Chapter 304: The Floating Ship of the Magic Kingdom
The crisp and rhythmic horse bell sounded.
At the crossroads at the end of the forest, there are 10 wooden poles nailed to the ground, each with a flat wheel on top, and the rim and axle are tied with things.
The wheels were also crowded with crows and ravens, pecking and tearing at something.
Due to the height of the pole and the crowd of birds, onlookers can only guess what the unidentifiable wreckage may be.
It's a corpse, it can't be anything else, Karena, the priest of the Church of the Mother Earth, thought to herself.
She raised her gloved hands and lifted off the hood of her thick traveling cloak. Her hair, as black and shiny as her horse, was spread over her shoulders, under her dark green riding uniform. It looks particularly eye-catching against the background.
A breeze blew by, and Karina turned her head and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
The wind blowing from the direction of the wooden pole also brought the stench of rotting corpses that filled the intersection.
"What a wonderful scenery." The female priest on the horse leaned out slightly, spat on the ground, looked to the other side, and smiled: "But their appetite is quite good."
Wherever she could see, there was an area where free wheat porridge was distributed to refugees in Jinshu Village, Mokou Town.
It was a temporary camp with tall tents and fences.
Through the firelight, you can see many figures busy. From time to time, someone will carry the steaming barrels to the long table beside the fence, and then the guards in charge will distribute them to individuals.
Obviously, these foods are freshly cooked.
Although the wheat porridge is not thick, and there are no vegetable leaves or anything added, the overflowing fragrance has already made most people swallow their throats and salivate.
Refugees with ragged clothes and skinny faces lined up in a long line in an orderly manner, receiving their food one after another.
Under the guidance of the guards, everyone here received the wooden bowls in turn, made porridge, and went to the other end to drink porridge and put the bowls away.
It is hard to believe that this kind of orderly order was actually created by ordinary civilians.
But in Karina's opinion, the reason why the refugees here are so honest is definitely due to the stench blowing in the wind.
Actually, among these refugees, in addition to the civilians fleeing from Sambia, there are also many southern nobles and businessmen who were exiled here who had committed serious crimes but were not fatal, as well as a large number of Rebel soldiers captured.
And, of course, there are pirates and soldiers from the seas of Weihon and the Dragon Coast.
During the war of recapture against the rebels, the fleets on the Dragon Coast and Weihong Sea were almost wiped out by a meteorite falling from the sky.
Karena’s brother, Auglas, the supreme commander of the Purple Dragon Knights, not only personally led the Blue Dragon fleet and captured all the surviving enemy soldiers in Long Lake, but also arrived at the dragon by the way. Many towns and villages along the coast took away a large number of people.
Only afterward did she learn that the shocking idea of going to the Dragon Coast to rob civilians came from Brian.
The purpose of this is not only to provide them with a place to live, but also to provide them with free food every day. It is a pure waste of resources.
Although the actions of this mage lord are incomprehensible to most people, since Mokou Town was re-incorporated into the territory of the Kingdom of Cormyr and Kalena chose to leave the temple in Morning Star Town without hesitation to stand on her own feet, she gradually understood , every step Brian takes always contains more profound meanings.
That’s exactly what happened.
"You asked the lord why he distributes food to you? This is a good question!" A short, fat man with a red face stood on a temporary platform made of wooden barrels. Dancing and saying:
“This is the kindness given to you by my lord. It doesn’t matter whether you were slaves, exiled merchant nobles, or captured and surrendered soldiers, bandits and pirates. Now you have a new identity: you are all labor reformers. I hope that through this kind of reform, you can become a new person!"
"But you said before that free food will only be given out for three days! , what should we do next?" asked a young man with hair as messy as a chicken coop.
Karina knew this unfortunate young man.
His father was an earl with a fiefdom and real power in the city of Susar. His family was very wealthy. His favorite thing to do was to carry a birdcage and wander around the city streets.
Unfortunately, his father and his brother were staunch supporters of Prince Selant, and were forced to confess from the pit fiend's soul crystal by the tiefling warlock.
In the end, both of them were hanged on the execution ground in Susar City. As for the noble young master who knew nothing about the rebels, his old father inexplicably tricked him here.
In the aristocratic group of Susar, it was always the son who cheated his father, but this young master who had no worries about food and clothing was cheated by his own father.
Hearing the noble young master's inquiry, the people who were cooking were immediately attracted to their attention. The sounds gradually subsided. Most people raised their heads and pricked up their ears, waiting for the other party's answer.
“It’s very simple! You can feed yourself!” The fat man on the barrel smiled:
“… Feed yourself?” The noble young master was stunned, “But I don’t do anything but walk the birds. You kid, you know nothing. Oh, my god, don’t tell me that you want me to farm my own land. When I came, didn’t I have food and shelter as promised, so I didn’t have to be a slave?”
< br>"Don't be anxious, let me tell you slowly!" The fat man waved his hand and said:
"The territory of Mokou Town is very large. In the future, a large number of workers will be needed for reclamation and construction. Building roads and bridges, this is how you support yourself! The lord is kind and allows you to rest here for three days before you devote yourself to the work assigned to you. So, work, only work can create wealth. Labor can change your destiny! As long as you complete the work assigned to you on time, not only will food and accommodation be provided, but you will also receive a stable salary. This money can not only support yourself, but also support your family! Anyone who has a formal job and performs well for three months will be accepted as a citizen of the territory and will also own their own land and house! ”
The fat man's words caused a stir in the crowd, and there was even a middle-aged man with a slightly rosy complexion. From the brand on his neck, it could be seen that he was a slave from the Dragon Coast.
He said with excitement, "As long as food and accommodation are provided here, I'm willing to be a slave! It's amazing that I can still get pay and freedom."
"Yes, I know what you are all thinking." The fat man standing on the barrel said loudly:
"There are many slaves among you, or you have been raped by the Dragon Coast The nobles oppress the common people, but it doesn't matter. You have to believe in the lord. Through labor, you will gain a new life. This new life means that you don't have to be afraid, you don't have to suffer from cold and hunger, and you won't have to face whips on your body at any time, or even Go to the gallows. Now that you are here, you can rely on your own hands to get legitimate rewards, whether it is food, clothing... or even a shelter from the wind and rain!"< br>
"Is it...as long as you are willing to work, right?" The noble young man who was tricked here by his rebel father and brother asked in a low voice.
"That's right." The red-faced fat man showed an amiable smile.
“As long as you are willing to work, you will understand that all your efforts will be rewarded. Just like seeds planted in the soil and bearing fruit, the fruits of your labor will never be harvested. Of course, if you choose to lie down, even the gods in the sky will not be able to save you."
There are many more within the territory of Mokou Town. Such a camp, such speakers, such refugees, and the future and hope given to them.
"It seems that the busy time will be endless." Karina put on her hood again and continued walking deeper along the gravel path.
As the priests of the Mother Goddess of the Earth and the patriarchs of the temple in Mokou Town, the main responsibility of their clergy is to help the people of Mokou Town and teach them how to replant, compost and irrigate. The knowledge of fertile land, passing it on from generation to generation, rather than just depleting its yield through grazing and digging.
Of course, the most important thing is to prevent plant diseases, burning the carcasses of diseased plants and infected livestock to prevent the spread of diseases.
Nowadays, as the town grows, the population continues to increase, and more and more land is reclaimed, the clergy of the Mother Earth Church naturally become busy.
After all, the cold winter is coming soon, and they must guide these farmers, most of whom have returned from slavery to freedom, how to manage their land well and obtain a bumper harvest next year.
Especially after Prince Celant’s rebellion war ended and the Queen Regent issued a policy of exempting taxes and distributing the land confiscated by the rebel nobles in the south to the common people, Kalena could clearly feel that the entire The clergy in the Kingdom of Cormyr are busy.
Just yesterday, she saw with her own eyes in Morningstar Town, the golden fields from Waterdeep City, Amn's Harvest Mansion, and the Golden Wheat Sheaf Monastery in Misty Valley, etc., and priests from many temples came before them. to support their work.
After all, in this policy, the Queen Regent personally promised to support the Church of the Mother Earth and add more temples within the kingdom's territory.
Of course, the price paid by the church is to provide the kingdom with a large amount of food at the cheapest price.
The territory of Mokou Town, which she is responsible for, seems to have received extra care from the Mother Goddess of the Earth. The number of clergy received is fully twice that of other areas, and she even provides free support in large quantities. of food.
Although the series of disasters in the Kingdom of Cormyr have brought countless pain and devastation, it is precisely because of these disasters that the forest kingdom has ushered in vitality.
Disaster is like a farmer burning the remaining crops on harvested farmland. The ashes turned into ashes in the flames will nourish the land.
The people of the Kingdom of Cormyr have 'burned' all the memories they are unwilling to carry with them, letting the burning flames nourish their souls and welcome a new future.
Just like the weather today, the sun is shining and the climate is pleasant.
Kalena was riding leisurely on the country roads in Mokou Town.
She rode past the last fence and came to the rolling green fields blown by the breeze. On this path filled with winter wheat and lettuce, cultivated fields stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see. Drive away.
A carriage full of goods coming from the opposite direction passed her by. An unyielding cow was looking down sadly at the mud and dung on the ground.
Although Karina's horse speed was very slow, the houses in Jinshu Village, which was already a small town, still gradually disappeared from sight.
Soon, she walked through the flat country roads planted with crops and came to a hill covered with trees.
She let the cold winter breeze blow over her slightly pale cheeks, overlooking the beautiful scenery of the villages and towns under the hillside.
Feeling the peace and tranquility here, Karina almost forgot her true purpose of coming here.
In the temple area of Mokou Town, Brian helped her build a monastery for the Mother Earth.
This was the promise he made to herself when she decided to go all out to help Mokou Town.
Now, she thinks it is time for him to fulfill the second promise he made to her, which is to help her build a second temple of the Mother Earth in the wilderness of Mokou Town.
Brian once told her that in addition to worshiping the Mother Earth Goddess, the monastery in the town can be used as a temple that mainly teaches gardening, herbalism, plant classification, disease management, and farming techniques.
The clergy or civilians who have returned from the monastery can go to the temple built in the wilderness for on-the-spot training.
After all, in the Church of the Mother Earth, the era of druids has passed.
Although druids still have their value in the wilderness, what the rising nations need is a faith that is controlled, organized, and professionalized by more reasonable and rational clergy.
The method Brian taught her allows the church to continuously train a large number of clergy in the town, and then distribute them to the wilderness to serve the teachings of the Mother Earth.
So, her purpose of touring the territory today was to find a suitable location to build a temple in the wilderness.
The reason why Brian so readily agreed to her request and funded her to build the temple was entirely due to Karina helping him and convincing her prime minister father, Fefaril, to compromise with the royal family's reforms. .
As a priest, although she has never received any oracles and prophecies from the Earth Mother, she can clearly have a premonition that being the regent queen of Cormyr will be like a person who is carried away by love. Like an ignorant girl, when she obeys Brian's words and words, it means: times are about to change.
Anyone who cannot keep up with the trend of the times will eventually be completely eliminated, just like the former wave who died on the beach.
Thinking of this, Karina couldn't help but sigh a little melancholy.
She began to feel a little lucky that she had made a choice without hesitation.
Once, her prime minister father forced her to marry Prince Selant.
What is Prince Celant?
Naturally, she firmly disagreed, so in order to escape the wedding banquet, she immediately dedicated her faith and future to the Mother Earth, thus avoiding this forced marriage.
Unfortunately, another incident made her regret it every time she thought about it.
She was too lazy to think any more, came back to her senses, and began to seriously think about where to build the second temple of the Mother Earth. In order to find a suitable location, she visited five villages and towns within Mokou Town, and finally regarded Jinshu Village, which has the largest cultivated land area, as her goal.
But where exactly it should be located made her a little worried. Theoretically speaking, it was natural to find a place with flat terrain and fertile soil to establish a place with experimental and research properties. monastery.
After all, this is a temple, representing the Earth Mother Goddess Chantia, and her goal is to make the temple surpass the largest and oldest known Golden Pastoral, Harvest Mansion and Golden Wheatsheaf Monastery in the future.
But she instinctively believed that land should be chosen that is difficult to cultivate or has complex terrain, so that it can be slowly managed and gradually improved into land suitable for farming or gardening techniques.
The cool breeze blew past her face. Kalena lifted the hood of her cloak, shook her head, and let her waterfall-like long shawl hair fly in the breeze and bright sunshine.
Just when the female priest was in distress and didn't know what to make, a vague figure appeared in her sight.
This figure is on the rocky mountain in the distance opposite him, bending over as if planting something.
Are you kidding me? There are all rocks there, so what plants can be grown there?
Kalena's expression changed with curiosity, and she drove her horse over.
This is an elderly woman with tan skin, a strong and stocky figure, and gray hair.
The territory of Mokou Town was once a rocky wasteland. Since the arrival of Yinhun City in the main material world and the forcible melting of the high glaciers, the climate here has gradually evolved into a warm and humid place with abundant rain.
Nearly a century of evolution has turned this territory into a land dominated by forests and shrubs, but this does not mean that all traces of the past will be wiped away.
The hill where Kalena was standing was like this. In the large exposed rock area, it was almost impossible to see the grass growing from the cracks in the rock.
"Old lady, what are you growing here?" She dismounted and asked politely.
The old woman wore simple clothes and squatted on the dry stone ground. Her withered hands tremblingly scraped the dust on the rock surface and spread it to the ground, as if she was burying something.
"I am planting a small grass." The old woman replied seriously, her voice seemed to contain a kind of vicissitudes of wisdom arising from life experience, and she gently planted an unknown seed. Buried lightly, with a gentle and old voice, he sighed quietly:
"Born as a grass, when it is luxuriant and shakes green, even a small grass can grow into a patch of green, and its seeds break through the soil, The chick is born, the silkworm turns into a butterfly, and success always comes on a bumpy road. This seed may be what is called: hope and the future.”
After the old woman said these words, she disappeared out of thin air, as if she had never appeared at all.
Only the buried seeds seemed to tell the female priest the traces she had left behind.
Little by little, the divine radiance emerges.
The priest of the Mother Earth opened his eyes in surprise, seeing the buried seeds breaking through the ground, sprouting, growing, blooming, and bearing seeds at lightning speed...
Again It floats in all directions with the wind until the entire rocky wasteland is dyed into a vast and boundless green grassland at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Moo!..."
As the fragrant breath of green grass filled the air, a long and distant call came.
A group of bison appeared from the forest in the distance and came to the stone mountain in groups, lowering their heads to enjoy the green grass.
At this moment, Kalena, who was holding the reins, was messy in the wind. She stared blankly at the miracle in front of her, with mixed feelings in her heart.
Of course she understood what this meant.
As a priest of the Mother Goddess of the Earth, who was even less famous in the Kingdom of Cormyr than his own appearance and life experience, he actually received guidance from the Mother Goddess at this moment.
The strong wind blew by, causing waves on the green grass. The bison, which was gnawing on the tender green grass leaves, raised its head and looked at the blue sky.
Facing the bright sunshine, the female priest saw four floating ships tens of meters long, suspended in the air. The full magic sails were swollen by the wind and headed towards the desert. The mouth town moved slowly.
"Is it Halua's skyship?" Kalena raised her head, gently flipped the ends of her hair that were ruffled by the breeze, and recognized the origin of the skyship.
According to the information obtained from the moon elf mage Ru Yin, she immediately realized that the entire Mokou Town was about to welcome a large group of spell casters to join.
That's exactly what happened.
When four floating ships from Halua appeared over the territory of Mokou Town, residents of the entire town raised their heads to look at the scene in front of them.
Although the territory of Mokou Town is close to the Enook Desert where the ancient Netheril Empire once lived, they can often hear legends about the floating city, and even knowledgeable adventurers, He also witnessed the salvaged floating city of Sacros and the ghost city of Sultanza docked in the Sea of Shadows.
But when they saw four sun-blocking floating ships appearing in the sky above Mokou Town, landing towards the territory at a slow speed, most people were still shocked in their hearts.
As the magical kingdom of Halua in the southernmost part of the continent, most people’s impression of them still remains as a mysterious kingdom established by a group of conservative and exclusive spellcasters.
There are even rumors claiming that in their territory, even the wild fruits grown on the trees are filled with a strong magical aura.
But since the end of the 'Arcane Catastrophe', this group of Halua people, who made the world think that they had long been wiped out by the magical plague of disaster, have returned to their territory in an airship.
They began to become less xenophobic and conservative, and even took the initiative to establish diplomacy and trade with other neighboring countries.
Their floating merchant ships gradually appeared in front of the world as time passed.
However, to the world, the sightings of the floating ships are limited to coastal areas such as the Great Rift Valley of the Southern King, Char, Dambreth, and Chult Jungle.
A kingdom like Cormyr, located in the central region of the continent, naturally cannot see traces of floating ships.
At this moment, it actually appeared in their sight, making them all run towards the place where the floating ship landed with disbelief, wanting to see what happened.
In just a moment, in the orderly Mokou Town, you can see the surging flow of people on various streets, running in the same direction.
This trend makes a group of uninformed people who are hiding in the room or the pub also curiously walk out of the house and follow the crowd with the mentality of joining in the fun.
When most people saw a wide and flat square on the left side of the arena, with even a simple magic protective fence set up around it, they realized that it turned out that the lord had killed him two months ago. , this square that was built has never played any role from beginning to end, and it is strictly forbidden for idlers to approach, but it is actually used to dock floating ships.
The four floating ships retracted their magic sails and landed on the platform at a slow speed. If you look closely, you can find that each platform is engraved with arcane magic circuits and crystal nodes, which are just like the floating ships. The dropped stand fit perfectly.
Groups of people mainly dressed in scholars' clothes and mage robes, including the elderly, children, women, etc., carried large and small bags on their backs, and held thick books and scrolls in their arms. The floating boats were dropped onto the hanging ladder, and people filed down.
This doesn’t look like a war tour at all. It looks more like dragging families and people to move here.
In just a moment, a mage group of nearly a thousand people gathered in the square, appearing in the sight of the onlookers.
“There are so many mages!” A relatively knowledgeable adventurer looked at the number of stars marked on the chests of some of the leading mages and couldn’t help but exclaimed:
"Oh my God, there are at least a dozen fourth-level casters, and nearly a hundred third-level casters. The leader is actually an elder of the Halua Supreme Council, and his strength is probably at least mid-level legendary. "
"What are they going to do?" Another adventurer said: "Are they planning to attack Mokou Town?"
Soon, this group of spellcasters from Halua The activists used their actions to give the masses a shocking answer.
They all saw that the Lord Protector of Cormyr, the mage lord who was rarely seen in Mokou Town, was finally willing to walk out of his tower.
Accompanied by the noble and beautiful duchess of Arabe City, he led the interior officer Ogruul, the acting lord Balerius, the army commander Salo and other core personnel to welcome the mage The arrival of the group.
Immediately afterwards, a scene happened that made the eyes of this group of melon-eating people almost pop out.
They saw a middle-aged mage leader in the mage group whose strength was at least in the legendary field guessed by other knowledgeable adventurers. He slowly walked to the lord of Mokou Town with a dozen apprentices. before.
Then, the legendary spellcaster and the apprentices behind him all imitated the etiquette of the battle mages in the Kingdom of Cormyr, stroking their chests with one hand and facing their lord solemnly. The ground bent down.
At this moment, the entire melon-eating crowd in Mokou Town was in a frenzy!
In the Kingdom of Cormyr, where the purple dragon flag is flying, no one does not know what this etiquette, similar to that of a battle mage, represents.
This is a pledge of allegiance and surrender!
A member of the Supreme Council of Elders from Halrua, an elder whose strength is at least around the mid-level legendary realm, actually brought his own group of mages to pay allegiance to the Lord Protector of Cormyr.
What exactly does this mean?
For a time, various versions of rumors were like a large group of pigeons in a cage. The moment the cage door was opened, the sky was filled with flying white pigeons and fluttering feathers.
As the mage lord of Mokou Town led this group of mage groups from Halua, they disappeared from the sight of the crowd. The crowd's excitement had no intention of stopping. Instead, as the news spread, , becoming more and more intense.
Through the spread of the news, most people learned that their lord was a mage from the Kingdom of Halua, so it would be easy to explain why the mages of the Magic Kingdom were loyal to their lord.
Some thoughtful people claimed: This scene looks very familiar, and they even remember it freshly.
When their lord first occupied Mokou Town, in order to resist the counterattack of Ghost City, a group of purple dragon knights and war mages from Arabe City swore allegiance to their lord.
What was the result?
A person with a rather vulgar look immediately said with a smile, what else can be done, this time's loyalty will directly cost the duchess of Arabe City to herself.
Since the end of the Dragon Madness Rebellion, this female lord has been living in the Mage Tower in Mokou Town, assisting their lord, managing territorial affairs and resisting foreign enemies, as if: I am the hostess, you must obey my orders attitude.
(Note: Since the female lord of Arabe City has been stationed in the mage tower, various taverns in Mokou Town have begun to spread various rumors, claiming that their mage lord must He conquered the duchess through various weird spells, such as local enlargement, local contraction, tentacle assimilation, ice and fire grease, etc.)
After hearing this rumor, Discussing the style of the Halua Mage Group suddenly and strangely became a favorite topic of discussion and favorite among the melon-eaters.
For example, some people who came to Mokou Town from Susar Imperial City immediately agreed.
Because someone witnessed with their own eyes that when the Orc War was over and a banquet was held, the regent queen of Cormyr excitedly threw herself into his arms after seeing their lord.
Afterwards, some people saw the two sneaking out together and walking in parks, woods, warehouses and many other places.
It must have been the personal charm of their lord, who conquered the Iron Regent, and was finally canonized as the Lord Protector of Cormyr, with the right to mobilize any army in the kingdom.
Would these things have happened if their lord had not conquered the regent queen through fancy spells and personal charm?
Although there is discussion about the sudden change in the style of the Halua mage group, there are still a group of quite sensible people who speculated through the appearance of the mage group that their lord is likely to intend to use this group of mages. The forces successfully raised a floating city in Mokou Town.
Everyone agreed with this statement, saying that with the current strength of their lord, it is very likely that he has become a great arcanist comparable to the ancient Netheril Empire.
Are you familiar with the Grand Arcanist and the Floating City? Wasn't this standard during the Netheril era?
Otherwise, why would these mages from Halua bow to him?
Because their lord wants to control the floating city and lead the Kingdom of Halrua, the remnants of the Netherese Empire, to reconquer the Aenook Desert and rebuild the glory of the Arcane Empire!
No matter how many versions of the rumors from the outside world have changed, some thoughtful people have realized that the arrival of the Harua Mage Group has made Mokou Town more powerful!
No one can ignore the power of one spellcaster, and if so, ten? Hundreds? What about thousands?
Not to mention that the one who came here was one of the twelve elders of the Supreme Council of Halua, who had his own territory, wizard tower, aerial boat, and a large group of mages.
This made a few people realize that the Kingdom of Cormyr might really be reshuffled. Some even speculated that the Lord Protector of Cormyr was planning to solve the huge looming problem of the City of Ghosts once and for all. threaten.
…………
(End of this chapter)