On the appointed day of building the city, Roland got up early.
Shaved off the stubble from his cheeks, gathered his long gray hair behind his head, tied it into a simple bundle, and finally trimmed his eyebrows with small scissors - after living for a year, he has been able to complete these cares very proficiently Work without the help of a maid.
Looking at the slightly blurred silver mirror, the self in the mirror still feels a bit immortal. If you put on a loose robe and match this dress, it is not a cultivator who is hiding in the city. Pass.
Roland nodded with satisfaction, got up and went to the office.
And Barov was already waiting in the room.
"His Royal Highness," he saluted, "the flying messenger to Changsong Fortress has been released, and it is expected to arrive at the fortress castle in half an hour."
"Well, how's the layout going?"
"It was all completed yesterday afternoon, and at present it is enough to accommodate the entire population of the town," the chief responded.
"Good job," Roland praised, walking slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The Desperate Mountains and the Hidden Forest in the distance are still white, and the morning sun shines on the snow, reflecting wisps of golden light. On the streets of some nearby towns, people can already be seen in action. They gathered in twos and threes to the west and headed to the rough stone city wall area.
As the defensive line against the attack of the evil beasts last year, this stone city wall, which was quickly built with cement, was a major contribution, but now, it has become the dividing line between the inner and outer urban areas of the town. Roland didn't like the clear separation of the rich and the poor, so it was only a matter of time before the monumental gaps and towers were completely demolished. But before that, you can make good use of it - the number of people in front and back of the city wall is far more than the square, so Roland set the location of the city building declaration in the middle of the stone wall.
According to the plan, in order to strengthen the influence of the construction of the city on the residents of the two places, the Changsong Fortress will also announce the construction of the city at the same time, and the synchronization between the two places will be realized by the flying messenger. When the first messenger flies to Pelor, it is also Roland. during the speech.
Now, this gray falcon carrying the news should be flying between the mountains and the Chishui River, as usual, passing the note tied to its claws to the two places, Roland thought to himself, but it didn't know, What kind of news is he carrying, and what kind of meaning does it have—from the moment it hits the ground, Border Town and Changge Fortress will be together... become history.
"Let's go," he gathered his thoughts and turned his head.
"Yes, Your Highness." Barov smiled.
…
Pelor Hermon stepped onto the wooden platform set up step by step and looked around.
There were not many people in the square, at least far less than the scene when the porridge was made a week ago.
It's not surprising that people don't care much about things other than food and clothing. Compared with the free porridge, the ceremony of building a city doesn't sound like it has much to do with ordinary people.
Even he himself felt that His Highness was doing something superfluous.
After the end of the evil month, fewer city residents applied for jobs at the city hall than they thought. The notices for recruiting handymen and builders were posted for a week, and now they are less than half of the plan. And the rats seem to be showing signs of resurgence. At least the police department has received more and more reports, and it is a headache for them to check the true and false. His friend Rainmed complained to him that the arrest team had to at least double the number of people to keep it busy.
This is quite in line with Peyro's expectations.
The people are like this, lazy, greedy and ignorant... How much can His Highness get in return for spending so much time on them? What puzzled Pelor the most was that Roland Wimbledon was obviously a royal nobleman. Where did that inexplicable confidence in the people come from
But no matter what, he was already firmly tied to the prince's chariot, and all he could do was follow to the end.
There was an eagle cry in the distance, and a gray figure appeared in the sky.
Peyro unfolded the prepared speech.
…
"Your Highness, it's almost time," Barov reminded.
The sun has risen in mid-air, and the shadow on the sundial is pointing to nine o'clock. Roland nodded and walked to the fence of the tower. When the prince appeared, the noisy conversation below quickly turned into unanimous cheers, the townspeople raised their hands one after another, and there seemed to be waves in the crowd.
The two sides of the city wall were filled with dark crowds, and the total number was expected to exceed 20,000, which meant that most of the residents of the town had gathered here at the moment. Roland was glad that he did not hold the city-building ceremony in the central square, which could not accommodate so many enthusiastic people.
He waved his hands to both sides and lowered his voice, "Hello, my subjects."
The amplified sound echoed above the town.
"I'm sure each of you already knows what's going to happen today. This town built for the North Slope Mine will soon become a real city."
"In the past, the Devil's Moon was a nightmare for Border Town. In order to survive, everyone had to leave this place and flee to the fortress to take refuge. Now, we are firmly stationed here and want to destroy the peace of Osmond Lane in the Western Region. Falling down, the church that deliberately murdered witches and enslaved the people got out of this land, and even Tifek Wimbledon, who tried to destroy me, failed - even if he turned the southern and eastern borders of the kingdom into a sea of fire, The town is still safe and sound. I think the people who fled here know that.”
Roland's words quickly got a response from the crowd.
"That's right, he burned down the Eagle City, and the Clear Water Port was looted!"
"The new king swept the Golden Spike City. The way those knights did is no different from that of robbers, and even more extreme!"
"He stole my son and said he was going to serve as the guard of the royal capital, my god... He's only fifteen years old!"
The prince stretched out his hand and pressed down, "and these tragedies will not be repeated again, the new city is built for this! Only by uniting more people can we keep the vicious enemies out and let them taste At the price of wanton behavior." He paused, "and here, too, is my city—I promise here that Roland Wimbledon will never leave any of his people behind, and even if Greycastle is unified, he will not will get out of here!"
There was an uproar under the city wall.
"Your Highness, you..." Barov said in surprise behind him.
Roland made a silent gesture, "Yes, this will become the new capital of Greycastle, and the kingdom will be reborn here! I believe that even if the endless cold comes, this city will still be as warm as spring! He paused for a moment, then raised his right hand, "From today on, Border Town and Changge Fortress will become one, and its name is—"
"Long live Neverwinter!"
"Long Live Neverwinter - Long Live!"
Everyone boiled, and the deafening slogans resounded through the sky. Snow mist rose from one side of the mountains, and the rolling echoes undulated along the mountains for a long time...
Roland looked at the cheering people, and his heart was agitated. The seeds of change have been sown, and one day, he will see this cluster of sparks turn into a prairie fire, sweeping the entire continent.
Starfire finished