ps: I have worked hard to code the second update. The Shura field is temporarily over. Next is the main line. Come on~
It was late December in the year 1360 in the Valley Calendar, just one day before Midwinter Festival.
Guangze was covered in snow and ice as always.
Guangze is located in the easternmost part of Cormyr's territory. This swampy area forms the border between Cormyr and Sembia. Neither side wants to clear it, and both sides will only face it when the monsters inside invade the territory.
This area has always been very unpleasant. Many areas are primitive forests and primitive swamps. The trees block the sky and the sun is blocked. The swamps are deserted. Mosquitoes are very strong. The climate is very bad. It is extremely hot in summer and extremely cold in winter.
To make matters worse, Guangze is home to gnolls, hobgoblins, lizardfolk, and trolls. The swamp is also known for being home to several small black dragons, one or two crazy beholders, will-o'-the-wisps, and other weird things.
.
In the country, ferocious beasts in the wild cannot be provoked casually. I believe most adventurers are aware of this. When a noble intends to conquer an area and turn it into his own fiefdom, he often has to think about three questions.
.
1. Am I prepared to fight with foreign races for dozens or hundreds of years, and to fight bloody battles for several generations to prove to everyone that I am the owner of this land?
Second, am I determined to invest resource costs, manpower and material resources for three to five consecutive generations regardless of the cost, and then prepare to wait for a few more generations to slowly recover the cost?
Third, if I focus all my attention on territorial expansion, security warfare, and subsequent investment, the original territory will lose focus and control, and may be overthrown, may encounter risks, may be counterattacked by monsters, and may eventually be lost.
Are you ready for your old collar?
If these three answers are "Yes, I am ready", then the nobles in the country can prepare to open a new territory.
Unfortunately, Guangze is a place with countless troubles but no benefits at all. Therefore, both Cormyr and Zambia regard Guangze as a "military buffer zone." The two countries have great interests in this area.
Not even interested in shit.
This is probably the most inaccessible place in Cormyr.
This is also the place of exile for the former Salian family.
After Aaron's grandfather, old Earl Salian, made the whole kingdom angry because of his desertion in battle, except for the Purple Dragon Knight Manuel Salian, his wife Yin Elizabeth and son Aaron Salian were not present because Assan IV
Thanks to Manuel's many years of service and meritorious service, he did not participate in this great defeat. After being pardoned and allowed to inherit the Viscount, all the remaining Salian tribesmen were exiled here.
Their fate was very tragic. Exile was generally considered a serious punishment second only to the death penalty, especially for the Salian family's serious crimes. Assan IV sentenced them to hard labor, living on fishing and hunting, and serving them as slaves of the local army.
Under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Cayness-Ireland.
This may be difficult to understand. To use an analogy that everyone understands, it is "sent to Ninggu Pagoda and made slaves of armored men".
The humidity is extremely high, the summers are hot, humid and muggy, the winters are cold and snowy, and the autumns are full of mosquitoes. They have to hand over enough supplies to the border defenders every year and perform hard labor, and the materials are extremely expensive and scarce. Bedding, oil, salt and other materials need to be kept for a long time.
Only then can it be transported in.
One-third of the Salian people died in less than 2 years of exile.
Fortunately, there are not only some border troops in the place of exile, but also a monk monastery. Many of the monks in the monastery are believers of the Silver Virgin Suellen, and the Salian family has worshiped the Silver Virgin for generations, so the martial arts
The monk occasionally gave these people some meat and cheese, secretly of course.81zw.??m
In this way, a full ten years have passed, and the Salian family has been waiting in despair, waiting for the king to forgive them.
The king's amnesty did not come, but the news of Assan IV's death came.
Also, the rise of Aaron Salian.
Aaron's rise gave hope to the Salian people in Guangze, especially when Duke Kayneth came back after a trip to Susar, and his attitude towards this group of down-and-out nobles who had been exiled for 10 years improved.
, the duke restrained his soldiers not to insult them.
After all, down-and-out nobles are a common joke around the world.
As Aaron's fame grew, Duke Kayneth continued to reduce the quota of supplies they provided each year, and also sent people to deliver winter clothes. For the first time in 10 years, the Salians were able to eat during the Midwinter Festival.
Meat, use the brazier to heat it.
"I knew Manuel's child had a future!"
"Aaron, I saw him when he was three years old. I knew this child was the savior of our family!"
"When will this guy take us back to Sousal?"
Some people have begun to dream about returning to Sousal and living a noble life again. Some people even think that the title of nobility will not come back. But the Salian House in Sousal is the ancestral property of our family. Why did the Aaron family occupy it? So good.
The mansion can accommodate 20 people without any problem.
Regarding the remarks of these elders, Maximian Salian (who has been stripped of his surname) just shook his head.
Maximian is theoretically Aaron Salian's cousin. His father Carlos is the theoretical first heir to the title of Count Salian, and he is Carlos's eldest son.
[The book-chasing app recommended to me by an old book friend I have known for ten years is the Changyuan app! It is so easy to use. I rely on it to pass the time by reading and listening to books while driving and before going to bed. You can download it here]
Maximian has a strong body, with streamlined muscles all over his body. Years of wind and frost have made him look like a thirty-three-year-old at only twenty-three years old. However, he can vaguely see the shadow of the handsome and noble young man back then. From a seriously cultivated man,
From an outstanding heir to a weather-beaten youth, Maximian has experienced too much in these years.
Since being exiled to Guangze, Maximian has also experienced countless tortures.
But the family did not give up on him. As the eldest grandson, Maximian had the most hope. The tribesmen managed to send him to a nearby monk monastery, so that Maximian gave up his career as a warrior and retrained as a warrior.
Warrior monk.
Sword Saint Sect Monk!
This is also a helpless matter. After all, only monks require almost no resources and only pay attention to the training of "mind, body, and skills." Through strict discipline and solid training, monks can also embark on the road to becoming strong.
This is one of the most difficult career paths.
Maximian had no choice. To a certain extent, he carried the hope of the entire clan.
Today is approaching the Midwinter Festival, and the exiled tribesmen gathered together. There are more than twenty men in total. They are eating hot pot around a large wooden table in the middle. The Salian tribesmen who have spent ten years in such a bitter and cold place
I am already thinking about how to return to Susar in a dignified manner, and how to negotiate with Aaron to get him to give part of his ancestral property back to the family.
Some tribesmen even hope that Aaron will go further. It is best for him to become stronger and more famous. If the warlock can be promoted to legendary strength, it is unknown whether Cormyr can "rehabilitate" the old Count Salian.
How could it be so easy? After hearing this, Maximian shook his head helplessly.
Ten years of hard years, disciplinary practice, and training as a monk from the Sword Saint Sect have made Aaron's cousin aware of the power of discipline and kindness. Faced with everyone's jokes, he remained silent.
There was a heavy wind and snow outside, but the atmosphere inside the long wooden house was even hotter. Maximian couldn't stand the atmosphere. He stood up and said, "Father, I'll go to the kitchen to see if there is anything else."
"Okay." Carlos nodded. He was already an old man in his fifties. His only wish at this time was to try to send his son back to Susar.
Maximian got up and went to the kitchen in the longhouse. He took a deep breath and was about to see if there was any leftover pork sent by Duke Kayneth when he suddenly heard chaotic footsteps outside.
"God's Left Hand" Knight led a group of black-robed men to make a grand appearance. They strode into the longhouse. Outside the longhouse, there were many corpses of the guards responsible for guarding the Salian family.
"Who?" Carlos stood up immediately. Aaron's uncle had already realized that something was wrong.
"Who? The one who killed you." Knight, the Left Hand of God, chuckled. His hair was messy and greasy, as disgusting as pickled kelp. His small eyes, big nose, and sausage mouth made him look bigger than
An assassin is more like a country hawker, especially because he has a unclear speech. Even if he speaks Common Tongue, it sounds more like the language of the hobgoblins.
However, he and the men in black robes behind him told everyone through their actions that he was not just a country vendor.
He is a killer who sells death!
At this time, everyone had realized that due to the relaxation of regulations, most of the Salians had basic weapons, such as sticks, daggers, axes and hammers. Some even grabbed the bowl on the table and threw the knife and fork at Knight.
And go.
Unfortunately, Knight easily dodged all the throws. He laughed wildly, bent down, his muscles twitched, and kicked his legs as fast as a phantom and as fast as lightning!
Holding two daggers upside down, Knight, the left hand of God, dodged the sudden stabbing stick. The killing dance composed of the sharp double daggers moved along the bottom of the long table, and all the Salian tribesmen sitting at the table were disemboweled wherever they passed.
Died by broken belly or slit throat!
Several men in black robes followed and rushed in. In an instant, blood flowed all over the floor in the long house, and corpses were scattered everywhere.
"My lord Suellen is here." Carlos, the son of the old Earl Salian, looked livid. He silently recited the holy name of Suellen and reached for the scimitar at his waist.
Carlos knew he might have had a chance to escape initially.
But he no longer wanted to escape a second time.
After escaping once with his father, Carlos sacrificed everything, even his entire family.
Now that he is in his fifties, will he run away again?
No, one insult is enough.
bring it on!
Carlos roared angrily. He is old, his physical strength is gone, and his skills are rusty, but he has the richest experience!
Facing the flying debris and the approaching killer, Carlos accurately judged the attack route of the attacker. He took a step sideways and took a good position, like the best old hunter, who was about to kill Knight.
Take action at the moment in front of you.
Combat skill - Explosion!
Knight sneered, with a hint of contempt in his dull eyes. Facing the inevitable blow from old Carlos, what God's left hand did was to forcefully twist his body, rotate the dagger in his hand, and point it upward.
pick.
"Cang~" The dagger and scimitar collided together, causing sparks to fly.
However, nothing happened.
Carlos's expression was dull for a moment. This was a stunt he had practiced for forty years! This combat technique was a mixture of bright and dark strength, using all the power of the whole body. It was originally enough to knock over a knight in costume.
land!
But this killer actually blocked it with a dagger?
"Hmph~" Knight continued to laugh a few times. He licked his tongue and flipped the dagger. Carlos felt an uncontrollable force and was forced to drop the scimitar. Before he could react, a spear pierced him.
He grabbed his chest and nailed him firmly to the wooden pillar.
Then, Knight started his performance. The left hand of God danced in front of Carlos. The dagger in his hand flew up and down at a very fast and regular rhythm. Pieces of fresh meat of about the same size were removed from Uncle Aaron's body.
Peeling off, no matter how much Carlos screamed or struggled, the pieces of meat cut off by Knight were so neat and uniform, with minimal error.
Epidermis, flesh and blood, meridians, and finally bones.
Carlos is still alive, even though he feels he would be better off dead.
The left hand of God, whose whole body was stained red with blood, took a few steps back and looked at his work with satisfaction. He marveled at it and threw the meat slices on the table and on the ground into the boiling pot, and rinsed it.
Put it in your mouth.
After chewing hard for a while, God's left hand showed a confused expression.
It seems... nothing special?
Didn't he feel that there was a strange power in the blood of Salian's people?
My lord...did I make a mistake?
As soon as this thought came up, Knight quickly shook his head.
Prince of the Dark Sun never makes a mistake, it's just the believers who don't understand it correctly.
Accidental warlock mutation?
The Left Hand of God was still thinking, and the men in black robes under his command returned one after another. Within a few minutes, all the Salian exiles in Guangze had been killed.
They are all the black-robed guards of God's Left Hand, and the only thing they have in common is that they are all cannibals.
Cannibals must be cursed, this is a rule recognized by human gods.
Only the great, holy and benevolent Prince of the Dark Sun is willing to give them a chance.
"Sir, we killed everyone, but two people escaped!"
"Who escaped?!" Knight's eyes were ferocious, showing his fierce look.
"It's a monk. He ran away with a woman on his back. He was very fast and we couldn't catch up." The man in black robes was trembling.
"Trash!" Knight slapped the man in black robe on the face with his left hand.
"Yes!" The man in black robe was slapped to the ground, and he got up immediately in panic.
"Trash!" God's left hand slapped him again.
"Yes!" The man in black robe was sent flying and hit a pillar, and rolled to his feet again.
"Hmph~ But that's fine. Let the monk announce it to the whole world and to that little bastard from the Salian family."
"Anyone who dares to resist the greatest, most sacred and supreme Dark Sun will suffer this fate!"