Chapter 446 The Determination of the Sword Master
At dusk outside the city, green banners surrounded the city wall. Even if you stood on the highest tower and looked out, you could not see the end of the military formation at a glance.
The soldiers on the city wall couldn't help but swallow their sleep, and the faces of the citizens in the city were full of despair. The civilians outside the city simply gave up their struggle, or were pulled into the ranks of the Green Forest Army, or became the latter's food reserves.
The uprisings in this forest have always been like this. This fire will never stop until all the houses are burned down and until the blood flows into rivers.
Looking at the army outside the city, Governor Baron Elalic's face was filled with sadness, and he prayed silently in his heart.
At this moment, Saint Sith had no choice but to pray and wait. Outside the city, at the Green Forest Army's military camp, the green-headed coins with high morale were lighting a fire to cook.
"Quartermaster" Silas was looking at the map expressionlessly, staring at the wall to the north of Dusk City as if thinking about something.
At this time, a cloaked figure quietly appeared behind him and said in a hoarse and bitter voice.
"Aka is dead. He was killed by the Sword Master Gaunt in the Wheatfield Village area of Quemu Territory."
Under the cloak is a cunning and cunning rat face, with two green bean-like eyes flashing with a cold and fierce light.
But in front of this quartermaster, it was as docile and well-behaved as a hamster.
There is no other reason.
Just because the human thing in front of him is a person who has passed the trial of greed, and a chosen one designated by the "Gluttonous Rat" Gerlo.
Under the command of the Gluttonous Rat, the "Carrion" clan entrenched in the Wanren Mountains will follow his greedy sacrifices and complete the great ritual to please the Gluttonous Rat.
The so-called "Gluttonous Rat" Gerlo is the vest of "Eternal Hungry Claw" Urgos in the kingdom of ratmen.
They are the same thing.
This is also the real reason why the Green Forest Army's supplies have never been interrupted.
It’s not because they can bring in food that even the lords can’t, nor is it because they are braver and better at fighting than their fellow villagers, it’s just because they have a bigger backer than the kingdom behind them.
As Silas’ secret support, the Carrion Clan not only transported food and weapons to the former’s army through underground tunnels, but also sent their elite “Plaguefang Assassins” to the Dusk Province to assist the former in intelligence activities and plan a series of sabotage operations including kidnapping, poisoning, etc.
The power of a province could not possibly be their opponent, and the foolish king was turning a blind eye and condoning the fire.——·
But they still encountered trouble after all, and it was a bigger trouble than Eileen Campbell.
The Juggernaut is gone.
After listening to the Plaguefang Assassin’s report, Silas narrowed his eyes slightly, “Gunt, it’s that guy again—our ‘butcher’ Malachi seems to have died in his hands.
The Plaguefang Assassin lowered his head.
"Exactly."
Three of the twelve leaders have died, and there is also a traitor who betrayed the true God.
However, Silas was not panicked at all, and instead a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The logic behind how the Apostles of Chaos gain power is completely different from that of the followers of Saint Sith.
For example, the apostles of the Fog of Deception need to weave a huge conspiracy to cover more people, while the apostles of the Claws of Eternal Hunger need to incite greater and more extreme oppression.
With oppression, there is resistance.
Whether the oppression is passively endured or actively generated under their provocation, it makes no difference in terms of results, and it can inject them with power from the void.
Including himself, the twelve "apostles" chosen by the ceremony were all sacrifices.
Whether it is Gaunt or the Campbells, the more they kill, the stronger the power of Chaos will be in this land!
When they kill until there is only one apostle left, or when they kill all twelve apostles, the real Chosen God of Chaos will come to this land.
Hence, Silas wished that Gaunt and Irene would kill more, it would be best to kill them all, killing all the apostles except him!
Especially if you kill the "green turban" Kailan, the imperial people will soon see the amethyst-level apostle, and then exclaim like a country bumpkin that this is impossible!
In contrast, to Urgos's plan, the "Saint Karen" who does not play according to the routine is the biggest threat.
And the sacrifice "Iron Bull" Brennan who was "wasted" is the most regrettable.
Silas even began to suspect that that guy was not the chosen one of Saint Sith at all, but another force that intervened in the situation in the Twilight Province.
But who could it be?
It can't be hell·
They are indeed driving the undead, but what the Holy Spirit said and the Sword Master's attitude made him undecided.
Silas thought hard for a long time without an answer, and finally decided to start with the question itself.
He turned around and looked at the Plaguetooth Assassin who was kneeling on one knee, and said in a gentle voice.
".·Apostles of the Carrion Clan, I need you to help me do something."
"What is it."
Sellars's eyes flashed with a sharp look.
"Kill her."
The rat assassin was slightly surprised and looked up at him.
Silas nodded and spoke with a hint of regret, as if he had made a difficult decision.
"Perhaps she has no fate with us. We can only find another way to send her to see her false god."
But since he did not go to see the "saint", but chose to camp in Maitian Village dozens of kilometers away, he probably had doubts about the identity of the so-called "saint".
In this case, let the rat assassins go first.
They will never have any worries.
Hongmu Castle, Luo Yan, who was sitting at the desk, opened his eyes, his bright eyes full of surprise.
.—Juggernaut?!”
On my territory? !
He did notice the rock hotel in Wheatfield Village and the Jiantu carrying the big sword, but he could not connect this man with the legendary Rock Sword Master.
After all, this span is indeed too big. No one would have thought that a man who looked like a mercenary could actually have the strength of a demigod!
Luo Yan had seen demigods from the empire in the Holy City, such as the famous Marshal Lako. That guy was much higher in terms of momentum and strength.
Furthermore, that guy was not the only weirdo who came to Maitian Village during this period, there were many people with stories written on their faces.
There are down-and-out nobles who pretend to be farmers to escape, there are also farmers who pretend to be nobles to deceive others, and there are even guys who claim to be the "Son of God" himself and the "Second Saint".
The great swordsman was not the only one he paid attention to directly or indirectly.
Once a land loses order, all kinds of monsters and monsters will breed.
Just when Luo Yan was thinking quietly, Youyou's fiery voice emerged together with the milky white mist.
"Lord Demon King! Something bad has happened. Sword Master is only a few dozen kilometers away from you now! What should we do!"
"Why are you panicking? There are still dozens of kilometers away." Luo Yan glanced at Youyou, who was floating next to him, and said calmly.
Although he was indeed a little panicked, it did not prevent him from still having a calm expression on his face.
Actually.—
There was nothing to panic about.
The sword master has been living in Maitian Village for almost a month. If he really had any ideas, he would not wait until now.
Happily thankfully, he had a steady hand just now and did not directly use the "Butterfly of All Things" to change places.
Otherwise, a flash appeared on the Juggernaut's face, and he had to put on the "Prince Colin" vest that he had just taken off again.
As for not taking action, it was impossible. At most, half of the players would die. After all, no matter how important the game experience of the players was, he would not allow the Chaos Apostles to slaughter his people.
But having said that, this semi-god-level sword master is quite powerful. He actually defeated the Chaos God in one move.
Not even used in the field!
You must know that he is the Chosen God of Chaos. In terms of strength alone, he is much stronger than the strong men of the same level under the Saint Sith belief system.
".—But Lord Demon King, what if that sword master comes to your door? Seeing that Lord Demon King was indifferent, Youyou couldn't help but asked in a low voice.
Luo Yan replied calmly.
"Why are you anxious? There is a saint, isn't there?"
Yuyou: "—But, that's a demigod? She's just an ordinary person, can she handle it?"
Luo Yan smiled lightly and said calmly.
"She probably couldn't handle it before, but after my training - she has no problem anymore."
Ordinary people will have an advantage.
Her soul has no mark of her own, let alone the Sword Master, even Saint Sith himself can't see anything.
Furthermore, the sword master is very polite to ordinary people, which is a bit like himself.
With luck, she might be able to win the Juggernaut to the side of the Salvation Army, or at least help them solve some obstacles.
Yuyou looked at the Demon King with a calm face in surprise, as if he had everything under control, and a feeling of admiration could not help but arise.
As expected of the Demon King.
Hide behind women again I
With the death of "Executioner" Aka, the rebels outside Maitian Village threw away their weapons and surrendered in fear of the Juggernaut's reputation, but anyone could see the forbearance behind the fear.
Obviously they did not repent of their crimes, but they just thought they were going to die, so they took off the turbans on their heads.
How to deal with these nearly 5,000 captives became an immediate problem.
Some players suggested that turning them into household ghosts would be the safest way, and they could also gain some experience. However, the vast majority of players still think this is too extreme. After all, these NPCs are quite human-like, and it would be a pity to kill them.
But no matter how they come up with their ideas, they still have to look at Her Majesty the Saint’s wishes in the end, and the Saint asked the Son of God behind her for instructions.
The kind King Yan thought for a moment and decided to give these ordinary people who were blinded by chaos a chance.
Outside Maitian Village, at the lumberyard near the river, nearly five thousand people were squatting in the open space, looking around in fear.
At this moment, they are like cattle and sheep on the sacrificial altar, without any of their previous arrogant appearance.
The Salvation Army soldiers holding pitchforks and muskets surrounded them and stood ready.
Although the two sides were on the same side until a few months ago, now they are each their own master.
Had Her Royal Highness the Holy Maiden ordered it, the saviors who had been killing them long ago would never be soft-hearted just because they had eaten enough for a few days.
It was late afternoon, and dusk turned the rushing river red.
The hell dwarf lying downstream still did not dare to come up from the river, tremblingly waiting for the humans upstream to decide the winner.
The devil is above.—.
These people are really ruthless in killing their own people. The Calamity Castle on Broken Rock Peak often changes its lords, but wouldn't it be enough to have a fight outside the castle and decide the winner?
Why do you need to be so cruel?
This is not the first time a head change has occurred, and of course it won’t be the last.
Hummonistically speaking, the lower limit of the human race is still much higher than that of the dwarfs' old enemies, the ratmen. However, the ratmen are too ugly after all, so it is difficult for dwarves to sympathize with those guys.
Just when everyone was holding their breath and waiting, a fast horse came running from the horizon.
The messenger dismounted and took out the documents that Quemu Fort had sent to the nearby outpost via carrier pigeon.
The captain leading the team immediately stepped aside when he saw the emblem of the saint, and stood with the soldiers, waiting for the messenger to read the oracle.
..According to the laws of the Kingdom of Lane, rebels should be hanged! However, Her Royal Highness the Saint said, Our Lord has a good life and has forgiven your death sin. Thank him for his mercy! "
The rebels, whose knees were weak, burst into tears of gratitude. They knelt down one after another to thank them, thankful that they had saved their lives.
At least the current hurdle has passed.
Looking at the grateful bandits, the messenger paused, then raised his voice and continued.
"However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped! Your hands are stained with the blood of your kinsmen, and you can't comfort the souls wandering in this land just by letting go! You must work in the fields, cut trees in the forest, or rebuild the houses you destroyed on the ruins until you can go back."
No one objected.
In this land full of hungry hatchlings, not killing prisoners is already an incredible kindness. As for becoming the trophy of the victor, that is nothing but a common thing.
If there was a port, they were usually branded, stuffed onto imperial merchant ships and sold to plantations in the New World.
When there was no port, they were mostly sent to the lord's mines, and only a few lucky ones would become serfs again and return to the life before the war.
All the rebels were thankful that they had survived. As for what the messenger said about labor reform, seeking leniency, land distribution after reform, etc., they did not listen too carefully.
After all, which one of you sitting here has not heard enough of the lords’ beautiful words, and has risen up because he can no longer survive?
Don't say they didn't believe what the lord said, they didn't believe what Kailan said either. They only followed Aka because they could eat enough.
However, although they did not listen carefully, Gaunt, who was standing in the distance and watching, listened very carefully.
Even, when he heard the second half, an incredible expression appeared on that resolute face.
He was a traveling mercenary. When he was young, he often helped the lords fight in battles. It was not unusual for both sides to declare victory and then send the prisoners to work on the farms.
After all, farmers cannot afford the ransom, and ransom merchants will only go to those citizens or mercenaries whose families can afford it.
However, this was the first time he had heard of "labor for the purpose of transforming and re-creating people", and it was even more unheard of to allocate land to prisoners of war.
At least in this land, this Saint Karen is the first to do this.
She does not drive them to work for the sake of slavery, but rather to allow them to pay for their past mistakes in order to fight for tomorrow's freedom.
The incredible feeling that lingered in his heart even exceeded his surprise at the successive arrivals of the Chosen of Chaos Gods, and even more than his surprise at the decline of his own power.
...Perhaps, she is really sent by Saint Sith."
At least in his impression, there is no more benevolent lord than Her Majesty the Saint.
Perhaps the empire may not be happy, and the Holy See will not admit it, but since she is the most suitable person here, it seems that she has no reason to interfere with people's choices. As the messenger finished reading the saint's oracle, the sky finally darkened completely.
Gaunt returned to the hotel alone and found that everyone was looking at him by mistake, as if they were seeing Saint Sith himself.
He was not surprised by their surprise. This was not the first time he had faced this situation.
He just returned to his position calmly, put the sword aside casually, then picked up the wine bottle and poured himself a glass of red wine. Looking at the stunned old Hank, he forced out a smile that he thought was natural, but in fact it was not natural at all.
"Don't look at me, everyone, keep drinking - haha." He laughed dryly and drank it all in one gulp.
That day everyone was very drunk.
Although this was not the sword master's original intention, he simply wanted to invite you to drink, but others could not guess his thoughts.
Except for Urien, who was too drunk and did not participate at all, and the players who tried to trigger the hidden mission, no one dared to stop.
This gap between mortals and demigods is destined to be resolved only by time.
This was one of the reasons why he didn’t want to reveal his identity in the first place·
ˆ .::
ˆ One day passed.
In the early morning of the second day, a team of 1,000 people arrived at the outskirts of Maitian Village, took over 5,000 prisoners from the local garrison, and used the breakfast time to complete the identity registration of the prisoners. Since this work had been repeated countless times, the household registration personnel who accompanied the army were fairly good at handling it.
Thanks to the citizens from Twilight City and the priests in the castle who turned a blind eye, the "illiteracy" work that Her Royal Highness the Holy Lady personally deployed and even participated in went smoothly.
In addition, the common language of the Empire itself is not difficult, so many Salvation Army soldiers have learned basic spelling and can remember at least a few commonly used names and place names.
After a day's rest, this expedition team will take the 5,000 captured prisoners of war to the side of Quemu Territory to sleep.
There is a village there that was once occupied by ratmen. The nearby barony has been reduced to scorched earth, leaving only a dilapidated manor that may be able to recover some useful materials. Apart from that, everything has to be started from scratch.
Three hundred returnees will go with them. They will serve as guides and rebuild the land with their fellow travelers.
On the other side, Gunter, who had been thinking for a long time, also set off at the same time.
But his direction was not to the side of Quemu Territory, but to Quemu Castle, the capital of the earldom.
The entrance to the newly opened Rock Hotel.
Looking at Urien with a look of reluctance, Gaunt had already thought about what to say, but when the words came to his lips, he forgot the words.
After a long silence, he put his generous palm on the young man's shoulder and patted it twice.
"I'm going on a long trip. Remember to take care of yourself during my absence."
His intuition told Urien that this time was different from the past. The master would probably have to go on a far journey, and it might take a long time before he came back.
Otherwise, his farewell would not have been so solemn.
However, even though there was a lot of reluctance in his heart, Urien still did not ask him to stay or ask his master to take him with him.
He believed that Master must have made the decision to stay here after careful consideration.
Whether it is due to considerations of strength or concerns about the dangers that may be encountered next.
He doesn't want to be a burden to his master - either around him or behind him.
Looking at his master with firm eyes, Urien said seriously as never before.
h "I will take care of myself and your hotel, and wait for you to come back and continue to teach me how to practice swordsmanship——"
h "..-Take care, master."
h Looking at the sensible young man in front of him, Gaunt showed a happy smile on his face.
Although they have not known each other for a long time, he regarded him as his own child all the way.
And he was also very pleased to see that his child had grown up and was no longer the weed that seemed to be blown away by the wind at any time, but had become a flame that could illuminate others.
This is good.
"Well, wait for me."
The commitment between men does not need to be too much. He believed that after he left, Urien would continue to hone his sword skills and at the same time run their hotel, at least living up to the enthusiasm and goodwill of the villagers here towards them.
As for himself, there are more important things to do·
At the dirt road on the north side of the hotel, a knight in uniform has been waiting there for a long time.
His name is Raiden. His family has served the local counts for generations and has a good reputation in the local area. Therefore, this generation has produced a platinum-level knight.
This situation is actually not uncommon in some counties or duchies where Wundefela is in a bad state.
If the lord of a region is too comfortable and neglects to be brave for two or three consecutive generations, and a certain vassal family under his command is widely known for the virtues of knights, there is a high probability that a noble soul will be born into this promising "little family" to ensure that someone can carry the banner at critical moments.
On the contrary, for families with strong military virtues like the Dukes of Campbell or the Earls of Swift, most of the knights around them have mediocre qualifications. Their strength is almost impossible to exceed that of their lords, and they have no ambition to transcend their own territory.
The gift of the Holy Light to every land is balanced, with only occasional ripples.
According to the soldiers of the Salvation Army, Mr. Redden was also one of the people who was inspired by the miracle of the oracle.
After fulfilling his last vow, he turned his allegiance to "Saint Karen" and was canonized as a Knight of the Holy Grail by the latter.
The shield carried behind him at this moment indeed exudes the power that Gunter is familiar with.
Gaunt has seen many chosen ones, and they all hold similar "artifacts".
Noticing the oncoming sword master, Leiden, who had been waiting for a long time, dismounted from his horse, handed the helmet he took off to the attendant on the side, and then stepped forward and performed the courtesy of a knight.
"Honored Rock Sword Master, Gunter Steingrabe, I, Leden Kechtel, have long admired your name."
h "Nice to meet you, Mr. Leden. During this time, I have often heard legends about you from the local villagers, and you are as impressive as the legends."
Gaunt also politely returned the courtesy of a civilian in the Kingdom of Rhodes, and did not show any slightness because the other party was weaker than himself.
Leiden laughed.
"Really? Then they must be exaggerating."
Gaunt smiled faintly.
"On the contrary, after seeing this oasis that is independent in the desert, I feel that they are still too conservative. Whether it is the legend about you, the saint behind you, and the legendary "Son of God". 』
When hearing the word Son of God, Raiden looked slightly embarrassed, especially after realizing that this sword master was a Rhodesian.
I heard that the Rhodes people have always been famous throughout the continent for their old-fashionedness and tradition. Even the people of the Empire are willing to bow down to them, so they are known as the "dwarfs among the human race".
Of course, this sword master is not short at all. Not only is he two meters tall, his shoulders are as wide as a door.
In short, telling the Rhodes people that Saint Sith has a child is as outrageous as telling the goblins that the devil is actually a succubus.
"Of course there are many stories behind this. Maybe you can ask Her Majesty the Saint in person, and she will be happy to answer your confusion." Raiden didn't know how to complete this story, so he simply left the problem to the Saint who claimed to have seen the Son of God. Anyway, she was very good at speaking after hearing the oracle, and she could tell some big truths that even him was stunned every time.
But to Raiden's surprise, Gunter just smiled after seeing his embarrassment. He was not as anxious as ordinary Rhodes people, or even didn't delve into it deeply.
"You misunderstood, Mr. Layden. Although I am a devout believer, I have no intention of correcting anything for the church. As for Her Royal Highness, I do intend to see her this time, but not to discuss theology and doctrine with her, but to discuss more practical issues."
Leiden breathed a sigh of relief, regained his cheerful smile, and continued.
"That's just right, Her Royal Highness the Saint also wants to meet you, I can lead you - but what is the practical problem you are talking about, can I ask? It's just out of my personal curiosity."
Gaunt did not hide it, and said straightforwardly.
"I want to persuade her to send troops to the Griffin Leader."
The air was subtly quiet, and it seemed that only the sound of the wind and the snoring of the horses were left around.
Leiden was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting the sword master of the empire to say this.
After a long silence, he spoke.
“Can you tell me the reason?”
"The reason is as you can see in front of you," Gunter glanced around and then cast his gaze further in the direction. "Even if the king here has abandoned this place, we cannot allow the corruption of Chaos to continue to spread."
He did not personally interrogate the prisoners yesterday, but he learned about the tragic situation of Griffin Castle from the soldiers who interrogated the prisoners. It was simply a hell on earth at the moment.
Akka did not seize the living sacrifice, so he hung the desecrated body on the city wall, as a humiliation to the faith and glory of the human race, and to please Chaos.
There is no doubt that it is the altar of Chaos and one of the sources of the Green Forest Army's strength.
Since he knew of its existence, he had to uproot it and let those "heroes who fought to the last moment for the fate of mankind" be buried.
In the past, he would have gone alone, but now he has a better choice—
He can also take the order here with him!
This way you can prevent yourself from creating new chaos with your back foot as soon as you step off with your front foot.
And the most important thing is that this Salvation Army is under the banner of Saint Sith.
In this way, it is not considered a violation of his oath.
Leiden looked at the man in front of him in surprise, his stunned expression gradually turned into admiration. He remembered that he had heard the story of Gaunt from a bard a long time ago.
That was not the first legend he left behind, but it was definitely the most wonderful one, otherwise it would not have been written and sung by poets.
The rock-solid swordsman made an unbreakable oath with the sword in his hand in order to kill the evil dragon that was raging in the Altai city, and in exchange for the miraculous power of a legendary warrior, he was welcomed by the public!
In exchange for the miracle, he must promise never to destroy the laws of the empire with the sword in his hand, never to harm the devout people with the sword in his hand, and never let go of any evil spirit bewitched by Chaos.
Three commandments were engraved on his sword, and he created many legends as he was not loyal to any lord.
Since then, he has ended his career as a mercenary and has never fought for any lord again. He lives a simple and poor life and only appears as a great swordsman when the human race needs him most.
Until he became a real legend in the name of the Sword Master. The truth of the matter may be far more complicated than the story told by the bard. Raiden did not know where Altai City was, and he had never seen a real dragon.
But this swordmaster did indeed abide by the three commandments after that, as the legend said, and was not loyal to any secular king, and only fought for the people who looked up to him.
Although fighting side by side with the Salvation Army does not violate his oath, after all, the Salvation Army is not a lord within the laws of the empire, and their opponents are not subjects of the empire, but after all, this is suspected of interfering in the internal affairs of the kingdom.
In other words - he is willing to take risks for the people here, even if he does not have to bear them!
After realizing this, Raiden’s eyes were not just filled with admiration, but also with a hint of admiration.
He said in an unprecedented solemn tone.
"..I will take you to see our Highness, I believe that the kind-hearted woman will definitely stand with you!"
(Thanks to the leader of the book friend "Wandering East and West to Rebellion"!!!)
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