As if the sun washed by the sea spreads the morning light on the sparkling sea, as if there are already several fishing boats raising their sails on the pier that are still sleeping, the slight white waves roll up a little foam, and in the slightly cool morning mist, the melodious chime of the church bell comes from afar, spreading all the streets and alleys.

Drunkards roaming the streets, taverns that open early, dock workers who set off in droves, guards patrolling around with oil lamps, and Kwen's black-bottomed shields and guns on their shoulders, drunkenly drank the ale they had just bought from the tavern.

This is the port of The Hague in the early morning, a laid-back but cozy place where delicious pear wine and fertile land make this remote countryside famous, a lush forest where caravans of goods travel from the port on the loess road.

The silent docks were still filled with bunting and swallowtails, and the small harbor was packed with several Turin warships, all of which were draped with brightly colored flaming goshawk flags—all warships that had just returned from Bright Star City.

Just last night, the lord of The Hague Castle, Viscount Otto Kwyn, finally returned, bringing back the exciting news that the Turin army, under the protection of the Radiant Cross, had completely conquered the Dominican city-state known as the "Shining Star City", and slaughtered all the thugs and henchmen.

And His Majesty Horace I, who was tolerant, also signed a peace agreement with the Dominicans, forcing the wizards to bow their heads and surrender! The entire port of The Hague was almost immersed in a sea of jubilation, shouting praises to His Majesty the Merciful King, and Lord Otto, who brought them victory.

For these people living in The Hague Port, all victories or conquests have nothing to do with them, glory and merit are gold rings and silver necklaces on the nobles, and the only thing that belongs to them is sour beer mixed with water. And brown bread full of chaff.

The only memory of the war in The Hague is the Dominica War thirty years ago, when many elderly people still haunt the terrible days, praying every day that the Dominican army would not approach The Hague Fort, and that the increased taxes of the war were overwhelming.

Most of the kingdom's armies gathered at Fort Hague, and Dominica's warships clashed with the kingdom's fleet a few nautical miles outside the port of The Hague, and black smoke rose from the boiling sea of fire. Even the fishermen in the harbor could see clearly, hundreds of young men were forced to be conscripted into the army, and very few actually made it back from the south alive.

That's why when the news of the victory came, the whole town was so excited - they didn't care how many territories the Kingdom of Turin had expanded, how many city-states it had conquered, or whether it had taught the damned wizards a lesson, they just wanted to know if the war was really over and they could live in peace.

...... Stand in the hall of the church and walk through the familiar frescoes. His calm gaze looked at the white glorious cross sculpture, as if he could feel how much divine meaning could be felt in that morning light.

Standing outside the door, Donner looked at Lord Edward Witwood who walked in, and although he didn't know why he insisted on coming to the church first, instead of staying in the cozy castle, he honestly came with him, along with a little maid named Angela.

In order to transport the gold from the Ottowick vault, Edward had no choice but to send little Goodwin out to swear allegiance. It was unclear how loyal Donner was to serve as his bodyguard and squire - even as a knight, there were still very few people around Edward who could truly trust.

Or rather. There wasn't even a single cronie other than Angela and little Goodwin - as for Marco Tasker, Edward couldn't have trusted much of this silver-haired wizard who was full of lies and never knew what he was thinking, even though he had completely surrendered and seemed to be loyal.

But for the new escort Donner, it was a "deep honor". And he was very conscientious, and he regarded himself as Edward's "captain of the guard" - in order to look decent, at least not to disgrace "Master Edward", he also specially tried to dress up.

Dressed in a black smock and cloak, he threw his fur and replaced it with boots and leather gloves. Hang a Dominic cutlass and a black hand axe forged from stainless steel. He didn't look like a northern barbarian at all, but he was still a little different from the knights - more like the foreign mercenaries who begged for a living in King's Harbor or Seahorse Harbor.

However, Donner himself felt very good, especially in this new outfit for himself and his brothers, all of which were paid for by his generous master—since they were already his own personal soldiers, Edward naturally spared no effort to purchase a batch of equipment from Landzel and armed them from head to toe.

Looking at the prayerful Lord Edward in the church, Donner couldn't help but touch the beard on his chin - since he had left his home in Lund and became a subordinate of this Turin lord, shouldn't he also follow the local customs?

Even if he was just a barbarian in the eyes of others, Donner knew that only those who believed in the Radiant Cross were qualified to climb up the ladder and become knights in this kingdom - and he certainly didn't want to be a subordinate for the rest of his life.

While Donner was hesitating whether or not to believe in the Radiant Cross, a group of people in the distance approached the church, led by a knight on a horse wearing a black shield and gun jacket.

Seeing them coming, Donner almost subconsciously took out the hand axe on his waist and knocked it on the wall, and the crow mercenaries scattered around him immediately gathered around him, and Donner, who had a sideways face, narrowed his eyes and blocked the front.

"You're close enough, and if you dare to come forward, we, my brothers, won't agree!" Donner snorted, "All stand back!"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the crow mercenaries immediately drew their weapons and struck their shields with their weapons with their teeth and claws. A group of soldiers stood in place, somewhat frightened, and confronted each other at the door of the church.

"You don't agree? How unreasonable!" The knight who heard this seemed to be humiliated: "This is the territory of the Kwyn family, and the only owner is Lord Otto Kwyn, is there any place where the knight of the Kwyn family still needs your consent?!"

The knight who said this looked at the "mixed and matched" outfits of the crow mercenaries with great disdain, probably considering his own mission, but he still couldn't help but say anything sarcastic. Just as he was about to step forward to explain his intentions, a black-haired knight dressed in the costume of the Knights of the Sacred Tree walked out of it.

"Forgive my guards for their rudeness, Mr. Knight. With an apologetic smile, Edward took the initiative to step forward, waved his hand behind him, and said calmly, "But please also explain your intentions." ”

"You are very gracious, Lord Viscount Edward Witwood. I am Lady Angelica's Captain of the Guard, Falge, and I am at your service. The knight who finally saw the "Lord" hurriedly bent down: "I am taking you to The Hague Fort on the orders of Lord Otto Kwyn!"

"At the same time, on the orders of Lord Otto, I also invite you to participate in the tournament at Fort Hague in a few days, and there will definitely be a lot of southern nobles coming at that time!" Falg Knight's face was full of smug smiles, and even a little proud: "All of them are the best young nobles around, as well as the knights who have made great achievements in the war that has just ended!"

"Tournament?" Edward raised an eyebrow, "Who is this tournament for?"

"Of course, the beautiful Miss Alan Kwyn, the daughter of the Kwyn and Minnest families, Lord Otto, will personally raise the flag for this race, and the winner will be the husband of the young lady!" (to be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the monthly tickets of Yin and Yang, Dragon Travel World and LMZY two book friends~~!