The wind was beautiful and the sun was shining brightly. After the spring drill, Loulan City returned to its usual bustle.
This "Miracle City", whose reputation has spread throughout the northwest, has gradually replaced the Nulin Province originally under the jurisdiction of Governor Bohan due to its geographical location closer to the border and its superior natural environment near Loulan Lake, the richest lake in the northwest.
The capital of the country has gradually become the largest border trade center in the northwest.
Although there had been harassment from the grassland people before, and the siege of the city by the Northwest Army to show off its military power. Fortunately, when the official news came, the Northwest Army had killed the enemy chief Golden Wolf Head who came to the grassland this time, at least on the surface.
It revealed one meaning: the Northwest Army did not resist.
As long as this news comes out, people in the northwest will always feel relieved.
As for the grassland... After the last riot, the royal court above the grassland is said to have sent envoys to the imperial capital. At least until the two sides fail to negotiate, a short-term peace can still be guaranteed.
Dardaniel, the garrison commander of Loulan City, strictly implemented Du Wei's strategy of "loosening outside and tightening inside". After the northwest army retreated, the border trade in the town outside the city reopened. And the cavalry of the Tulip family in the brigade was
They were sent out to patrol around. It seems that the gates of Loulan City are not strictly guarded. Merchants can still enter and exit the city with the certificates of the business group. However, in secret, some visitors on the grassland, especially those wearing clothes
The strangely dressed crowd has begun to secretly and closely monitor.
Then, the announcement of the military conscription order began to be posted on the bulletin board at the city gate.
On such an evening, there was a bustling crowd in front of the bulletin board. At the distant trade market, merchants in various costumes from all over the mainland were haggling loudly. Teams of soldiers from the Tulip family were patrolling...
There is such a horse. It comes alone from the northeast road. On the horse is a middle-aged man with a thin body and a handsome face. Although he looks to be nearly forty years old, he is gently holding the reins in one hand.
The upper fingers are extremely long and the joints are strong. At first glance, he is a martial arts practitioner. Although his figure is slightly thin, he is extremely well-proportioned and strong. He is wearing a strange robe. This kind of coarse cloth-like robe is very common among northern residents.
The thick fabric he wears is not only cold-resistant, but also resistant to dirt. However, the look and momentum between this man's brows definitely don't look like an ordinary civilian. Although the horse he is riding is just an ordinary horse.
When he was on the horse, his body was habitually upright. In the eyes of veterans, this posture was exactly the standard posture of a knight who was accustomed to fighting on horseback.
What's even more strange is that he is dressed in casual clothes, with a small luggage bag on top of the horse. Other than that, he doesn't even have a sword or weapon.
You must know that in the northwest, the land is barren and the people's customs are strong. Horse thieves are rampant, and business groups traveling from south to north are accompanied by large numbers of armed guards. In a place like this, fights are often fought over disagreements.
Ordinary. It can be said that when walking in the northwest, most people who travel far away, except women and children, carry weapons with them. Long swords, sabers, scimitars and the like are common. Occasionally, those with money will also
Configure leather armor.
And this man, dressed in light clothes and without even a dagger, came all the way to the city gate alone. The soldiers guarding the city gate glanced at him and asked casually: "Where did he come from?"
"……north."
"The North? The North is so big! I'm asking you a question. Don't be vague. Where does the North come from?"
The man smiled slightly and faced the soldier's stern words. He was not angry at all. He smiled faintly. With a trace of calmness on his thin and handsome face, he softly uttered a few words:
"The frozen forest."
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers guarding the city gate were even more confused. An officer next to him frowned and glanced at this man: "Ice forest? I haven't heard of anyone living in that place... Are you a mercenary? Look at you,
Is he also a warrior?"
This middle-aged man is very patient and has a gentle smile: "I used to be...but now I'm retired."
The officer glanced at him. This man only had such a small bag and didn't even have a weapon on him. Judging from his age, it would be reasonable to say that he was an old mercenary who retired and retired.
"From your accent, do you think you are from the Northwest?" After briefly checking his luggage, the officer's tone became much softer: "Our Lord Duke is recruiting talents. Since you are a martial arts training ground and you are from the Northwest, why not go Try your luck outside the garrison in the city. The garrison is currently setting up troops under the order of the Duke. If you have a chance, you may be able to make a living. It is worse than going home and guarding a few thin fields. There are many.”
The middle-aged man smiled slightly, glanced at the officer, said thank you, and led the horse into the city.
After entering the city, the middle-aged man rode on a horse and walked slowly, but looked curiously at the scene in Loulan City. The current population of Loulan City has exceeded 150,000, and it is already considered the largest city in the northwest. Streets
It is very spacious, and foreign merchants often drive carts into the city, but there is no crowding on this wide street. The residents in the city can be considered to live and work in peace and contentment. The one-year tax exemption policy announced by Du Wei is very important.
It won the hearts of the people. Apart from occasionally seeing one or two teams of patrolling soldiers on the streets of the city, everything else was in good order. There was an endless stream of pedestrians coming and going, with various accents. This middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh in his heart as he walked all the way.
.
I have been away from my hometown for many years... I never expected that there would be such a prosperous city in the northwest.
Teacher... maybe the advice you gave me is correct. This Du Wei can really change Northwest.
He casually asked passers-by for the direction of the Duke's Palace. Everyone he asked when they mentioned the Duke's Palace showed a kind of respect from the bottom of their hearts, and in addition to respect, there was also a bit of awe. But when he mentioned this
Everyone praised Duke Tulip. They just said that this time the God of Light opened his eyes and finally sent a good lord to the province of Desa.
Mentioning how the Tulip Duke had great magical powers, performed miracles to make the land harvest abundant, built a great city in three months, supported the people tax-free for a year, shot back an army that besieged the city with an arrow, and so on... the words were so forthright that Du Wei was spitting.
It can almost be described as one of the few unparalleled figures in heaven and earth.
When this middle-aged man asked for directions to the Duke's Palace, others immediately respected him and regarded him as a relevant person in the Duke's Palace. They were all eager to show the way, and some even volunteered to lead the way.
In fact, Duwei's Duke's Palace is not difficult to find. The tallest building in the city is Duwei's Duke's Palace. The castle is more than thirty meters high, with golden tulip flags flying on the top of the tower.
The middle-aged man came all the way on horseback, but the streets next to the Duke's Palace became much quieter. Even if there were pedestrians passing by, they consciously kept their voices down and did not dare to make any noise here.
Looking at the heavily guarded guards on the suspension bridge, the middle-aged man seemed to smile, got off his horse, and was about to walk over when the sound of a group of people laughing suddenly came from beside him.
"Madam dean, don't listen to his nonsense. What kind of temper does our dean have? You still don't understand? I'm afraid it's the Northwest Army who will be unlucky this time. I think in this world, we are the only ones who can scheme against others.
The person who plots against the dean has not yet been born!"
Another slightly calm voice next to him said: "In public, don't talk nonsense! Today's homework has not been completed yet. If you talk nonsense again, I will punish you by flying out of the city for one or two hundred laps!" After a pause, this calm person said:
The voice said again: "Madam dean, I think it's getting late. You'd better go back quickly."
The middle-aged man looked around and saw several young people wearing gray magic apprentice robes, surrounded by a girl about fifteen or sixteen years old, heading towards the castle like stars holding the moon. The girl among them walked towards the castle.
In the middle, several young people around her were respectful, cautiously surrounding her, but deliberately keeping a little distance, as if they were afraid of accidentally blaspheming this charming and lovely girl.
The girl in the middle was indescribably shy on her pink face. Her originally beautiful little face was even more blushing because of her shyness, making her look even more alluring. Her big eyes were watery, but
As if he didn't dare to look at anyone, he just bit his lips and said shyly: "You...you guys, don't call me...dean husband, madam..."
When the middle-aged man saw this, he probably had an idea in his mind. He smiled softly, but instead walked over and stood in the middle of the group of people.
"Who?" The slightly calm young man among them saw him, frowned slightly, but subconsciously took the first step and blocked the girl. Although his real strength was one hundred thousand worse than that girl.
It looks like eight thousand miles away.
"Excuse me." The middle-aged man's voice was very calm: "The 'Mr. Dean' you are talking about is probably the Duke of Tulip. I happened to be entrusted by a friend to come to the northwest to meet the Duke."
The few magic apprentices are naturally the group of Du Wei's students, and the one who is willingly called "Mrs. Dean" by this group of students, no need to ask, is naturally the genius little girl Ba Vivian.
Vivian was blushing with embarrassment as these guys called her "Mrs. Dean" one after another. After getting drunk that time, she went crazy in public, and it had a wonderful effect. All these students already regarded this revered lady in their hearts.
The beautiful girl from Tianren has identified herself as the future dean’s wife. She makes no secret of it in her words and deeds. Vivian is shy by nature and has a very thin skin, and the drunken incident made her even more...
The biggest embarrassment in my life, every time other people mention it, I feel uncontrollably embarrassed.
Today, I took a few students to a store in the city to buy some things. On the way back, I was called "Mrs. Dean" by these students and my face turned red. Fortunately, the leader of the students, Sieg, was quite calm and changed the topic appropriately.
At this moment, she suddenly saw such a strange person blocking the road. Vivian couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Looking around, she felt that the figure and demeanor of such a middle-aged man standing in the middle of the road was really heartbreaking.
The other person seemed to be standing in the middle casually, but it was as if all the attention of the pedestrians on the road were focused on him. He seemed to be smiling peacefully, but the underlying aura was definitely not.
Common people can have it.
"Please, please...are you..." Vivian took a step appropriately.
"Ah..." The middle-aged man looked at the shy girl and smiled slightly: "If I guessed correctly, you should be Master Vivian. I heard a friend mention your name,
He praised you a lot in front of me."
Vivian was a little embarrassed, but she looked at the middle-aged man curiously, and after confirming that he did not have any ill intentions, she smiled and said: "I...I am Vivian. You, you are..."
The middle-aged man touched his arms and finally pulled out a badge: "My friend gave it to me. I met him in the frozen forest, but he came back in an emergency.
I was a little injured, so I delayed coming here for a while."
Vivian took the badge and looked at it, and her eyes immediately lit up! This badge clearly belonged to Hussein! The little silly girl immediately understood the identity of the middle-aged man in front of her: "Ah! You are..."
"My name is Rodriguez." The middle-aged man smiled softly: "I used to be a knight...but now, I am just a useless person."
After speaking, he raised his right hand. What surprised Vivian was that the paladin's right hand had been broken off at the wrist! His entire right palm was gone!
Looking at Vivian's shocked eyes, Rodriguez smiled calmly: "I have been hesitating about what a loser like me should do after bidding farewell to the knighthood, but fortunately, give me this
Badge's friend said that maybe Lord Tulip Duke could take me in. So... after much consideration, I came to the northwest."