The royal capital of Holletta, the sky is clear, and the stability and prosperity enveloped this ancient city in a mild climate zone as always. Proud city guards stand tall on the towering city walls, bustling crowds are surging in the business district, and chariots and horses of nobles and big merchants come and go on the wide stone roads in the Garden District and Plantagenet Street, maintaining the status of the kingdom’s upper class. Benefits run. This huge city is like an inconceivably complicated machine. It is running briskly inside its thick walls. Countless people make up countless parts, allowing this machine to continuously create the flames of human civilization.
It has been three years since what happened in the Beinz parish, and even the incredible event that the "foreigners" came to help remove the "planetary sore" was old news more than two years ago—some scholars and priests used "Planet sores" came to publicize the Firstborn Organization that was pulled out from the depths of the earth back then. This kind of saying is very popular among ordinary people who don't know much about the inside story.
Three years is just a flick of a finger for an ancient kingdom, but for busy ordinary people, it is enough to obliterate many things, turning the big events of the year into "stories" that are only mentioned after dinner. The collapsed Dragon's Back Mountains, the Beinz Blood Lake that became a crystal mine, the Beinz Parish where scholars and adventurers gathered, and the martyred Pope, many people and things have gradually faded out of the common people's field of vision. And become a new source of stories for bards. After the combing of time and the forgetting of the people, there are not many things left that can be remembered by many people, or that can cause many topics, including the legendary hero who is talked about by all bards The female mercenary Betsy also includes the mysterious and powerful "foreigner" who is said to be sent by the goddess to save the people, and also includes the air fortress that is still floating on the west side of the kingdom and has a great reputation on the mainland today. , Hodysius.
Ordinary people will not know the meaning behind these things. For them, things like legendary mercenaries, foreigners, and sky fortresses are out of reach, things that only appear in poems and books, especially It is that fortress, which has been exaggerated time and time again by bards and turned into a magnificent "Fortress of God", which claims to be a treasure bestowed by the goddess on the pious apologist kingdom Holletta—is there any reason behind such remarks? The shadow of the Holletta royal family is unknown.
The edge of Wangcheng is a bustling but slightly old urban area. The buildings here are low and dense. The streets are always filled with the smell of all kinds of inferior spices, seafood, and leather. Outside, the noise of the tavern on the street will continue until late at night. This is where traveling merchants and ruined knights who come to the capital to try their luck gather. Some of the various imported goods from the Western Gulf and the Northern Empire will also be transferred here. At the same time, elite adventurers from all over the kingdom are accumulating After pen family property and considerable fame, they will also choose to start a new life here - some become "martial guards" of princes and nobles, some successfully join the royal knights, and embark on the road of reaching the upper class by personal force, and some are dying After a few years, he left sadly and returned to the small place to be an ordinary adventurer. The gathering of these people of various religions and ranks makes this city known as the "Black Steel District" bustling all the time. Countless reliable and unreliable news and stories circulate here, and bards become the most popular in the streets and alleys. Occupation, the number of street pubs is almost three times that of the inner city-they bring a huge extra wealth to the city officials, and also provide irreplaceable entertainment for the idle people who gather here to do nothing.
In a thriving tavern facing the street, a slightly famous bard was invited by the tavern owner to play the ebony at the counter, and described a quite There is a popular story. The long dark tables in the tavern are full of drinkers who come here to spend time. Near the door, there are three strangers who are dressed as citizens of the royal capital but look like foreigners. I am also paying attention to the bard's performance-although this performance is not outstanding, a narrative poem written by the singer is the reason why the bard is so popular.
"...the sun of the day became a spear, and the goddess cast it down from the clouds, and the earth was torn apart, and the rocks melted quickly...
"The Marshal charged into the enemy ranks with a sword in her hand, her armor shining, her blade shining brightly, her tassels flying up and down...
"The devil in the ground has awakened, its body is twisted and rotten, its tentacles are flowing with venom, and it is enveloped in infinite magic power.
"...the power of the gods shuttled through the clouds, threw boulders and burning fire bombs, the Longji Mountains collapsed, and the blood lake evaporated instantly.
"That legendary mercenary, she was fearless. She charged through the legions of aliens, slaying countless monsters, and finally came to the heart of the devil. A mass of filthy flesh and blood danced before her eyes. The dark magic made her Severe pain in hands and feet...
"... spears of light from the sky pierced the evil rune, and the demon's heart finally stopped beating, its dying curse dissipated in the radiance of the goddess, becoming a halo over the lake of blood... The legendary maid returned On the ground, join the crowd in cheering victory...
The bard's singing gradually subsided, and the tables near the counter were already clamoring. At the long table by the door, Hao Ren touched Lily's arm with a smile: "Listen, this is the third version. gone."
"Why is there no version of 'Silver and White Holy Beast Standing on the Earth'?" Lily puffed her cheeks, "Obviously I heard that there is a version that is dedicated to blowing... praise me. By the way, I was very active that day, and I Bigger than you all…”
"What's the use of being big, there were not many big things on the battlefield that day," Vivian curled her lips contemptuously, "Speaking of which, I quite like this version. Basically all the characters that should appear on the stage have appeared on the stage, and there are mistakes and omissions." There are not as many versions as there are in other versions. Just think about the modified version of the magic we heard in the square before—the ancient magic emperors are resurrected one by one, and the bragging is almost endless."
"No matter which version, Becky seems to have a lot of roles," Hao Ren chuckled. "It seems that the Holletta royal family really spared no effort to drag her out as a typical publicity."
Vivienne nodded: "No way, at least there must be a shadow of the Holleta in this kind of epic event, otherwise what will happen to the national dignity. And Becky was indeed very active back then."
"Okay, I've heard enough stories, and I've seen the changes here in the past two years. It's time to find Becky." Hao Ren stood up and patted Lily who was still reluctant to get up. I haven't told her that I'm coming today, and I just happened to be able to surprise her in the past."
Becky's manor is located not far from the city. Originally, she was eligible to obtain a mansion allocated by the royal family in the inner city or even in the aristocratic area. days, so in the end he chose to continue living in the manor outside the city. Hao Ren and his party arrived at the manor that evening. The servants and housekeepers of the manor clearly remembered these mysterious and respected "foreigners" and immediately opened the door, but Hao Ren was told that Becky was not there. here.
"Betsy isn't here?" Lily was surprised. "It's almost dark, where can she go?"
"The mistress went to the Dark Mountains with a Royal Knights a few days ago," the butler of the manor explained respectfully. He knew that the people in front of him had a close relationship with his master, and they were the group of "legendary characters". So she didn't hide anything, "She is now a senior officer of the Royal Knights and has the title of earl, so she accepted the royal order."
"She joined the Royal Knights?" Hao Ren raised his eyebrows. He was not surprised by Becky's earlship. He knew about it. After all, that female mercenary had also been involved in the Beinz incident that day. She has made great achievements, and was later established as a typical hero. It is quite normal for the royal family to give her a prestigious status. Anyway, she is just a "nobility with honor" without a fief, but she "retired" when she kept saying that she was going to make a lot of money. , Becky, who was counting money and playing at home, joined the Royal Knights again, and even went out to the field, which is a bit surprising.
"The hostess has been in the army for many years, and she didn't adapt to the noble life later on," the butler said sternly, "so under the recommendation of Marshal Ovra, she joined the Royal Knights. But I don't know the details—too much to inquire about the master. Private affairs are not the duty of servants."
As soon as Hao Ren heard the words "recommended by Marshal Ovra" mentioned by the other party, he said that there is no need to go into details, this matter itself is a detail...
In fact, even without the influence of Marshal Ovra, Hao Ren felt that it was normal for Becky to join the Knights or go back to become a mercenary. After all, she was a master who was used to running around. She came down, and at the beginning she confidently said that she wanted to live an elegant and decent noble life, but she guessed that Becky couldn't bear the kind of life of bragging with noble ladies and ladies every day when she opened her eyes and did nothing...
"Then when will she come back?" Hao Ren asked, "Or you can tell me where she is."
At the same time, he was silently thinking that if he couldn't find Becky, he might as well just go to Marshal Ovra first, and finish the "Sunset Red Returning Homecoming Family Visiting Group" project first, which wouldn't be a waste of time.
The butler bowed slightly: "The hostess is only performing an escort mission, and will not be stationed in the Dark Mountains for a long time. She should be back tomorrow."
"That's okay—we'll just stay here and wait for her to come back, right?"
"Of course," the butler replied, "The hostess has reserved rooms for several distinguished guests in the manor for a long time, please come with me..."