With a snake familiar with the local environment, walking through it without attracting attention becomes as easy as eating and drinking. Following the guidance of Qingshi and the others, the group passed through the crooked alleys and streets, and quickly approached the center of the swamp village.

Although it is impossible to directly see the frolicking center of the city, the firelight that flickers from time to time in the cold dark corners is getting brighter and brighter, and the sound of the frolicking and noisy city that can be clearly heard through the buildings is also pouring like a tide, all indirectly reminding everyone of the fact that they are approaching.

It's crooked and dizzying. If it weren't for Qingshi and the others, they would definitely get lost in it. The group could only follow each other closely, passing left and right, but they approached the center step by step.

"The terrain has gotten higher. The girl Luo'an, who was holding the little unicorn, whispered.

"Hmm. The sage nodded, and Kiyoshi in front of him glanced back at the conversation between the two, but didn't say anything. When there are only two people conversing, Mira usually speaks Avenella. Compared to the Lamanites, who have been in contact with each other for 150 years, the people of the Land of the Moon are completely unfamiliar with this language. The different pronunciation caught Kiyoshi's attention, but even before that, he probably had seen from details such as appearance and height that the Sage and his party were very different from the strangers who had come to Crescent Island in the past.

Despite the border with Suomir, it was not uncommon for Lamanite ships to have Suomir sailors who were tall and suitable for contribution. But the empire is ambitious for Crescent Continent, so how can it allow others to make a move. With the support of a strong navy, and based on Rigal's world-leading seafaring technology, apart from Padrosi, only the ships of the Southern City-State Alliance can communicate with the Crescent.

Although there are slight cultural differences, they are both of Lamanite origin, so they are generally peaceful.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Lamanites had a monopoly on the Crescent, although the Moon Country was very restrictive to them, but on the other hand, due to the limitations of technology and the closure of knowledge, the achievements of the empire here for more than a century were beyond the reach of other countries.

For 150 years, Henry, Mira, and Kaleva were among the few foreign visitors to the land, apart from the Lamani missionaries, merchants, and the elite of high society.

Only a handful of keen people perceive this peculiarity.

This land is about to usher in drastic changes, and there is something in the society that has been peaceful for 4,000 years.

This may not happen anytime soon, but it's been a long time in the making.

The Empire of Patrosi and the Land of the Moon, two equally long-standing nations.

It also has its own internal problems.

It is also facing the challenges of changing times.

One is cautious and conservative, with the intention of suppressing with a strong monarchy to maintain stability.

while the other is free, loose, and stretches out its minions for the purpose of expansion and profit.

Relatively peaceful contact had come to an end a century and a half, beginning with the White Church missionaries digging into the wall to incite rebellion, and although it seemed more like an internal problem in the Moonland, anyone with a discerning eye knew what role the Empire played in it.

Although it will not tolerate internal harshness, it may be due to the reserve of a great power, but the external approach of the Moon Country is conservative and tolerant. The high-ranking nobles of Xinjing did not even exterminate the Lamanite missionaries who instigated the rebellion.

Judging by the idea that good people will suffer, this approach is clearly more like conniving at the conspiracy of the Empire.

But even if given the chance, will Padrosi be able to win?

Even Alfonso could not give a confident answer to this question.

There were also too many problems within the empire, and the cooperation between the church and the nobility, and the merchants represented by the southern borders, was more of a short-lived community of interests than a united nation.

The Emperor of Padrosi did not have the powerful appeal and centralized power of the Emperor of the Moon Country. In the absence of a strong leader, this group of outward expansionists is loose and lacks long-term goals and firm convictions, and they are a rabble, and once the situation begins to turn unfavorable, the merchants will inevitably be the first to leave, followed by the nobles.

Under the internal and external troubles, if too much energy is still divided in the far east, the next problem will be the empire itself.

Like two great rivers colliding, there must be fierce turbulence at the junction. But beneath the majestic surface, the sand and gravel of the river are the positions and hearts of the various powers and stakeholders in it.

But let's just look at the sage group who are in the Northland at this moment, and the vast majority of people still don't know anything about their arrival.

Compared to the characters with heads and faces at the center of the collision, both Henry and the head of the swamp village who was about to meet at this moment could only be regarded as insignificant small characters.

Like a fish swept by a torrent, wag your tail and do your best.

Just to survive.

————

————

"Tread—"

At the end of the 15-minute walk in the dark alley, everyone felt a sense of relief when they saw the wide, well-lit flat land again.

Lookout Mountain ran a dead horse, and even the sages didn't realize how big the swamp village really was until they went deeper. Although there is no official recognition and no noble family as the lord of the city, it is not an exaggeration to say that this swamp village is actually a town, considering the power of the local power and the overall size.

As they walked all the way, they reached a distance of more than a meter towards the location of the central part. Although this part of the change is lengthy and only noticeable to environmentally sensitive combat professionals such as Mira and Henry, it does reveal several pieces of information.

The swamp is not a suitable place for human life, and even in such a northern place, in the middle of summer, it is infested with all kinds of poisonous insects and beasts. Even if you don't mention it, the soft mud floor itself is difficult to use to build a house.

But all of this can be changed by manpower.

Excavation, landfill compaction. Raising the foundation allows them to be exposed above the water, and if they are not soaked, they have the opportunity to become a solid, dry hard ground. As a result, luxury is like the brightly lit multi-storey mansion with a compound in front of the group, and it also has a solid foundation for the building.

This is presumably the site of the original swamp village, where the most powerful people live today. The dark part of the river embankment where Henry and the others hid at the beginning was later expanded and landfilled, and it had not yet reached the standard of habitability, and it was full of snakes, insects, rats and ants, and the damp poor people who lived because of the water.

Brightly lit and full of laughter, the psychedelic dream-like center contrasts sharply with the cold, lifeless dwelling on the periphery. And along the way, there were poor people who heard the movement and came out to take a look, and after seeing the Qingshi led by them, they also quickly closed their doors and windows, which further proved the fact that although there was no real Moon Country Warrior Clan here, it also had a strict rank.

Landfill and steady expansion require a unified division of manpower and command, combined with the fact that Shinkyo's elite ninjas are recruited, and the place is a mess and dirty.

Most likely, it was just a look at the above, in order to avoid being seen as a thorn in the side of the semblance of a spurious eradication.

"Your Excellency. The guard at the door, dressed in ashigaru armor and armed with a spear, nodded at Kiyoshi, and then the leader glanced back at Henry, "Please come in." He said politely, but still did not give the right to refuse.

"Please let these horses be led by the contemptible men. Qingshi raised his hand to stop the Luoan girl, but Mira frowned: "It, follow me." She doesn't trust these people, and if the unique identity of the little unicorn is discovered by these guys, she may face some kind of crisis.

"......" Qingshi silently observed the little snow-white unicorn, and then looked at Henry again.

"......" The sage shrugged without saying a word, then took a step to stop in front of Mira and the little unicorn.

"Okay. The gray-haired leader exhaled and took a step back. The subordinates behind him all moved slightly, and the Luo An girl realized that the formation had been lifted.

These people were well-trained, no less than the group of red-armored samurai they had encountered before.

The "Tremp" mansion is made of stone door frames with large wooden walls painted with black paint to protect them from moisture. After crossing the steps, the group stepped on the mud again.

"The Lord awaits you in the back hall. Qingshi said, continuing to lead the way. Aiji noticed that it was becoming quiet behind him and glanced back, and suddenly found that Qingshi's men who had followed him were gone, and he pulled Kaleva, and the young porter who turned around made a fuss: "Wow!", but it didn't cause much reaction from the others.

Moving on, the courtyard is divided into corridors and several rooms, and the doors and windows are made of wooden frames and papier-mâché window paper, just like those of the fishing village I went to earlier. In addition, the floor is propped up with wooden shelves to further protect it from moisture.

The faint smell of burning firewood came from the west side, and a group of servants dressed in plain clothes happened to run past with firewood in their hands. In the clearing where they were starting from, a man of not very tall stature, but very strong, was using an axe to chop more wooden stakes into wood.

He noticed the movement and looked this way, and then when he saw Galeva and Henry, he looked up and stared at them, wondering if their tall bodies were stimulated to be competitive or not.

"Why am I stared at?" the dumbfounded young man glanced back at the girl from Roan, who was leading the horse, and the latter rolled his eyes without saying a word.

"The contemptible people are here with you, and you please enter by yourself. Also, this ....... Spirit animals. Kiyoshi used the same words as Aya had used before, and it was clear that he had seen through the little unicorn's extraordinary identity.

After all, the horns on the top of the head of the little one who grow up are getting longer and longer, and even if they are covered with a smock, they will still highlight the silhouette.

"......." Mira glanced at Henry, and the sage shrugged.

"Hmmm. Seeing that it had been recognized anyway, Miss Luo Ann simply took off the blouse that the little guy didn't like very much.

"Shhh "The little unicorn who is very human actually doesn't like the feeling of being covered by things, but is very well-behaved and does not resist in order to hide people's eyes and ears. After being taken off and relaxed, it leaned over and rubbed the Luoan girl.

"Shhhh He said, but not to humans, but directly to the little ones.

"Shhh In response, the little unicorn snorted. The group began to walk towards the big house in the back hall after a little hour.

"We weren't told to hand over our weapons. Mira spoke.

"Hmm. The sage nodded.

"And even the leader, who looked very powerful, and his subordinates didn't follow, so they looked quite confident. The girl shrugged her shoulders in imitation of her teacher, and the sage rolled her eyes in return.

"The teacher is such a terrible adult. Mira rolled her eyes, this time shrugging at Henry.

"It's here. They went to the door, there were no guards, the room looked quite large, and the inside was brightly lit, and from here you could see that there were many people sitting inside.

"It's Temulun, and—" Before anyone could see them, Miss Doctor's clear and steady way of speaking reached the ears of everyone from the open door.

"Then is it right for you to be dependent on people in this way? As a woman, you can only depend on men to survive?You can't be independent, and I can't agree with you!" Aya's voice was fast, and there was a slight anger.

"So. After a moment of silence, a languid female voice rang out.

"What does your so-called independence bring you?" she replied, and then raised her eyes to glance at Henry and the others who were stepping through the door at this moment.

"Ah, it's all there. Galeva made another stunned remark, and he looked at the whole room in a daze, and found that not only Temulun and the others, but also the women and children who were supposed to wait for the convergence in front of them were also here.

"It seems that the reason for our discovery has been found. Mira sighed, and Lulu, who was looking at her, glanced at her apologetically.

"You should have left some capable people to lead the women and children, and the movement was so loud that our patrol met them as soon as they set out. Sitting on the right side, with a hairstyle and face that resembled Qingshi but was more than ten years younger, a person who looked like his brother said, "Dr. Xingyong and the Yiren group." If you pay a little attention, you will find several people in the village carrying a large amount of silver taels. ”

"But it's really, unexpectedly. ”

"Are there any foreign swordsmen in the white robes of Lamo....... "He said, finally turning his gaze to the man who was sitting on the high seat and had been silently observing Henry and his party since they entered.

"Lord, what do you think?" the young version of Qingshi looked up, his tone humble.

"Whew-" The woman in the fine dress and heavy makeup who had argued with Aya before sat on the chair on the left and exhaled a puff of smoke. The man sitting in the center chair, thin, stubble and wearing an eye patch, with long hair, slowly stood up.

"Whatever you're thinking, you'd better let us go. Before he could speak, the sage said this in a non-hurried tone.

"......." The faces of the people sitting on the right side became grim.

"Outsider, I forgive you for your disrespect to the Lord for the first time. If there is a second time, don't blame me for the ruthlessness of the knife in my hand. A grim-faced man with a scar on his face spoke, but the sage was unimpressed by his threat.

"Interesting. The one-eyed dragon spoke, "I've seen a few of the Lamers, but you don't look like they. ”

"Besides, the samurai of the Southern Barbarians, this is the first time I've seen you. ”

"I want my men to compete with you, to see if the sword behind your back and this physique are just decorations. But before that—" The one-eyed dragon tapped the index finger of his right hand on the side of his face, and then said, "Tell me what kind of secrets you have." ”

"Why would the vassal kings of the far north want to be put to death so much?"

"My level of spies in the army is not high enough, although I know that there is an operation, but no one knows the specific reason. I only know that it is to hunt down and kill a foreigner on the scale of a small team, and I have given an order to kill the wrong one rather than let go. He continued: "That's what makes people have to be careful. ”

"What they're secretly planning, I can more or less guess. But the water of our well does not interfere with the water of the river, and if they respect me by a foot, I will respect others. But at the critical moment of this kind of plan, you don't hesitate to risk being detected by Xinjing, and you will be dealt with by a large number of personnel. What you have mastered, I think. The one-eyed dragon leaned in front of Henry, looked up at him, and tapped the sage's chest with his right index finger and said, "Is it something that can make them plan to be stillborn?"

"Are you with them?" said Henry, looking down at the thin man who was a head shorter than him.

"I'm in my own hands. The other party smiled and replied.

"Don't you think it's appropriate? the excluded minority, the Yi tribe, the swordsman of the foreigner, the female doctor who will not achieve much in the academy no matter how hard she tries. The one-eyed dragon turned around and said loudly: "There are also the declining scholars, the ronins who were sent to remote areas by Xinjing and were deprived of their surnames and family names. We are all outsiders, watching the warriors fighting back and forth, don't we think that a new force has appeared in this land at the time!"

"Yes!" "The Lord said yes!" The woman sitting on the side watched coldly, while the warriors below shouted in agreement.

"The human heart is not enough for a snake to swallow an elephant. And the sage shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

"You guy!" the scar-faced warrior angrily stood up, intending to draw his sword and slash at the sage, but before that, the young version of Kiyoshi instantly ran to his side and punched him in the stomach.

"Ahem-" With just one punch, the scar-faced warrior fell to the ground and began to convulse.

"Without the Lord's order, he drew his sword without permission, dragged it out and threw it away. He moved his head, and the two men next to him, who had been drinking with the man, lifted him up and walked out the back door, and left him in the courtyard.

"So, tell me or not, your little secret. The one-eyed dragon continued to tap his fingers on the sage's chest, and Henry shrugged his shoulders a second time.

"Do you smell anything?"

"Taste?" The one-eyed dragon was stunned, and the woman who was smoking also stopped moving, and the people present, including the young version of Qingshi, Luoan Maiden, Kaleva and others, all looked up at him.

"Blood and. Hyung said in an unhurried tone, "The smell of burning." ”

"Bang ——!!" The patrol leader in old armor that he had seen outside before rushed in bloodied.

"Three, Lord Saburo. ”

"Vassal kings, vassal kings—"

"I told you, you should have let us go sooner. Henry sighed and turned his head.

The frolickers turned their faces at the sudden light of the fire in the distance, and the houses in the direction of the gate were burning one by one, and in many places people ran out of them screaming and burning, but were immediately killed by huge arrows.

"Knock knock—" The sound of galloping horses sounded, and a team of dozens of people scattered and galloped as they threw their torches onto the roofs of houses on the edge of the riverbank in Swamp Village.

The flames began to spread, causing the thatched roof to catch fire, and the chaotic buildings further contributed to the spread of the fire.

In a matter of moments, the poor man's house at the entrance was on fire.

"Knock knock-" The samurai, who numbered in the hundreds, began to walk into the village surrounded by more than two thousand ashigaru.

"Kill them all. The samurai, dressed in bright red armor and with bitter hatred on his exposed young face, waved down his high-quality broadsword and said in a cold tone.

"Kill, burn, and don't let anyone escape. ”

"We must sacrifice my brother's spirit in the sky with the life of that villain!!"

Genius one second to remember the address of this site:. Mobile version reading URL: m.