Chapter 74 Prince Kong Dai, private visit incognito
In the scorching sun at noon, the falcons raised by noble gentlemen were still flying between the towering towers.
About one-third of the way up the tower, there are layers of red roofs of different heights.
Fences and low walls line the streets between crowded wooden and stone houses.
On the bumpy road, refugees mixed with cattle and horses, all the same yellow shit.
When they stood side by side, they couldn't even tell who was a human and who was an animal.
In the concentric circles with Gaobao Church as the center, apart from the residential buildings in the inner circle, there are various workshops in the outermost circle.
Including paper making workshops, leather workshops, blacksmith shops, grocery stores, and at most dye workshops and brewing workshops.
Thousand River Valley exports more than 50% of the dyes produced by the Kingdom of Leia, and is also the second largest exporter of wine in the Kingdom.
Misted between these workshops is the crooked Mermaid Tavern.
Guild masters who have some spare money during lunch break will come to this tavern to take a lunch break and drink.
The people standing drinking are apprentices who have just entered the industry, the people wearing black clothes are papermakers, the people wearing blue clothes are brewers, the people wearing colorful clothes are dye workers, and the shirtless people are blacksmiths .
In the dim sunlight of the tavern, they leaned together in confusion, talking loudly about anecdotes and complaining about their wives, children and grandchildren.
“There are more and more refugees on the street.” The blacksmith who just entered the tavern couldn’t wait to grab a glass of wine to moisten his throat and said to the boss, “Bacon and meat rolls, Lao Deng.”< br>
The tavern owner smashed the fried bacon and meat rolls onto the plate, poured a spoonful of sauce on them, and threw them casually in front of the blacksmith.
"It's been getting more and more uneasy lately." The grocery store owner Sehgal said vaguely as he took a piece of pig's blood pudding with a small spoon.
The tavern owner named Lao Deng was still collecting the empty glasses: "No,"
"Hey, have you heard about the false pope in the Gulag?"
"Didn't Archbishop Barnifus send a thousand men to suppress the bandits?"
Since the news spread that someone claimed to be the Pope, this joke was laughed at by the citizens of High Castle. Now.
The guest lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "Failed."
"Failed? Who said that?"
"Tsk, it has spread among the people, saying The Pope of the Gulag is the true Pope, the Pope of the Thousand Valleys people.”
When it comes to this topic, the sleepy laborers and craftsmen who were leaning on the counter or table. They are no longer sleepy.
Even the guests sitting by the door closed the tavern door tacitly.
"I tell you, these news were all told by the refugees and public farmers who escaped from the Gulag. They said that they saw with their own eyes that the church's army was wiped out in an instant."
" Is it true?”
“It’s so true, it’s said that all the rebels in the Gulag have thunder sticks given by Myrcella.”
< br>"I've heard about it too. It's said that the lightning rod is so powerful. It can hit people with a thunder wave and kill people directly."
"This is nothing, let me tell you, then A group of Gulag rebels also raised a little frost giant.”
"What is that?"
"The cub of the Frost Giant is said to be as tall as two adults when it is less than ten years old."
The grocery store owner Segal said dissatisfied: "Aren't they all just rumors?"
"It's hard to say." The tavern owner handed a glass of beer to a new customer in black, "I just saw the guards arrest two talkative refugees this morning. Let’s go, I wasn’t sure before, but now I’m a little convinced.”
“Do you know what’s the worst?” The blacksmith in the leather vest stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth mysteriously. He said, "When I went to church today, I asked Father Vesta, do you know what he said?
He told me that this incident was just a rumor, absolutely impossible, absolutely false news, and he and everyone else said so. ”
“Oh my God. "Does the chosen pope of the people of Qianhe Valley really exist?" "
"How could such a thing happen? "
"I don't understand. "The middle-aged man in black robe who was sitting quietly drinking suddenly turned sideways and said, "Didn't the priest say that there is no such thing? ”
"Oh hahaha, my friend, you don't understand." The dyer sitting in the corner wearing a red folding hat laughed, "Only what the church denies has credibility."
"Friend, you have to know that some impossible things may actually happen after the church denies them."
"How many years of experience have been gained."
In the tavern The crowd suddenly laughed.
Unlike elsewhere, the city of High Castle is still under the management of the church, rather than being managed by the city council like the Free City of Ayr.
Therefore, the craftsmen here have a certain fondness for the Pope, but are very disgusted with the local church.
"Who cares? When Prince Condai's Holy Horse arrives, they will turn into powder." Sehgal has always hated the secret party. "I just hope that His Highness can hurry up. If this continues, I will Bankrupt."
"Our defender (Barneyforth's nickname) felt uncomfortable now." The black beer poured into his mouth, and the blacksmith wiped the foam from his beard. "It turns out. I wanted to show my face in front of His Majesty the Prince, but ended up exposing my butt."
"Hahahahaha"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the store was filled with joy again.
"No need to look for it." Throwing a dinar on the table, a middle-aged man wrapped in a hermit's robe and hood pushed the empty cup and plate, stood up and left.
But the tavern owner stepped forward and caught him.
“Hey, who told you one dinar?” The tavern owner knocked on the fir tabletop with his thick knuckles, “Two dinars.”
“It wasn’t always the case before. Is this the price?" The middle-aged man frowned and asked in confusion.
“The past was before, and now is now. Look, where is the wine after the flood? If you think it’s expensive, I still think it’s expensive.”
As if he thought he was unlucky, the middle-aged man fished in his pocket for a long time before he took out thirty copper coins: "I only brought these..."
"Oh, there's not enough for one dinar here." , Come on, I'm in trouble." Taking the copper from the middle-aged man's hand, the boss waved it away impatiently, "Bring it to me next time, Gungun."
"Speaking of it, plug. Gal, your distant nephew is called Horn, right? Is he back?”
“I’m worried to death. His house is right next to the Gulag Monastery, and it might be flooded. After leaving, I still hope that he will provide for me in old age.”
“Don’t be so pessimistic, Segal, maybe he was captured by the false pope.”
"Hahahahahaha!"
Ignoring the vulgar words of the craftsmen behind him, the middle-aged man in black walked outside the tavern, and a guard also wearing black walked over.
"Your Highness, those drinks and meals are worth one dinar at most. These people are clearly insulting you, otherwise I..."
"What do they know?" interrupted the guard. Then, Prince Kong Dai raised his head and glanced at the scorching sun, "This year's season is really abnormal. There are heavy rains in summer, and autumn is like summer."
Putting on his hood to cover his face, Prince Kong Dai held down the guard's hand. Shoulder: "Come on, let's go to the church and meet Barneyforth."
A small town with a population of two to three thousand people obviously could not provide for a small regiment of eight thousand people, so Prince Condai asked the nine command companies to camp in the wild.
He himself rode an old horse and came to the high castle in advance with only two guards.
After all, this is half of his hometown, and Prince Kong Dai is quite sentimental. He doesn’t want to ruin it and his reputation here.
“You go and inform Barneyforth first and tell him to keep quiet. I suspect that there are secret party spies in High Castle City.
You tell him to give him the information about the Gulag rebels in advance. It's all ready, I'll take it and leave.
Also, tell him that I won't spend any more time with him and that I have no interest in the banquets he prepared. ”
(End of this chapter)