There was no sunshine in the sky, only rolling war clouds.
The ground was full of Hastings' brave soldiers.
They waved flags and held their weapons high.
It flooded the enemy camps like a tide.
Wind Knight Ilias,
Gather all humans under the command of the Great Emperor.
Fire Knight Lycarus,
Turn the orcish legions into dancing ash.
Hercules, the Knight of Waters,
Send the sea tribe warriors back to the dark ocean floor.
Earth Knight Sironas,
Drive the elves and dwarves into the wild rain forest.
Hastings, greatest and noblest king,
No life can stand against him.
Either surrender forever or be destroyed now.
…
The lonely king points his sword to the sky.
Even the supreme gods were shaken.
The door to the divine world was opened by the key of truth.
The knight's sword and spear were pointed at the door again.
The guardian of the divine world is proud and powerful.
But it was difficult to display his magical powers in front of Hastings.
The way to the resting place of the gods has been opened,
Ten thousand brave men charged forward bravely under the king's flag.
…
Hastings and the four knights came to the palace of God,
The passion in his heart made him not afraid of God's majesty.
- Human, why do you challenge my power
The world started with me, and the cycle of reincarnation ends with me.
In my presence, you must put away your blasphemous greed.
- I am a king of men, not a servant of gods,
There should be no place for you above the throne.
…
The violent battle shook the world.
The rolling blood cloud swept everything,
The gate to the divine world slowly closed while trembling.
Only Hastings' sword fell back to the earth.
The sword was covered in golden blood.
The war between humans and gods has come to an end.
Hastings and the Four Horsemen were nowhere to be seen.
The God of Nature did not bring down divine punishment,
Continue to sleep in the palace in heaven.
Curious people, I don’t know what that battle looked like.
As usual, the truth was lost to history.
…
The voice of the bard Galdo was deep and magnetic, while Letona played the harp in coordination. He sang a mythological epic poem vividly, and not only Xiao Chen and Luo Ling were attracted to it, but also other people who could not understand it were also seriously feeling this desolate and ancient melody.
But Xi Luo's expression was a little unnatural. He whispered in Xiao Chen's ear: "Sir, is it appropriate to let these two people who are disrespectful to the gods walk with us? If the people in the Temple of Nature hear such a song, we will be implicated."
Xiao Chen clapped along with the others and asked curiously, "I see those drivers are also enjoying it. Are you too nervous?"
Xi Luo frowned and said, "Those country folks are ignorant and illiterate. I'm afraid they didn't even fully understand what they sang. They thought it was just a circus performance at the Grace Festival."
"You are thoughtful." Xiao Chen nodded to him and asked softly, "Have you heard the story of Emperor Hastings?"
Xi Luo smiled awkwardly and said, "Sir, we poor farmers are different from you. My father only taught me to recognize some words. How could I have the opportunity to read any books? In the country legends, there is a person named Hastings. Some say he is a top master, some say he has killed a dragon, and some say he is a man-eating monster, but this is no different from other weird legends. As for his blasphemous story, this is the first time I have heard of it."
"Does the temple care about such things? Aren't you also a believer? It seems that you have no intention of taking the lead?" Xiao Chen asked again.
"I'm a businessman now, and businessmen always believe in gold coins more. Moreover, in the northwest of the kingdom, many people are descendants of bandits and refugees, and there are fewer devout believers." Xi Luo shrugged and said, "I heard that in the central region, such blasphemy will be punished."
"Man Xing?"
"They are thrown onto man-eating vines, where the poison exuded by the vines slowly turns into blood and is then eaten. I heard that they will scream for a whole day and night before dying. When I went to the capital with my father, several false god believers were executed in this way."
This ancient church is indeed a group of lunatics and barbarians. Xiao Chen felt a chill all over his body after hearing this. But another piece of information caught his attention, "False God?"
Xi Luo said somewhat embarrassedly: "It is a sin to mention them." However, seeing Xiao Chen staring at him intently, he could only say in a very soft voice: "I heard that in ancient times, there were many people who believed in the God of War, the God of Wisdom, the God of Death, etc., but now they have become false gods."
He pondered Xi Luo's words and felt that these two bards were not simple, so he decided to take the initiative and test them. "Galdo, you sing very well. Can you tell me more stories about Hastings?"
Unexpectedly, the other party said, "Sir, I just heard the song and sang along. I don't know anything else." Then, encouraged by others, the two of them began to sing some colorful country tunes, which aroused the enthusiasm of several drivers. It didn't take long for the whole team to sing together, and the atmosphere was extremely cheerful. Xiao Chen didn't care. He listened to the song and chatted with Xi Luo while continuing to move towards Suero.
———————————
When Xiao Chen and his companions walked out of the forest, it was already evening. There was a plain in front of them. The setting sun shone on the harvested fields, making them look golden and red.
"Xilla, how far are we from our camping place?" Xiao Chen asked on behalf of Chen Hansheng.
"It's not far. We'll be there before dark. It's a village called Phoenix, and it's the territory of Viscount Ruiz Bedingani. Viscount Ruiz is the greatest vassal of Count Carlos Arias, and we'll be passing his castle soon."
After walking for nearly half an hour, they saw the castle of Viscount Ruiz. The castle was small and looked a bit shabby, but it stood on the hillside with great momentum. Everyone was used to seeing the short and shabby houses in Floro Town, so they were excited to see such a building for the first time.
"Oh, it's the kind of castle seen in movies. I really want to visit it. Old Chen, do you think we can stay there for the night?" Li Tianrui said, looking at the castle.
"Yes, maybe the owner of the castle has a beautiful daughter."
"Who knows? He might fall in love with me. This way, we can work less for many years." Several soldiers laughed.
"You guys will be stunned by how beautiful it is! You have never visited a castle, right? I, Old Chen, have been to a small town like Avis in France. That castle is where the Pope lives. It's dark and shabby. Can you get used to living there?" Chen Hansheng scolded with a smile.
"Hey, Old Chen, I didn't know you've been abroad?" Li Tianrui said with a smile.
"You look down on the bun seller, don't you? Have you seen Lost in Thailand? If Wang Baoqiang can go, why can't I? When I was rich, I traveled to several countries in Europe!" Chen Hansheng snorted.
Xiao Chen told Xi Luo what everyone was saying, and Xi Luo shook his head like a rattle, "Sir, magicians are honored guests to any noble, and it is their honor if you visit them. However, your castle has collapsed the ancestral home of Count Carlos Arias. The Bedingani family and the Arias family have always been in the same boat. I think it's better to avoid them."
"That's fine. We don't want to cause trouble, so let's just avoid it." Xiao Chen was about to talk to Chen Hansheng, but he heard Luo Ling say, "It seems like we can't avoid it."
Luo Ling pointed to the end of the mountain path leading to the castle, and saw more than twenty people coming out of the castle gate and rushing towards the convoy on horseback.
Those people quickly rushed to the main road, split into two groups, and blocked the team. The warriors on the carts picked up their weapons, and even the two boys in the business team picked up their spears. However, Xi Luo, the bard, and the drivers were not nervous at all. They just sat in their seats, waiting for the other party to speak, as if they were used to it.
The leader of the group of horsemen was obviously a middle-aged knight wearing plate armor. He rode to the front of the first car with a long sword in hand and an arrogant look on his face. He pointed his sword at Chen Hansheng and said, "This is Viscount Ruiz's territory. Where did your caravan come from and where is it going? You are trying to evade the transit tax by passing through the territory without informing us."
Chen Hansheng didn't understand, but Xiluo, Xiao Chen and Luo Ling had already run to his side. Xiluo bowed slightly and replied: "Sir Knight, we are coming from Floro to Suero City for business. This caravan and all the property belong to these two magicians. You know, magicians are naturally tax-free."
"When did a magician appear in Frollo Town? How come I didn't know about it? Can we just find two people and put on embroidered robes to pretend to be magicians? These two people neither wear the magician medal issued by the kingdom nor hold magic wands. Are there such magicians?"
Xiao Chen was secretly anxious. He didn't expect that a guy who really knew what was good would appear halfway through the countryside. He naturally didn't have a badge, which was a certification mark issued by the king after a magician pledged allegiance to the kingdom. He had never even seen what a magic wand looked like. He had no choice but to calm himself down and said in a more friendly tone: "Mr. Knight, whether we are magicians or not does not depend on medals and magic wands. These are external things. Do you think I can prove my identity this way?" He drew out the dagger at his waist, injected some mental power, and a red flame emerged from the sword.
The knight sneered disdainfully and said, "You want to use magic items to deceive my eyes? Any magic apprentice can do this. Even I can do it."
He raised his hand and a small red fireball appeared in his hand. "I now suspect that you are the apprentice who stole the mentor's treasure. You must all follow me to the castle."
Xi Luo and the driver understood what the knight said and became a little agitated. They originally thought that transporting goods for the magician was both safe and prestigious. Although the army of the general lord often played the role of robbers, they would never offend the magician. But this knight actually said that hiring his own magician was fake. Many people looked at Xiao Chen and his friends with complicated eyes.
Xiao Chen's heart slowly sank. He didn't expect that this was a magic knight. Morey told him that there are three common types of high-level warriors in this world. One type uses a power called fighting spirit, which is quite similar to Ji Yijun and his internal martial arts. The second type has the blood of magic beasts, and as their strength grows, they will gradually awaken the abilities of magic beasts. The third type can use simple magic power to assist in combat.
It was obvious that the middle-aged man in front of him was the third type. Although most of these magic knights did not know any advanced magic, they had good vision. Using magic items and scrolls would definitely be discovered. If he could not cast any magic to prove that he was a real magician, he would probably end up falling out.
However, the strength of the knight in front of him was unknown, he had many subordinates, and reinforcements could come from the castle at any time, so if they fought, they would probably suffer losses. It would be unwise to follow him to the castle, as that would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth, with a high probability of disaster.
Xiao Chen put his left hand on the pocket of his robe. Is that really the only choice