The blood-colored sunset gradually sank into the sea, and the darkness of the night quietly brought the ancient city-state into the night once again. After a whole day of bloody battles, Bright Star City finally ushered in a rare silence in a ruined ruins and a pile of corpses.

In just a moment, whether it was the surviving refugees in the city or the victorious soldiers of Turin in the bloody battle, before they could react, the dark starry sky was already covered with dark clouds. Thunder, cold winds, and torrential downpours from the sky obscured all this broken and terrible scene in the rain. The burning streets and crumbling ruins were extinguished one by one.

And in this heavy rain, all the surviving people finally woke up from the edge of life and death, looking at the ruins in the rain in front of them, and the collapsed homes and houses. The refugees were hiding under leaky roofs, weeping bitterly – they had nothing left but this life.

They leaned on each other like this, clutching the little food left in their hands, hugging each other and sharing that little bit of warmth. And the poor man, who was already dying, didn't know if he could see the sun the next day.

The torrential rain washed away the blood flowing from the streets and city gates, but the ruins and corpses remained. Countless pairs of eyes were glued to the flaming Goshawk Banner that covered all the towers and walls—just today the city of Bright Stars had fallen, and it was the enemy who had captured the city thirty years ago, and there were ten times more knights of Turin that year than there are today, but none of the Dominica city-states have really conquered.

The melodious sound of the horn, the swallowtail flag wet by the rain - through the layers of rain curtains. The nobles of Bright Star City looked at this mighty army with complicated eyes. The heart is even more bitter.

Turin knights and soldiers, still bloodstained, lined up in a neat phalanx. Stepping on the bloodstained bluestone slabs under his feet, he slowly advanced, shouting loudly in front of the almost ruined Lord's Palace, even louder than thunder, and under the pouring rain, countless spears and shields turned into a jungle of steel, reflecting the cold light of the forest under the gloomy sky.

Although all the nobles of Bright Star City knew that it was the Turin people who were demonstrating and intimidating them, the reality was so cruel - even if they were not shackled, they were still captives of the Turines. The taste of grief and bitterness cannot be described in words.

As vanquished ones, no matter how much wealth this Turin army wants to plunder from Bright Star City, they can only take what they want, and they don't even have a chance to resist - even the Bright Star City militia, which was still on their side, completely broke with the nobility because of Cosimo's crazy actions, and the rest of the people are also thinking about whether to turn to Trist or Landzel.

Millennial pride, dignity, and personality...... All of them were destroyed, and the ridiculous masks that were stubble became a real joke, and they all stood pale and shrunken in the heavy rain, not daring to say a word.

Naturally, there are also many "smart people" who also think of planning early -- long before the war. The people of Turin had already hinted that they would not take the reign of Bright Star City, and now there were only two people who were eligible. Landzel and Trist, both of whom are of the Ottovic blood, and have military power.

At such a time, the scheming nobles had to think about their own future - should they bow down at the feet of the rightful Trist and continue to willingly serve the Otoviks, or should they join Landzel and become an ally of the mercenary leader?

............"It seems to be raining outside. Edward, strolling down the stairs along the wall, spoke, and there seemed to be a number of dried bones scattered on both sides of the street.

"Rest assured, this vault was built with water leaks in mind - I vouch for your safety. Landzel, who had walked in front, said faintly, his disgusting voice echoing through the narrow, dark passages, as if from hell.

The narrow corridor, there was no light except for the blazing torches, and the cold wind and faint sound from the darkness looked extremely strange in the flickering firelight, but none of this could attract Edward's attention, but when he really walked to the bottom of the entire corridor, he was immediately attracted by the gate revealed in the firelight.

A far-away gate that looks like a pendant in his hand stands in the center of two stone-carved braziers, surrounded by stone steps full of moss and dry bones, and in the constantly shaking flames, you can faintly see the golden reliefs and lines on it, which is simply like a dream!

"This is the Ottovik family's vault, which is said to contain gold, silver, and precious stones...... All of them add up, and they can even be worth two to three years of taxes in the entire Bright Star City. Standing in front of this gate, Landezell, full of emotion, casually threw the torch aside, sighed and smiled: "Now, these are all yours." ”

"Before I do that, there's one more thing I want to know. Holding back the excited heartbeat, Edward slowly raised his dark eyes: "Why are you telling me this—what is the purpose of this?"

From the beginning, Edward had been suspicious of this - since the vault was so secretive, it was perfectly possible for the other party to keep it for himself after the war was over, without having to share it with anyone. Judging from this period of time, this illegitimate son of the Ottovik family is definitely not a generous person, on the contrary, I am afraid that he will not spare the slightest mercy for anyone who may harm his interests.

The answer to this question is simple, and you know it for a long time. Landzel smiled lightly, "I want the whole of Bright Star City." ”

"Decentralization, compromise, concession...... It's all garbage. Landzel spoke unabashedly, his voice slow and eerie, his long back left on the wall in the firelight, as if it were a hideous devil.

"This gold is insignificant to me. The Purple Sails Mercenaries have looted enough wealth to last for a while, but for my proud little cousin Trist, this money is enough to save his life - without the Otovik coffers, he won't even be able to pay you Turines, and the stingy nobles will certainly not be able to pull out a dime. ”

"So...... Even if it were to divide the vault with him, I would rather give it to you, the honourable Sir Edward Witwood. Landzel's eyes flashed with a frenzied glint: "To buy a crown, I believe that this gold is not much." ”

"It is impossible for me to change the will of His Majesty Horace, or the attitude of the Knights of the Sacred Tree towards you. ”

"On the contrary, I think only you can do that - and this gold is my thank you. Landzel shook his head slightly. He smiled confidently: "We will be extremely friendly allies." ”

"That's all here, you heinous and shameless people!"

The sound of chaotic footsteps came from the stairs, and a dozen Dominic swordsmen with torches rushed into the corridor, surrounding Edward and Landzel, the steel swords in their hands directly on their necks.

"All the gold in this vault belongs to the great Otovík family, which means that it belongs to the great Trist Otovíc, not a greedy Turine, plus a shameless bastard!"

The guard, who was extremely contemptuous, said with some smugness: "And thank you - if it weren't for you leading the way, we might not have been able to find such a hidden location in the vault, so I'll give you a good time to show my gratitude, this is the kindness of Venerable Lord Trist, hahaha......"

"I advise you not to be so confident, this ...... Uh, my cousin's men. Landzel gave him a funny look, but the corner of his gaze never took his eyes off Edward's body, and the black-haired knight still looked extremely relaxed, as if the group was not planning to kill him but to invite him to a banquet.

"If I were you and knew who this knight was, I would have run as far as I could!" (To be continued......)