seems. One of the Lamanic proverbs used to persuade someone that such a thing is too dangerous: "Even thieves do not walk at night." "Actually, it's from here, the undulating rocks are already quite difficult to walk in the daytime, and at night when the vision is narrow, it is not uncommon for one to accidentally fall on the flat ground.

The people of Chester apparently noticed this, so the road was actually flanked on either side of the road with two narrower masonry roads with wooden guardrails above the road surface. Many of them walked there for convenience, and when they noticed that something was not quite right with Margaret, the three of them also ran to the top of the brick road and sat down on the stone benches for a short rest.

"Really....... Embarrassed," the eldest lady had apparently noticed the trouble she had caused others, and it had not been long since the adventure began, and she had already lost to the heat and lack of physical strength twice. Mira thought about what to do: "Don't want the leather armor, replace it with a shield?" she said to her teacher, but the sage immediately shook his head: "Even the northern style wooden round shield is as heavy as a cuirass, and she doesn't have enough arm strength. ”

"The small padrossi-style fighting shield is more or less fine, but the kind is used by street swordsmen in duels, and the defense area is simply not enough to resist long-range bow and arrow sneak attacks. Henry was silent for a moment, then said to Margaret, "I'm sorry, Miss, but I think you'll have to overcome it all. ”

This, he said, was the place to venture out with a layman - they didn't even need to be in any real danger, and the physical strength of the delicate noble lady alone was a complete drag.

But the good thing in the misfortune is that despite the cultivation of the aristocracy, the bad temper and coquettish behavior of those aristocratic ladies are not seen in Margaret at all. The petite client with curly hair and exposed forehead let out a long exhale, rather than being petty when he heard the sage's words.

"What's wrong?" asked Mira as she looked relieved.

"No, concubine—I just thought you were going to tell me to give up, that these things weren't for me, and that stuff wasn't for me. Sweating profusely and her face was flushed, Margaret, who was obviously carrying only a few kilograms of weight including leather armor and two weapons, was already very uncomfortable for her, but she smiled at the two of them.

"I'm dragging myself down this kind of thing, and I'm still a little conscious. ”

"I am willful, half-hearted, longing for adventures in books, but I don't know how hard the real situation is, and I know it. ”

"It's just a petty lady, and it's a risk to spend money to hire you to guard and do some pediatric things, even if you think so, there's no way to do it. She held on to the armrest of the stone chair and stood up on her body.

"But, even if that's the case, I'd like to see it. ”

"The world beyond the walls of the manor. She stood up, then stood on her feet and bowed to Henry and Mira.

"I'm really sorry to let you stay with me. ”

"Thank you for not saying anything like that that would make me give up. Margaret straightened up and said with a smile, "I'm tired of the life of the eldest lady who can't do this and can't do that, and I'm tired of being treated like a fragile glass doll . ”

"Thank you for treating me as a human being. ”

“......”

"Teacher. Mira turned her head and looked at Henry.

"Don't report it to the Mercenary Guild, okay. ”

The sage shrugged.

"Margaret. ”

"Ah, yes!"

"You want to take risks. ”

"Then let's go on an adventure. ”

“...... Yes!"