Minna hurriedly hurried and finally arrived in Xi'ke five days later.
Siko is located at the junction of the three countries of East, Noga and Vana. The plain to the west is close to the mountains on the border of Vana and the northeast is the southern foot of the Tulay Mountains. The town is sandwiched between two mountains. In the middle, there is a plain of about fifty or sixty square kilometers, with the central line as the dividing line. The west belongs to Vana, and the east and south belong to East.
Different from Mengli with an open layout, Xiko Town has thick walls built around it. When you walk into the town, you will find that it is also separated into four areas by thick walls inside. When viewed from the air, it looks like a A flower with three petals.
Among them, the flower center is a commercial area shared by the three countries, including material stores, shops, inns, etc., all gathered here. It is quite large and is the busiest place in the entire town. However, the residents of the town must live in residential areas belonging to three countries.
The "petal" in the north belongs to Nuojia, and is the district with the largest population. There are five to six hundred households living here, and there is also a commercial street dedicated to providing Nuojia goods.
The West District belongs to Fan'a, and almost all the residents there have moved away, leaving only a few relatives who are all in the town, which is equivalent to indirectly giving up the nationality of Fan'a.
The eastern district is mainly inhabited by the East people, and there are also some Shaonan and Kamika people, among whom the largest number of merchants are merchants.
These three districts are separated from each other by walls, and residents rarely interact with each other unless they are in the central district. Each district has its own leaders and governance system and does not interfere with each other. Even during the period when Noga and East were at odds, the two peoples living in Xiko still conducted transactions as usual. Most of the grain, cloth and other items circulating in Nuojia are shipped here, and more than 70% of the furs and medicinal materials in East and Shaonan come from here.
There are also many people from the Three Kingdoms living in the plain area outside the town. It is not as strict as the area in the town. Some people are scattered in other countries, but they all live together in at least ten families, and no one is alone.
Xi'an is such a place that seems to be integrated, but is actually divided into clear barriers.
When Ming Na rode her horse into the town, she could still see traces of burnt black houses on the roadside. But the streets were quite calm. People were shopping as usual, and from time to time there were one or two children jumping and running by. It seemed that the unrest here had basically subsided.
Ming Na felt much more at ease. He rode around the entrance to the North District. Go straight through the central area. Arriving at a materials store at the end of Zhongxin Street. Dismount and go inside. He said to the clerk who came up to him with a smile: "I heard that there is good Eastern twenty-seed grass here. I want to buy some and take it back to make potions. Do you still have it in stock?"
The clerk's smile remained unchanged: "There is no stock now. But if you tell our store the quantity, quality and place of production you need, our store will be able to get the goods for you soon." He made an invitation: "You come here Sit back and sit back. The boss will discuss it with you in detail."
Minna smiled and handed the horse to the store clerk to take care of. After entering the store according to his instructions. When she opened the door to the room. I also heard a customer from behind asking the clerk if every material could be pre-ordered.
She smiled. Close the door. The old man looked up at her in surprise and said, "Long time no see. Mallory."
Mallory, who had gray hair but no wrinkles on his face, stood up on crutches. Hug Ming Na: "Welcome back. Is everything going well?"
Ming Na smiled bitterly. Addressing him sternly: "Mallory. I have something very important to report to you."
Three hours later, Ming Na recounted everything she encountered in Noga, and then asked: "Would you like to say hello to the people in the army and ask them to pay more attention? I'm not sure whether Jada will I will call, maybe after reading my letter, he will investigate those monsters first."
Mallory frowned and thought for a long time before saying: "This matter. We must take the initiative! Those monsters you mentioned, even if Duke Jedda really cares about them, they can at most just send people to investigate, and they will not be punished because of this." Postponing the battle plan. Although the turmoil in Siko has ended, he can attack in the name of ignorance, and then forcefully control the entire town and surrounding areas under the pretext of ensuring the safety of citizens."
Ming Na hesitated: "But there is that kind of terrifying monster so close to their royal city, and its whereabouts are unknown! With Jida's personality, is it really possible to send troops when the situation at the rear is unclear?"
"Who knows?" Mallory chuckled. "Those villagers are already dead, aren't they? Missing the best opportunity to start a war because of a few dead people. The Noga royal family will not do that. Even the sensible and gentle Gael II you mentioned, as long as His surname is Novella-Conkerson, and the fire called ambition flows in his blood." He looked at the drawings and battle plans spread out on the table, and smiled: "However, even if he really comes, we will not Won’t give in!”
Minna remained silent. In her heart, she was more willing to believe that even if Jedda would start a war, it would be for the people of Noga. If he said that he would sacrifice the people for his ambition, she really didn't know how to face this former friend. .
Someone was knocking on the door. Mallory put away the drawings and asked the person to come in. As soon as the other person walked into the room, before he could tell his purpose, he discovered Ming Na in surprise: "Ming Na! Why are you here? ?! When are you coming?!”
Ming Na was also surprised: "I just arrived, Will, why are you in Xi'an? Are you skipping school?!"
It turned out that it was young Will Morris, who was supposed to study accounting at a high school in Italy. After listening to Ming Na's words, he hurriedly explained: "That's not true. I applied to the school for an internship, and the school has agreed. Now I am carrying out my mission one year in advance."
Ming Na couldn't help but laugh: "So, your dream has finally come true? Then what are you doing in Xi'an? Can you tell me?"
Will glanced at Mallory and saw that the other person was smiling and had no intention of stopping him, so he said: "It's okay to tell you. In fact, it has something to do with you. Mr. Sauron and another great magician are coming to Xi'an. To purchase materials, I escorted them here.”
Ming Na raised her eyebrows: "You?" Sauron didn't say anything, the great magician must have enough ability to protect himself, why would he ask a novice like Will to come
Will raised his chest unconvinced: "What? You don't believe it?!"
"Letter, letter." Ming Na snickered secretly and asked, "Where is Teacher Solon? I'm going to say hello to him."
"I'm staying at the No. 3 inn in the central area. I'll take you there."
At this time, Mallory interrupted: "Mingna, please go see Mr. Solon first. We need a batch of potions. He can't handle it alone. You go and help. In a few days, your father will be here." We have to come from the northern fortress, and then you can reunite."
Ming Na was overjoyed. She hurriedly responded and followed Will to find Sauron. When they met, she was naturally scolded again. However, Sauron was in a good mood after seeing the dozen or so precious materials presented by the students and quickly let her go. , just because there was too much work on his hands, he hurriedly wanted to return to Shaonan to attend classes as soon as possible. So he grabbed Ming Na as his assistant, so that his work efficiency could be doubled.
Ming Na looked at Will who was sneaking away quietly and cursed in her heart. But Sauron was a good teacher after all. He took the time to make her a potion to regulate her body. After she drank it, she felt much better, so she happily started doing chores for the teacher.
It's just that she often gets distracted, and for this she gets scolded by Sauron every day. She couldn't help but wonder how Nomonka was doing now, whether Jada had really sent out troops, and when would her father arrive
Anlong hasn't arrived yet. Nuojia's domestic tip came first. Because Ming Na's identity was exposed, Nomonka issued a search warrant, and all people with suspicious backgrounds were subject to investigation. Two of the several intelligence agents sent by the Security Agency were almost discovered, which was why the news was late.
As early as five days ago, Duke Jedda led an army of 30,000 people from Nomonka and was heading towards Siko. The name was "Quiet the unrest. Protect the people."
When Mingna learned the news, she was stunned for a while. By this time, Jada should have received his letter. Does he really want to fight this battle
Seeing that she was a little frustrated, Mallory said: "From his standpoint, I can't say he is wrong, but our country happens to be his target, so don't trust blindly."
Minna sighed. She should have known better. Isn't it
But now the situation does not allow her to dwell on things that cannot be changed anymore, according to the news sent back by the intelligence agent. He also pointed out one point: Esparo Heda's name appeared on the list of leading figures in Noga's army, and he seemed to play the role of a staff member.
Minna was shocked when she saw this news. After the death of Prince Lawlor, there was no news about Esparo. It was said that he went to Prince Mario, but after the latter was arrested, he disappeared. Because she was concerned about Gale II's health and intelligence collection, she actually forgot about him. But...how dare he use his name so openly? His family is still in East!
She turned to look at Mallory: "Isn't Esparo afraid that we will be harmful to his family?"
Mallory, who seemed to have been deep in thought, slowly raised his head and said with a wry smile: "The news came last month that his father and second brother... died inexplicably in Balashig."
Ming Na's eyes widened: "Killed? Who did it?!"
"I don't know. The king didn't give the order, and the security agency didn't have any clues. The jailer who did it was a bachelor with no relatives, and he committed suicide afterwards. His Majesty the king was worried that it would cause groundless speculation, so he asked us to keep it secret. Unexpectedly, the next day , rumors arose in Ito, saying that His Majesty the King ordered their execution. Because of this matter, the Queen had a cold war with His Majesty for several days."
Ming Na frowned: "There must be something wrong with this matter!"
"Isn't it?" Mallory sneered, "Originally I didn't know the murderer's intention, but now I finally understand. I don't know if Esparo used this as an excuse or if he was really used. Anyway, He has no worries now."
"Doesn't he have other family members?"
"Eta is in the north. I just asked someone to bring a message to your father and asked him to bring them here. The youngest son of the Heda family is currently in Ito to deal with the funeral of his father and brother. It won't be long before he will come too. Mallory narrowed his eyes, "But... they are both Esparo's half-brothers. It's unclear how useful they can be. The two little Hedas can't move!"
Minna understood what he meant. The two youngest sons of the Heda family were both relatives of the queen, so they could not be in danger. As for Etta, she remembered that she had discovered Esparo's contempt for him when she was at the Heda family. Now, Esparo may really have no worries. But how could Jada accept him? And what does he plan to do when he participates in this war
Time passed day by day, and three days later, Noga's army arrived to the north of Xiko Town, and to the south of Xiko Town, East's army was also gathering. A big war is coming soon.
(I’m not in a good state today, my mind is very tired...)