Chapter 108, Celebration in Arnus City (Part 1)
On the day of the celebration, the outskirts of Arnus City
After a light rain, the midsummer morning light shines through the quickly dissipating clouds and mist, casting thousands of golden lights onto the earth.
Facing the rising sun after the rain, many vendors drove donkeys and chocobos, carrying burdens and carrying agricultural products from their own fields, walking along the winding or straight and empty streets, but they all passed through the cement-hardened roads. On the road, they were heading towards the city of Arnus, which was surrounded by huge walls.
At this time, the fresh rain curtain had just dispersed, and the beautiful and gorgeous summer morning light was projected from between the shy green leaves, turning into a bright spot of light. The clear water flows slowly between the ditches on the roadside, nourishing the farmland, orchards and pastures that are about to be exposed to the scorching sun. The fruit trees and shrubs on the roadside exude the fragrance of vegetation, and colorful and delicate flowers bloom among them, attracting countless butterflies to dance.
Walking on the flat path with their goods and looking at the vibrant countryside around them, the vendors were in a good mood.
"...Hehe, this foreigner's territory is really nice! Compared with my hometown, business here is much easier. There are not so many ruthless exploitations. There is no need to pay taxes when buying and selling things, and the roads are smooth. Today's With the profit, I should be able to bring back a roll of cotton for my wife and children.”
A strong country man with dark skin and a simple and honest expression waved his whip and drove a few goats. He grinned and said, "...I heard that in order to celebrate the birthday of the female mayor, all the stores in the city are having discounts these days. Why? I have to buy some bargains, otherwise my wife will definitely nag me when I get home.”
"...No, this place is not only easy to do business, but the farming is also better than other places. The wheat seeds, corn and potatoes sold by those from other worlds, after applying their chemical fertilizers, the yields are higher than our original ones. The crops are much higher, and there is no land tax or rent. I heard that I was the first to come to Arnus. The people who defected to the foreign master in the hills were given free houses to live in! Every window in the two- or three-story building was covered with glass, and the house was even paved with tiles! I happened to deliver to them once! My house, dear, is so clean that the old man wouldn’t even dare to touch it.”
An old farmer who was about to go to the city to sell fruit was chatting casually while panting and shifting his shoulders to carry the load. At the same time, he carefully checked the fruits in the cane basket, lest any of them be damaged. That old face full of wrinkles had a look of hope.
"...Oh, it's a pity that we didn't catch the best time! It's too late for us all to move here. The good thing that the old man gave us a house to live in is gone. Even if we save money to hire a construction team, To build a house, you actually have to apply in advance, and you have to queue up for the lottery! I came to the city hall today to do the lottery! My wife said that if I am not lucky enough to get that homestead this time, I will not be allowed to do it for three months. Get into her bed!”
Another strong country man pushed a wheelbarrow filled with various exotic vegetables with one hand, grabbed his butt with the other, and complained with a sad face.
Hearing his shameless words, everyone who went into the city together laughed, and then all gave him bad ideas.
"...Riddle, even if the homestead is not shaken, you don't have to feel too bad. Today is the female mayor's birthday. I heard that there will be a running banquet for everyone to eat in the evening, and there will be small gifts after the meal! Like! How many times in your life can you experience such a life of free food and free food? ”
"...Pull it down! I've asked about it a long time ago! Not everyone can come in and eat and drink at the flowing banquet where the female mayor celebrates her birthday! Either there must be an invitation, or it must be a citizen living in the city ——Citizens with household registration documents! How can country people like us get in? ”
"...Oh, don't be discouraged at the beginning! Even if you can't get in to the banquet in the city, there might be free bread distributed outside?"
"...Besides, even if we country people really can't afford the female mayor's birthday banquet, at least the 20% off discount in all stores in the city is not false news, right? My wife has been talking about it for a long time, asking me to buy her a piece of silk Go back. That kind of otherworldly fabric called silk is very rare. Not to mention its bright colors and beautiful patterns, it feels smoother than glass. If it weren’t for the huge sale in the city today, I would still be reluctant to buy it.”
"...Yo! You actually plan to buy silk? That stuff is not cheap! Alas, you young man is too generous to your wife. You spend all the money you earn on her, making her dress up so beautifully every day... Do you want to Watch carefully, don’t be tempted by a bad guy somewhere!”
Listening to the joke made by a certain talkative lady, the people who were walking into the city burst out laughing again. The young man who was teased did not take it seriously. He just smiled honestly and continued to move forward with his burden. Let Jin The road to the city was filled with happy air for a while.
——Judging from the general standards of the fantasy world of Falmat, the Chinese people’s governance strategy for this land can be said to be extremely lenient and benevolent. Not only are agricultural taxes and city entry taxes completely exempted for territorial subjects, but there are also almost no miscellaneous taxes. Although the serfs needed to be managed centrally, obeyed the deployment, and performed hard labor, they were also provided with food during their service, and they did not have to rely on them to prepare their own rations. This was truly a kind of benevolent government that I had never heard of.
Of course, strictly speaking, the Arnus City Hall did not suffer a loss. As long as it raised the prices slightly when selling fertilizers, improved seeds, and farm tools, it would make back everything without having to bear the complaints of farmers like taxing taxes. And infamy - that's the benefit of monopoly business.
Therefore, although the city of Arnus has a reputation for "strict laws", there are rules for whether to walk on the left or the right, and spitting and defecation will require whipping. In addition, there are a lot of complicated and detailed regulations. Basically, Every immigrant who came here was beaten with sticks and whips. However, under the pressure of survival, refugees continue to come from all directions to seek refuge. Before the space-time gate at the top of Arnus Hill was opened, there were only about 200,000 to 300,000 people in the foreign territories currently ruled by the Chinese, including the Earl of Formal. However, as of now, the population living on this land, even excluding the travelers and counting only the indigenous residents of the Falmat continent, has swelled to more than one million, and continues to increase rapidly: in recent years The frequent wars and natural disasters in the surrounding areas have obviously had the effect of driving away fish from the abyss...
——No matter how strict the Chinese rules are, no matter how unbearable they are, it is still much better than starving to death.
While these vegetable farmers and vendors were walking on the road chatting and laughing, a rather luxurious-looking four-wheel carriage hurriedly came from behind, accompanied by four mounted guards on both sides, shouting loudly. When the carriage caught up, the guards saw that these vendors just moved to the side of the road without any intention of bowing or kneeling down. They were immediately very unhappy, but they did not dare to get angry and just glared at them a few times. , and walked away.
"...Tsk, tsk, so grand! If I ever make a fortune, I must enjoy such a pomp."
Under the shade of a tree on the roadside, a small vendor selling groceries watched the carriage drive away with envy, muttering to himself.
"...Haha, have you seen the shield emblem inlaid on the front of the carriage? That is the carriage of an imperial noble, or an upper-class noble with a senator in his family, not an ordinary wealthy businessman with a little money! What do we do? No matter how much money a business person makes, it can’t compare!”
The senior businessman who brought him to see the world rolled his eyes at him and said, "...You kid, stop dreaming!"
Regarding the teachings of his predecessors, the grocery hawker said yes, but he was still dissatisfied in his heart. He muttered secretly, "...Humph, now this is the territory of people from other worlds, and the future will probably belong to their era as well. These things are out of date. How long can the imperial nobles maintain their arrogance?”
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
At the same time, just behind the group of vegetable farmers and hawkers entering the city, there was also a group of travelers from more distant places. They were listening attentively to the chatter of these passers-by while observing the various behaviors of living beings along the way. There were about twenty people in their group, most of whom were women. They did not ride horses, but they were driving two chocobos carrying luggage. Their heads were covered with white turbans used to block the sand and dust when traveling, and their bodies were dressed in light leather armor and gray cloaks. Although most of the clothes are relatively simple and they look dusty, as if they have traveled a long distance, their dark brown oily skin and the pointed ears protruding from the white turban fully prove the authenticity of these travelers. Identity:
——This is a group of dark elves of the Tishu clan from the Schulze Forest in the southern Kingdom of Elbe.
Unlike the cruel and wanton dark elves in Faerûn in the DND system, the dark elves in Falmat are similar to them in appearance and body shape, and are also rich in handsome men and beauties. The Spider Goddess is not afraid of the sun, nor does she live in a dark underground city. Instead, like the high elves, she lives in tribes in dense forests on the surface.
In fact, these are basically a group of high elves with tanned skin. The relationship between the two can be roughly compared to the white people and black people on the earth.
Probably due to their racial talents, all of these dark elves, regardless of their age, have skin as smooth and delicate as silk, and their iconic silver-white hair shines with a metallic luster in the early morning sun. The appearance with exotic characteristics attracted people's attention along the way. The leading dark elf woman is particularly beautiful, with smooth and delicate skin like obsidian, and her silver hair is spread over her shoulders like waves. Her toned figure adds a bit of masculinity to her. Although it is not the kind of stunning beauty that makes one look at it, it is definitely unforgettable.
However, the reputation of the aliens in Mount Arnus for sheltering demihumans has spread throughout the Falmat continent over the years. The current "territory of aliens" is full of demihuman immigrants who have been rejected by other places, ranging from wingmen, werewolves, catmen, dwarves to goblins, and there are many of them. Now a group of dark elves have arrived, which doesn't seem particularly out of the ordinary. Of course, out of fear of strange races, no one dared to go with them along the way, even though there were many lustful men drooling at the female dark elf's toned body.
On the other hand, these dark elves who have traveled hundreds of kilometers from the Schulz Forest in the south are naturally very wary of everything they encounter along the way because they are in a foreign country, but they are also wary of the richness they see in front of them. The sight was quite shocking and curious.
"...The appearance of this area of Arnus Hill has indeed changed a lot! I remember that the last time I traveled here, it was just a barren mountain and there was not even a decent road, let alone villages and It’s a city! I finally found a house to stay in, but it turned out to be a disguised bandit’s den. I was almost caught and sold! But now there are orchards, farmland and pastures everywhere, and the price of food is very cheap..." br>
Looking at the bustling flow of people on the road and the lush vegetable gardens not far away, I feel the rising and vigorous vitality. The leading female dark elf warrior couldn't help but sigh with a bit of envy.
——Although dark elves are used to living in forests and can only adapt to life in large forests, this does not mean that they can rely entirely on hunting, fishing and gathering wild fruits to maintain their lives, but they also need to Use mountain goods to trade with merchants from outside civilized societies to buy food, medicine, ironware, etc. Therefore, even though they call themselves "children of the forest", they still desire to survive near prosperous areas.
"...Yes, and the forests in the mountains nearby are also very dense. Although it is still not as good as the Schulz Forest, it is already very good. But the question is, will people from other worlds be willing to take us in? After all, we can't adapt to cities and Rural life hardly brings them much benefit.”
An older male dark elf elder lamented, "...but I really can't stay in my hometown in Schulz Forest any longer..."
"...To be honest, I even doubt whether those outsiders will allow us to enter the city! Don't forget, we are uninvited messengers, we don't even have an invitation!" Another woman's darkness The elf elders also lamented, "...even if you get kicked out, it's normal..."
After hearing these discouraging words from the two elders, the other dark elves who were excited about seeing the novel scenery couldn't help but fall silent.
——The dark elves of the Tixiu clan came to Arnus Hill this time to pray for the protection and accommodation of their Tixiu clan from outsiders.
In recent years, the dark elves of the Tixiu clan, who have lived in Schulz Forest for generations, have been living a bumpy and unlucky life.
First, they were inexplicably attacked by the Flame Dragon. The entire village was destroyed by the fire of the dragon's breath. They were also hunted by the Flame Dragon with a huge appetite as food. About one-third of the Dark Elf clan members died unexpectedly. The remaining tribesmen were forced to hide here and there. After a period of time, the Flame Dragon gradually stopped being seen, and it seemed to have gone to cause harm to other parts of the continent. But the problem was, then two young dragons appeared out of nowhere, and they still attacked alone from time to time. The dark elves made the life of these dark elves still very difficult.
After finally waiting for the two young dragons to leave Schulz Forest, the nightmare years of death and destruction finally came to an end. However, these dark elves who survived the rest of their lives in Longkou had not had time to rebuild the villages that were burned to scorched earth. The Kingdom of Elbe, where the Schulz Forest is located, suffered a violent death from serious injuries after being involved in the civil war in the empire. This led to several princes fighting for inheritance rights and fell into a long and cruel civil war. The winner has not yet been determined.
Destroyed by long-term wars and various natural disasters, the social order of the Kingdom of Elbe completely collapsed. The customary rules of non-interference between human lords and elven tribes were also broken by the long-term social turmoil. Wave after wave of refugees, defeated soldiers, and bandits fled the villages and towns destroyed by the war, and flocked to the Schulze Forest for refuge. The dark elves, who had just been severely damaged by the "Dragon Disaster", were unable to withstand these armed groups coming in like a tide due to their small population. They could only watch helplessly as these ill-intentioned neighbors came one after another.
What's even worse is that because so many humans have poured into Schulz Forest, not only are there not enough prey and wild fruits, but even the temporary settlement of the dark elves has been attacked by thugs several times. Although they were all repelled by the dark elf warriors, the already sparse clan members also suffered casualties again. And if they were trying to waste their troops, a mere Tixiu clan would obviously not be a match for a group of hungry refugees and bandits.
Seeing that the days were becoming more and more difficult and the Schulz Forest became more and more dangerous, the remaining dark elves of the Tixiu clan began to think of moving and taking refuge. And the destination is easy to find - to the north of the Kingdom of Elbe, across the Tellilia Plains, is the city of Arnus built by outsiders. In recent years, it has been the most sought-after refuge and cozy home for refugees on the mainland. Although it is very difficult for ordinary human serfs to cross the desolate and empty plains of Talilia, for the agile dark elves, this journey is not difficult.
But the problem is that although the aliens in Arnus Hill have been hosting refugees from all over the mainland, they require refugees to be uniformly put into "purification camps" for management and to obey the distribution. There is no freedom at all. For humans and orcs, as long as they can have enough to eat, it doesn't matter if they are controlled more strictly. However, the dark elves in this world, like the high elves, cannot live away from the forest for a long time, otherwise they will get sick and weak.
Therefore, although the dark elves of the Tixiu clan want to move to Arnus City, they do not intend to enter the purification camp according to the rules and get together with other refugees. Instead, they hope that outsiders can carve out a piece of territory in their entrenched territory. The forest gives itself a life and enjoys the power of self-government.
Obviously, no matter how you look at it, this is a very excessive request. Even the dark elf himself feels a little embarrassed to speak - he is not related to you, is not your parent, and has no friendship, so why should he take care of you like this? However, as life becomes increasingly embarrassing and dangerous, for the safety and reproduction of the clan, no matter how embarrassed you are, you have to be shameless and try to negotiate.
So, when I heard that the alien female mayor of Arnus City was planning to hold a birthday banquet, and she posted posts everywhere to invite guests from all over. As a small and insignificant force, although the dark elves of the Tixiu clan did not receive an invitation, they still took out the clan's most precious treasures and sent the clan's most powerful female warrior Yao in the name of giving birthday gifts to the female mayor. Hai Tixiu came to Arnus City with a delegation to negotiate.
But to be honest, they have no confidence at all whether this negotiation will be successful or whether they can even see the female mayor.
After all, they came without invitation. They were not making a special trip to offer treasures, but they were making such excessive demands.
However, for the future of the Tixiu clan, even if they had to grovel and beg, they could only bite the bullet and give it a try.
Thinking of this, Yao Hai Tixiu couldn't help but take out a small cloth bag from his arms, slightly untied the bag, and looked inside.
"...There is really no other way. I hope that the treasures collected by our Tixiu clan can touch the heart of the female mayor who is from another world!"
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※PS : Yesterday I was busy collecting information related to the new book Xianxia, and I couldn’t change my mind for a while. I hope readers will bear with me and understand me.