When the first rest day of summer came, it rained overnight in the Sorin area, and the continuous haze continued until the next day.
The towering Sorin giant tree stood proudly on this revived land, and its majestic fortress-like canopy stretched out to cover the sky, covering one-third of Sorin Castle and the large plain outside the castle. The giant tree blocked the rain all night, but several streams formed after the rain flowed from the area outside the giant tree cover, winding along the low-lying areas between various scientific research, storage, and industrial facility areas. They converged next to the newly built Druid Research Institute in the base area of the tree trunk, where they converged into a small pond, and finally flowed into the pores formed by nearby tree roots leading to the depths of the ground, becoming part of the underground river .
A series of connected street lamps stand on both sides of the road, and a large number of high-power lighting equipment are hung on the bottom of the giant tree canopy. These artificial lights dispel the large area of "night" caused by this huge plant. Margarita came to this area sheltered by the tree canopy from the sunny plain outside. She saw soldiers guarding under the street lamps, and many people looked out from the paths between the houses.
Margarita ignored them, she passed through the sentry post, passed the guards saluting to her, and came near the root of the giant tree - where a large number of intertwined vines and wooden structures branched from the trunk subtly "grow" into a I entered a hut, and the flower vines connected to the roof squirmed slightly in the air like blood vessels. Two tall tree figures with dark green eyes stood in front of the hut. Their height was almost higher than the spire of the house, and they were thick. The squad's orbital accelerator gun known as the "Gorgon Cannon" is held tightly in the powerful palm, and the torso that is covered with thick bark and wooden knots is fixed with long steel nails to power the gun. Magic net device.
- This small railgun named after the empire's most important life river "Gorgon River" is a variant of the Persuader railgun. It is usually used on light mobile vehicles, but it can be used for armed forces with a little improvement Huge and large summoned creatures. Currently, this kind of modification is only used in a small area. One day, if technical experts solve the problem of the spell model of summoned creatures, this kind of armament must be very useful.
The tree people didn't react much to Margarita's appearance, they just moved a small step to the side slightly, and there was a sound of wood and leaves rubbing on their bodies, Margarita jumped over their thick legs and feet, And the door of the cabin in front of her opened before she approached.
A group of wriggling flower vines "walked" out of it, and Bertila appeared in front of Margarita.
"How is Minister Norris?" the young female knight immediately stepped forward and asked.
"I was in a coma for a while, and now I just woke up, but it won't be long," Bertila said calmly, "...just today, Miss Margarita."
There was a cloud of darkness between Margarina's eyebrows, and her voice subconsciously lowered: "Is there really no other way?"
"We've moved him here—I've tried my best to keep him alive with the power of the Tree of Thorin, but aging itself is the most difficult law of nature to defy—and Norris's situation is not just aging," Bell said. Tira said slowly, "For the past few decades, his body has been on the road of overdrawing-this is the normal state of the poor, but he has overdrawn so badly that it has been so serious that magic and miracles are irreparable. The fact that he's alive today is a miracle—he should have died last winter."
Margarita was silent for a moment, and took a light breath: "I want to go in and have a look."
Bertila looked at the female knight in front of her, a trace of helplessness finally appeared on her face that was difficult to express due to the dehumanization mutation: "We'd better avoid all visits now, but... the situation is so far, these measures are nothing It makes sense. And if it was you, Norris should be willing to meet you."
Margarita followed behind the former Dean of the Death of All Things, and stepped into the "House of Life" that was created with miraculous spells.
Under the illumination of some kind of luminous plant, the hut maintains just the right amount of light, and a soft bed made of wooden structures intertwined with vines and grass leaves is placed in the center of the hut. Margarita sees Norris—the old man is lying There, a blanket was covering the body, and several thin vines spread out from the blanket, extending all the way to the ceiling.
Margarita came to Norris and bent slightly: "Minister Norris, it's me."
Norris saw the woman in front of him clearly, and a smile slowly appeared on his wrinkled face: "Miss Margarita... Thank you for your care these days."
"Please don't say that, you are the most important person in the entire reconstruction area," Margarita said immediately, "Without you, this land would not be restored to life so quickly..."
"Everyone here is very important," Norris said in a soft voice, but every word was still clear. "Miss Margarita, I'm sorry, there are some tasks that I may not be able to complete."
"No, you still..." Margarita said subconsciously immediately, but she swallowed all the words after seeing Norris' calm face.
In those deep wrinkles and the depths of the depleted flesh and blood, the vitality has already begun to flow away from the old man's body.
Norris just smiled, his eyeballs rolled, lifted up a little bit, and scanned the few furnishings in the hut - some specimens, some seeds, some manuscripts, and a crystal clear glass tube, a plant still The green wheat was quietly standing in the container, soaked in the almost transparent alchemy solvent.
"Actually, I have no regrets..." the old man said in a deep voice, "Without any major accidents, this year's harvest can be guaranteed, and we have avoided a terrible famine... The agronomy manuscript that His Majesty told you is also finished, but unfortunately I don't have the energy to do it anymore. The final tidying up, but my apprentices and assistants have grown up, they are very reliable... The government affairs hall has always been prepared, even if I leave, someone will take over immediately... "
"Don't talk too much at once," Bertila's slightly blunt voice suddenly came from the side, "This will further reduce your strength."
"At this point, let me say a few more words," Norris said, shaking his head very slowly, with some relief, "I know my situation... from many years ago, I probably I'll die sooner, I've read the books, I've seen the world with the priests in the city, I know what happens to a man who drains all his strength in the fields... "
Margarita looked at the old man in front of her, and slowly reached out to hold his hand.
She knew that the old man's final sobriety was coming to an end.
She heard a low and slightly indistinct voice entering her ears—
"... our family owed a lot of money, a lot of money... about as much as a knight's sword, or a small jewel in a missionary's glove—Miss Margarita, that's a lot, it's several cartloads of wheat to pay back.
“The money taught me to read, but at the time, it didn’t help — my father and mother died early to pay off the bills, and I… spent most of my life working in the fields, or giving people Hard labor. So I knew how my body got to be like this, and I was ready for it early on.
"But at that time there were many people like me, there were serfs, and there were freedmen - poor freedmen, they didn't know it, they only knew that the common people would die very young, but the nobles could live a century... Missionaries It is said that this is determined by God, because the poor are humble, so they have natural defects in lifespan, and the nobles can live for a century, which is the evidence of noble blood... Most of them believe this statement.
"I can read, I have read books, I know what all this is going on, but it was useless at that time, the only thing that literacy brought me was that I knew exactly what I would be like in the future, but I could only continue to be low. Digging up potatoes and growing perilla in the fields—because our whole family would starve to death if we didn't.
"Miss Margarita, you can't imagine that kind of life-I know you are a good knight, but there are some things that you really can't imagine."
Margarita held the old man's hand subconsciously, her lips moved a few times, but finally she could only nod slightly: "Yes, Minister Norris, I... I'm sorry."
"No, don't be sorry," Norris' eyelids drooped a little more than before, "because it wasn't your fault, and the happiest thing is that those days are over, Miss Margarita, those days Days passed.
"The common people don't have to do hard work like my parents and I in exchange for barely enough food. No one will take two-thirds or more of our grain from our barn to pay taxes. We have the right to Eat the fish you catch anytime, have the right to eat white bread and sugar on an ordinary day, we don't have to prostrate to nobles on the side of the road, and we don't have to kiss the shoes and footprints of missionaries... Miss Margarita , thank our majesty, and thank many people who are willing to follow your majesty like you, those days have passed.
"I just want to say, don't let those days come back.
"Miss Bertila, I know you've always had doubts about what we're doing, and I know you don't understand some of my 'paranoia', but I want to say... at any time, no matter what the situation is, let more The most important thing is to fill the stomachs of more people and enable more people to live.
"I took people from the agricultural department to do a large-scale statistics. We calculated the population and land, calculated the consumption of food and the production of various staple foods... and estimated the consumption and production after population growth. We have some The number is in the hands of my assistant, please give it to His Majesty... must give it to him. Hunger is the most terrible thing in this world, no one should be starved to death... no matter what happens, whether it is industry or business , there are some cultivated land that must not be moved, and don't change the staple food rashly...
"In addition, there is too little food suitable for growing in the north. Although the Holy Spirit Plains are very fertile, our population will definitely increase, because almost all babies will survive now—we need the land in the south to feed these people, Especially in the area around the Dark Mountains, there are still many places that can be reclaimed... "
He suddenly coughed, and the violent cough interrupted what he wanted to say later. Bertila raised his hand almost instantly, and a powerful—even excessive healing power for ordinary people—was released on Norris, Margarita Then he immediately leaned into the ear of the old man: "Your Majesty is already on his way, he will be there soon, you can..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Norris interrupted her by shaking his head.
The latter's already drooping eyelids were raised again, and after a few seconds of silence and memories, a smile mixed with surprise and relief suddenly appeared on his face.
"Ah, maybe...he didn't lie to me..." Norris's eyes brightened briefly, and he said, almost with joy, "he didn't lie to me..."
"Minister Norris," Margarita held the old man's hand, leaned down and asked, "Who are you talking about? Who didn't lie to you?"
"The missionary... the missionary..."
Norris murmured softly. He felt that his heavy body was finally lighter. In the blurred light and shadow, he saw his parents standing beside him. They were wearing the shabby clothes he remembered, naked. Feet on the ground, they smiled humbly and bluntly as a figure in the robes of the priest of the Harvest Goddess stood before them.
There were also some children and their parents standing nearby, and the elders of the village stood behind the priest.
All faces are blurred.
The face of the priest was also blurred, but Norris could hear his voice—the priest stretched out his hand and rubbed the head of Norris, who was still a child, twice. He seemed to show a slight smile, and said casually:
"Blessed is the child with the land, who is blessed by the Harvest Goddess."