Before you know it, the new summer is approaching, and the best time of the year begins.

Everyone has become accustomed to the strange rhythm of warfare at the moment: although "besieged" by the elves, Myr has never been frequented by hunger and fear, and the meat and cheese brought in from the west side of the Walled Mountains have kept the winter and spring safe. There is no end to the work in the castle, and there is a constant shortage of blacksmiths, potters, carpenters, and masons. As long as you have hands and feet willing to work, you can earn a good amount of savings during the winter break.

What could have been a moment of scarcity did not come at all, and everyone actually spent a warm winter in the war. The inhabitants of Heim Territory didn't feel much yet, as there were no lords in the area before Siegel, and they were free to chop wood for warmth. But for those refugees from other places, life in Mir is unimaginable.

The land belonged to the lord, as did the trees and woods. Even dead branches that fall to the ground must be purchased from the lord before they can be used. Collecting some animal manure for burning on weekdays is okay, but in winter, heating is always a huge expense.

But in the city of Myr, even if there is no fire, it is not cold in the room. They knew that it all came from the magical Mage Lord, and that it was his magic that produced such a magical effect.

After experiencing the benefits and generating trust, they will be less repulsive to the golems walking in the castle, and becoming magicians will gradually transcend becoming priests, as one of the residents' choices for the future development of their children. On the first day of the summer, a daring child - Margot Smith, the son of a blacksmith - arrives at the Federation's magic testing ground, hoping to become an apprentice. His magical talent is not high. Maybe you'll be able to use fireball for the rest of your life. But it was Heim's first mage apprentice. So it was taken in.

Edith asked Siegel to teach the apprentice himself. "You are now an official mage of the Federation, and it is your responsibility to take an apprentice. And this man is from Heim Territory, and it is most appropriate for you to teach him. ”

Siegel looked at the black mist that enveloped his body, and wherever he went, it would become a desecrated area, and the creatures around him would either die or be injured. So he said, "There's nothing wrong with teaching apprentices, but you'll have to wait until the Great Curse is gone." I'm like a person walking poison now, and ordinary people will die if they touch it. ”

Coincidentally, his voice just fell. The Great Curse is gone.

The dense fog of negative energy is still there, but it is no longer replenished by a steady stream of cross-space strikes. Both mages froze, still a little uncomfortable with the sudden change in state. Then, with a wave of his hand, Edith mobilized the magic circle of the underground library, dispelling the negative energy and curse that had plagued Siegel for months.

The intense evil aura finally disappeared, and the half-elf was still a little uncomfortable. The undead are evil, this is already a deep-rooted concept, so when he saw that the skeleton in front of him did not have the slightest evil aura, his first reaction was illusion, and the second reaction was that he had been hit by some kind of magic effect.

Siegel pretended to be a chanting spell. "Transformed" himself back. His body was a little weak, and his muscles didn't have much strength. And there is a strong ** feeling. But anyway, he came back to life.

"I'm going to teach this Margot Smith well," Siegel said to Edith with a smile, "and he's the one who brought me luck." ”

"Okay, I'm not against that. However, as a federation, there are certain rules for teaching apprentices, and they cannot mislead people's children. Edith said, "But I still have to warn you that the Great Curse on your body is gone, do you know what that means?"

Siegel put away his smile, and his face became grim: "I haven't received the news that Waterdeep City has been breached, which means that there is nothing wrong with the Federation itself, it can only be that Archmage Casper took the initiative to close the Great Curse Technique." He knows I'm not dead, and maybe he'll do something else, so I'm going to be careful. On the other hand, there should be some new actions in the Knox Society, and the first turning point of the war should be coming. ”

"Are you sure it's the first turning point?" said Edith, smiling meaningfully. Siegel pretended not to understand, as he would not admit that he had provoked a head-on conflict between the elves and the Federation. Half-elves may have guesses, inferences, but no evidence.

Seeing that Siegel did not answer, Edith stopped pursuing it. It's a bad debt, who should be blamed for the Federation's losses? The Knox Guild, the Elves, or the Mage Guild, or even Siegel has to bear a part?

"I'm sure you're going to be busy during this time. Edith said, "Although you are a lord, you are more important than a mage. Whether it's the Federation or the Mage Guild, they all want to see a new star rising. ”

"Hopefully I can live up to the expectations of my predecessors," Siegel said, "The more I learn, the more I don't know." I need a chance now to put into practice what I've learned, and the current war is a good time. ”

Edith frowned and said, "You're ready to send troops now?" I'm afraid the time is not yet ripe. Whether it's an elf or a guild, it's not something you can compete with at the moment. Even if you unite the forces of the entire Southern Lord, there is not the slightest possibility. ”

"I know, but you can only seize the opportunities that lie ahead if you start preparing now. Siegel said to Edith, "Thank you for your help and teaching during this time, I have benefited greatly from the library. ”

"I also got new ideas from you, we are learning together, and no one owes anyone. The half-elf was very polite and said, "I have received a message from my elf friend, and the preparations for the reincarnation technique can begin." When will Janet be ready?"

"I will tell her personally, after all, it is a death once, and there will be a lot of new problems brought by a new body. But I think everything will work out well. ”

"I hope so too. ”

Siegel said goodbye to Edith and left the underground library. His body hadn't fully recovered, so he had to lean most of his weight on the defensive staff while walking, reducing the strain on his muscles.

Re-stepping on the ground, the warm sun shone on your skin and the breeze blew through your hair. Like a lover's kiss, the walls of the grey castle are covered with green creeping plants. A few late-blooming flowers were still bright, and the air was full of life. It was the smell of earth, smoke, crowds and livestock, the smell of life. It's been a long time since I've felt like this, it's like returning from the void to the present world again.

As he walked past the city gates, the guards saluted him, and the wagons that were entering the city hurried aside, and the people knelt down on one knee in respect. "That's your lord. They whispered, and those who heard the news also quickly knelt down, but quietly raised their heads. I want to see the lord's face.

Siegel waved his hand, motioned for everyone to get up, and then quickened his pace. He saw Red in the courtyard of the castle, where the Golem was officiating at the wedding and blessing the young farmer boy and the shepherd girl. When he saw that Siegel had regained his human body, he nodded to him, but remained focused on officiating at the wedding.

The castle was very busy, especially with a long queue at the entrance to the warehouse. As the starting point of the Mid-Levels Trade Route, Mir City has to handle the entry and exit of large quantities of goods on a daily basis, registering the value. Distribute carrying, but more importantly collect taxes. Only caravans that have paid their taxes in the city of Myr. With a letter of proof, you have to go through every castle without any passing – otherwise you would have wasted a lot of time just checking in and out. Myr regularly splits accounts with these castles, or pays for them in gold, but most castle owners prefer physical goods.

After all, they have gold coins, and now they have no other way to buy things.

The other trade route was a smuggling channel that spread throughout the South, quietly transporting supplies under the noses of the elves. After all, the south is the land of humans, and the elves have only occupied it for less than half a year. The southern country, with its dense network of rivers, trails and shortcuts, is ideal for smuggling. Whether it is the lord of the castle or the rich merchants and nobles of the past, they are in desperate need of all kinds of materials and do not hesitate to spend gold coins. Every day's income makes Jennis, who is in charge of the smuggling line, laugh off his big teeth - he picks up dentures from the ground first thing in the morning.

At first, Myr City mainly collected gold, but later began to shift to precious metals, precious stones, and molded armor weapons. These things can be used to craft magical equipment, after all, runestones, plasma arrows, ammo magazines, and newly developed magic breastplates require a lot of materials. No one in Myr now has an accurate count of the total amount of wealth he has, but Fezak no longer has to worry about how to find the gold coins.

Siegel walked through the lively courtyard, where the castle's guards opened the gates for him. Climbing the stairs, he followed Baron's guidance to find Janet and hugged her tightly in his arms.

Neither of them spoke, greedily breathing in each other's breath, enjoying the feeling of having each other.

Until Isaac's cry woke the two men up.

The mother first feeds the child and then hands him over to the father. Siegel sat on a bench, running his fingers through his son's hair, pressing his nose from time to time. The little one reached for the dice again, but he couldn't touch it through his clothes.

"You're so greedy for money, how are you going to feed yourself in the future?" said Siegel with a smile, regardless of whether he understood it or not.

"Are you alright?" asked Janet knowingly, then pinched around and checked it out uneasily.

"Yes, the Great Curse has been lifted, and I'm safe for the time being. "But unless the Knox Commons are dismantled and the Tri-Peaks are back in the hands of the Federation, there is no absolute security." ”

"What are you going to do next? The current state is very favorable to us, we are the only ones in the entire south who have completed spring sowing, and the area of usable territory has even been expanded-I have already added the part of the ghost fog swamp. The more time passes, the more obvious the advantage of the Heim Lord, and the other families and lords will not be opponents at all. ”

"But then the power to fight back against the elves is reduced. "We can't let other lords starve to death, and I've always felt that people are the most important thing compared to wealth and land," Siegel said. ”

Jenny nodded and said, "According to your previous plan, the work of receiving refugees has not stopped, in addition to farming in the Ghost Fog Swamp, a ranch has also been built near the outpost of the starting point, which will provide a stable income for the Heim Territory. ”

"I'm sure you can all do a good job. Siegel said, "Let's put aside the war and the territory for now. I have a very important thing to tell you. ”

Janet looked at him quizzically and blinked.

"I'm going to change your body. (To be continued.) )

PS: Thank you all for the Christmas tip, thank you!