The merchant fleet went north along the tributary of the Chishui River, passed through Yinguang City, and entered the Grand Canal leading to the capital.
Thassa remembered reading it in the "Greycastle Chronicle", and it was still a wasteland two hundred years ago. In order to transport the silver ore mined from the nearby mines back to the capital, Wimbledon I summoned the masons and nearly 10,000 handymen to dig this canal connecting the capital and the silver mines, and the surrounding area of the silver mines gradually formed. It was a city that was later named Silver Light City by the late king.
However, the scene in front of him at this time is difficult to connect with the wasteland two hundred years ago. There are lush farmland on both sides of the canal, and a little further away, there are continuous villages. This reminded him of the Kingdom Avenue in Border Town. When that road is repaired, I am afraid that the foot of Desperate Mountain will become densely populated.
"I heard that you used to be from Wangdu?" A woman's voice sounded from behind.
Thassa turned his head and found that it was Margaery, the owner of the caravan. He nodded, "Before I became the palace guard, I lived in the inner city."
"How does it feel to be back at home?"
"To be honest, it's okay," he said. "If it wasn't for His Highness's arrangement, I'd rather stay in Border Town. Although the capital is prosperous, it makes people feel like they can't breathe." This is especially true for the lower class nobles. , Thassa thought.
"Really?" Margery smiled, "How much do you know about His Royal Highness Roland?"
"What's wrong?" The question made him shiver a little.
"I think he is really an incredible person. He had a very bad reputation when he was in the capital, and you should have heard a lot of rumors about him, but in Border Town... It's not like the rumors say, no matter how he behaves. Still the idea is unpredictable," she paused, "If the steam engine is just a testament to his erudition, why are the warriors he trains so different?"
Thassa glanced at the soldiers of the First Army sitting on the deck, considering that activities near the capital should be as concealed as possible, they were not equipped with muskets, nor were they wearing uniform military uniforms, but replaced them with various leathers. A, with a wooden gun behind him, looks like a caravan escort. Most of them were away from the West for the first time. Although they looked around curiously and talked a lot, no one took off their shoes or put down their weapons.
On the other hand, the mercenaries of the caravan, many of them had already got into the cabin in order to avoid the sun, and the three or four people who stayed on the deck took off their shoes, took off the weapons that were in their hands, put them aside, and lay flat in the shade.
"I'm not sure," Thassa said helplessly. It's not that he wants to hide it, but he really doesn't know that the fourth prince has changed a lot since he arrived in Border Town. "Probably Your Highness has been disguising himself before."
"Yes... Is that so?" Margery was noncommittal about this answer. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly pointed her finger forward, "Look, that is the city wall of the royal capital, we are almost there."
At the end of the field of vision, there is a hazy blue-gray. Just standing here, you can feel the grandeur of the city wall. This is the most outstanding work before the disbandment of the Mason Guild. Both the height and thickness are second to none in Graycastle. I heard that. There are even rooms and passages inside the city walls, which can accommodate nearly a thousand soldiers to rest, so as to achieve seamless patrols and rapid support.
When the city wall clearly appeared in front of Thassa, the figure of the escapee also entered his field of vision.
A large number of civilians gathered outside the outskirts of the capital. They built simple shacks along the city wall. White smoke was coming from the fire pit in front of the shacks, as if they were cooking porridge. At present, these people have not run out of food, and their complexion is not bad. However, the relief food in the royal capital will definitely not be distributed endlessly. When the nobles have selected suitable laborers, they will send troops to drive these people away.
"What are you going to do?" Margery asked curiously, "Are you sending His Royal Highness's soldiers to promote people?"
"No, it's inefficient, and it's easy to attract the attention of others," Thassa shook his head and said, "If you want to do things in the capital, you have to either bribe officials or hire mice. You should have a deep understanding of this."
"Indeed," she laughed, "I meant to warn you, but it seems unnecessary. Then, if you need money, come to me." Margery handed him a plaque. " As long as this is shown, the store manager will contact me immediately. Of course, gold dragons below 100 can be withdrawn directly from it."
"Thank you." Thassa took the token. It was a dark red stone, with a clear body and a line of never-before-seen text engraved at the end.
"You're welcome," she chuckled, "His Royal Highness will repay this money to me along with the interest."
After arriving at the canal pier, Thassa asked the soldiers of the First Army to stay in the suburbs to wait for news, avoiding the sight of the Wangcheng patrol team as much as possible, and entering the city with the caravan. When passing through the city gate, he noticed that the guard's inspection was much stricter, and he obviously didn't want to let the fugitives from the eastern border infiltrate the city.
Entering the city, the first thing that caught his eye was a row of towering gallows.
There were four women with their hands tied behind their backs hanging on it, and the stench was emitting bursts of stench under the scorching sun. This scene made Tassa frown immediately.
"Tifeko is hunting down witches in the city. They are all unfortunate people who have been caught," Margery sighed, "but it's not accurate to say that, some witches are just tired of the nobles, so I just took this opportunity. Opportunity to let go. It is difficult to say whether it is better to continue to be imprisoned in a dark room without light, or to get rid of the pain as soon as possible like this... Anyway, I hope they can rest in peace."
In the half a year in Border Town, Thassa has realized that witches are not as unforgivable as the church propaganda, they are no different from ordinary people except for their bizarre abilities. Judging from the figure of the woman on the gallows, the youngest may only be fourteen or fifteen years old, which made him feel a little suffocated, and the feeling of being out of breath came back.
The outer city of the capital city has not changed much from half a year ago. Except for the main road facing the city gate, which is a bluestone road, the other fork roads and alleys are muddy. The midsummer sun made cracks appear on the ground, and whenever a carriage passed by, it would raise a cloud of yellow dust. It is hard to imagine that the capital of the kingdom lost to a remote town outside the western border in terms of municipal construction.
After crossing the two streets, the caravan went to the market area. Thassa and Margery waved goodbye and turned into an alley alone.
He came to the door of the "Underground Trumpeter" tavern with familiarity, pushed the door and walked in.
"Hey! It's only open at night here!" someone shouted.
Thassa ignored him, walked directly to the bar, and said solemnly to the strong man who was wiping the wine glass, "Remember me?"
"Which grasshopper jumped out of the crack of the stone, didn't you hear that the pub only opened at night?" He put down the wine glass impatiently, raised his head with a gloomy face, and the two sommeliers who were arranging the tables and chairs also gathered around, "Now I count the three-sound tower, Lord Thassa?"
"It's me," Thassa spit to the side, "I have a good business to give you." (.,, Your support is my biggest motivation.)