Chapter 314 Hodwell
After leaving the Golden State Bank, Luo Xiu and Intis then walked around Songyuan City, purchasing some consumables and materials, and did not return to the "Wolf Hunter Tavern" until the evening. ".
When Luo Xiu first came to Songyuan City, he made an agreement with the owner of the tavern, the old "Knight of the Throne" Isaac. In the evening, Isaac would invite Luo Xiu and Intis They grilled meat and drank wine.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard of the tavern, they could smell the aroma of barbecue.
The owner of the tavern did not appear, but his old comrade-in-arms, another "Knight of the Throne" Blueyere, was already waiting in the courtyard.
He was sitting on a creaking bench. When he saw Luo Xiu and Intis, he waved to them and greeted them warmly.
“Friends!” Blueyere shouted to Luo Xiu, “Brother Isaac asked me to wait for you here, hey! You came at the right time!”
“I I can already smell the aroma of barbecue." Luo Xiu nodded and said with a smile.
He and Intis immediately walked towards Blueyere and asked casually: "Issac in there?"
"He is grilling meat, little brother." Blueye Yeer stood up, walked to Luo Xiu, put his arms around his shoulders and said, "Let's go! Let's go in together, I can't help but have a big meal."
...
The Wolfhound Tavern is a restaurant with a bold and rugged style.
The lights in the tavern are dim, the wooden tables and chairs have been worn smooth by time, and smoke has left obvious traces on them.
In the smoke, the meat skewers hanging on the iron rack exude an attractive aroma.
The firelight reflected Isaac's face red, and his eyes were focused and fiery, as if the barbecue in his hand attracted his attention more than the flames in front of him.
His other hand was not idle either. Isaac rolled up his thick sleeves and clamped thick pieces of meat steak with the iron tongs in his hand. As he turned them over, fat dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a crackling sound.
Luo Xiu sat aside, holding a beer glass in his hand. The liquid in the glass was full of foam and glowing golden.
“Here, try this.”
Issac handed over a piece of freshly grilled meat skewers. It was steaming hot, and the oil drippings crackled on the charcoal fire.
Luo Xiu took it and took a bite, feeling that the meat was overflowing with juice, mixed with a unique spicy and refreshing taste, rich and mellow.
"It has a very unique taste." Luo Xiu said while chewing the barbecue, "What spices did you add? I tasted the mixed taste of chili pepper and mint."
"Haha, that's the meat itself. Taste." Isaac turned the meat skewers in his hand and said:
"Some time ago, several old comrades and I were recruited to go to the Wulin Mountains to kill the rebel leader who had fled from Kuma. We hunted a spotted sword pig. "
"For us, it is a rare ingredient. Its meat can be preserved for a long time if it is slightly dried. During the mission, it will not last for a few bites. Hungry.”
“And the meat of this wild boar has a strong spicy taste, which chokes the throat like strong liquor... I added chopped mint leaves, paired with a sprinkle of rose sea salt. , can neutralize some spiciness and add some meat flavor. ”
"You know so much, Mr. Isaac." Luo Xiu praised him sincerely, put the meat skewer in his hand to his mouth, and tore off a piece of meat.
Issac quickly grilled a few more skewers and put the meat skewers on a plate. Luo Xiu, Blueyere, and several other old knights quickly divided it up. them.
In addition to the "striped sword pig" meat skewers, the table at this time was already full of mouth-watering delicacies.
Slices of mutton are skewered on thick iron skewers, the meat is firm yet tender; the pork chop next to it is grilled to a crispy skin, and the pork inside is tender and juicy, mixed with rosemary and The aroma of garlic; the beef presents another flavor. The large steaks are covered with dark brown textures and are grilled to perfection, tender and tender with a mellow chewiness...
Grilled It was almost done, Isaac also built a charcoal fire, served the last bone-in barbecue, squeezed in between Blueyere and another old knight and took a seat.
"Welcome, Carlos." He put the barbecue on the plate, then grabbed the wooden barrel cup in front of him and said cheerfully to Luo Xiu:
"Welcome to Songyuan City, cheers!"< br>
"Thank you, cheers." Luo Xiu also raised his glass, clinked it with Isaac's larger glass, and then drank the yellow beer in the glass in one gulp.
The old knights present also raised their wine glasses. The tavern was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and the sound of glasses clinking constantly came from the heavy wooden table.
The other knights began to chat about their own topics. Isaac sat opposite Luo Xiu. He looked at Luo Xiu and said with emotion:
"'Judgment War'... Shortly after you left, this protracted war broke out between the Empire and the Thieves Principality."
"You came at the right time, Luo Xiu. If you had come a little later, In a month, I might not be in Songyuan City anymore.”
“You’re not in Songyuan City?” Luo Xiu raised his glass and took a sip, and asked following Isaac’s topic.
"Yes, actually, I just received a new call from the 'Round Table' not long ago."
Issac said, "The war situation has intensified, and Lord Gawain is asking those of us who have retired The old knights issued a call, hoping that we would take up arms and go to the front of the Kuma Territory to cooperate with him to defeat the main force of the principality.”
"Even the Emperor's Divine Seal Knights have rushed to the front line... Hey, that place is no longer just a battlefield for counter-rebellion, it has completely turned into a cemetery and a huge meat grinder... Alas. Kuma led it. The decisive battle may directly determine the future fate of the empire."
After a pause, Isaac's eyes darkened, and he took a deep sip from the wine glass before continuing:
"To be honest, I am not sure whether we can win... But as soldiers of the empire, it is the bounden duty of the 'Knights of the Throne' to obey orders and go to the battlefield. Whether we are in service or retired, this is It’s something that must be done.”
“It will win,” Luo Xiu said, “The empire will win.”
Issac will be transferred to the front? This happened earlier than in the previous life... Luo Xiu thought to himself.
He actually knew the final result of the decisive battle in Kumaland. The empire would achieve final victory, and Emperor Augustwell would issue an order for a full-scale counterattack -
But that was not the turning point that allowed the empire to achieve a decisive victory.
Because, in the timeline of the previous life, the "Holy Tower Theocracy" would suddenly declare war on the Empire on the day when the Empire defeated the main force of the Dark Principality - the Pope of the Theocracy would publicly give a jihad speech, and then carry out a large-scale Send troops to invade the empire's borders and launch a "holy war" against the empire!
In the previous life, the empire, which was surrounded by enemies from both sides, hastily mobilized its main force to move north, thereby missing the opportunity to launch a counterattack against the Dark Principality, giving them a chance to breathe.
The Dark Principality quickly mobilized its troops and once again recruited millions of troops to invade the borders of the empire, further intensifying the situation of the "Judgment War".
But that was the evolution in the previous life... In the current timeline, due to the long-term inability to attack the "Red Maple City", the dark army on the border cannot form a line. At least the battle situation in the Songyuan Territory is much better than that in the previous life. The overall war situation also had a profound impact.
Because Red Maple City, a border fortress with an important strategic position, has been strong to this day, the main force of the Dark Principality cannot march straight in, nor can it use Red Maple City as the starting point to project power to the surrounding areas. This directly makes Kuma The imperial army led by him gained a much greater advantage than in the previous life.
"I hope so." Isaac said, he stabbed a piece of barbecue with a short knife and put it in his mouth.
He chewed the barbecue and said:
"I heard that there were indeed some beautiful victories in several fortresses on the border of Songyuan Territory. It is precisely because of this that the Dark Army The original strategy had to be abandoned, and the empire's army had arrived in the Kuma Territory, which forced the group of 'thieves' to engage in a decisive battle with the empire."
"If they are afraid and cowardly, the Kuma Territory will be easily recovered by us. By then, the 'revenge' threatened by the Dark Duke will be completely hopeless!"
He said , seemed to have regained his confidence, and his meat-eating expression became happy again.
"Brother Isaac, I am actually the priest from the 'border' you call me."
Luo Xiu smiled, took a sip of beer, and said to Isaac Said:
"You know, I have the task of 'Holy Judgment' in Songyuan City, which is a very important task. Therefore, I want to ask you about someone." "Who do you want to ask about?" Yi Sark asked casually.
Maintaining a normal expression, Luo Xiu took another sip of beer and asked Isaac:
"You are also a 'Knight of the Throne', brother Isaac. I want to find out. , do you know the person named 'Holdwell'?"
That is the "secret pick-up person" recorded in the secret note that Anthony found from the flesh and blood sacrifice in "Oncica Town". .
Isak was stunned when he heard this, but without thinking too much, he replied:
"I know him. 'Fire Bronze Knight' Holdwell, when I was still serving at the Round Table, he was promoted from the knights of the guard led by Lord Gawain, and became a 'Knight of the Throne' and was able to sit at the Round Table. Now He should be the 32nd seat of the 'Knights of the Round Table'."
"That's a very 'retro' knight, haha. He is considered young among the Knights of the Round Table, but his actions and style appear mature. ”
"Why are you asking Hodwell? Is it that the church has any tasks that require the assistance of the 'Knight of the Throne'?"
"Absolutely." Luo Xiu nodded and said, "The church has gained some new information about the secrets. There are clues about the organization, some of which require the knight to assist us in investigating."
"Can you tell me where Hodwell lives or where he works?"
As he spoke, Luo Xiu took out the holy emblem symbolizing the church's "priest" priesthood, which was enough to allow him to obtain most of the information he wanted from anywhere.
"Normally, that's not possible, Brother Carlos," Isaac smiled and replied, "But since you took this out, the Hodwell matter is no longer a secret to you."
"If I remember correctly, he should live in Golden Avenue and Lacey Manor. I have retired for a long time. If Hodwell has changed his residence, then I don't know."
"The Lacey Manor on Golden Avenue?" Luo Xiu forked a piece of barbecue and said with a smile, "I understand. Thank you, Brother Isaac."
......
Eating meat and drinking wine in Isaac's tavern until almost early in the morning, the old knights finally felt happy and satisfied.
Luo Xiu, who felt that he had drank at least half a barrel of beer and eaten at least four or five kilograms of barbecue, rubbed his belly and thanked Isaac again, and then took him to sit in the corner and only took a few bites. Intis went upstairs.
After they returned to the room on the third floor, they noticed that Isaac and Blueyere had extinguished the lights and went back to their rooms to sleep. Luo Xiu and Intis changed their clothes. Quietly climbed out of the window.
——The residence of "Knight of the Throne" Hodwell, Luo Xiu has obtained the exact information from Isaac's mouth, and can carry out some targeted actions.
It was nightfall at this time, and Songyuan City was completely immersed in darkness. The pale blue moonlight poured along the eaves, casting mottled shadows on the stone pavement of the street.
Most of the shops along the street have closed their doors to customers, and only a few pubs are still brightly lit. Occasionally, pedestrians passed by in a hurry, and their figures flickered in and out of sight under the flickering firelight, as if they were ghosts wandering in the city.
Twenty minutes later.
On Golden Street, in front of the gate of "Lacey Manor", two figures appeared quietly there.
"This is it..."
Looking at the dim light still emitting from the three-story windows in the villa in the manor that resembled a classical Western European aristocratic style, Luo Xiu pulled Pull up the hood.
"You are here to take care of me, Intis."
"If anyone approaches, please tell me."
After speaking in a low voice, Luo Xiu's figure faded, Disappeared, and a shadow quickly and silently sneaked towards the direction of the villa.
……
Lacey Manor, inside the villa.
On the third floor, "Fire Bronze Knight" Hodwell's room.
The classical-style room is lined with tall bookshelves filled with all kinds of old books. The wooden bookshelves and leather-bound books exude a light woody aroma.
The owner of the manor, the "Fire Bronze Knight" Hodwell, was sitting on a beautifully carved wooden chair.
In front of him was a confidential document from the "Round Table", while on the other side was a half-written piece of confidential paper.
The quill in his hand was quickly scratching across the secret paper, making a rustling sound.
"Gawain..."
His eyes were bloodshot, and his face had a fanatical and twisted expression.
“Almost half of the adults in the ‘Fifth Level of Destiny’ have been transferred out...ah...”
“Even the chief ‘Thunder General’ Albert. Went to the border...hehe..."
"Of the ten knights in front of the round table, only three are still in Songyuan City...and the Marquis is even planning to leave for Kuma in person Leader, this is really..."
As Hodwell murmured, the enthusiasm in his eyes deepened, and the hand holding the armrest even began to claw at it unconsciously, leaving a shallow claw mark on it.
"An unprecedented opportunity..."
"Lord Velino must be told..."
"All preparations are in place...just take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity..." The opportunity, when the Marquis left Songyuan City, completely erupted and subverted the order! "
"I have seen it... I have seen it for the second time belonging to Songyuan Territory' Bloody Declaration'! ”
Hodwell was looking forward to it so much that the tip of the quill he held in the hand he was copying the secrets trembled faster and more frequently.
The bronze lamp in front of him was emitting dim light, projecting his outline trembling with excitement on the wall, like a trembling monster.
What Hodwell did not notice in the intense enthusiasm and excitement was——
Behind him, his shadow was moving unnaturally.
A pair of eyes hidden in the depths, shining with deep purple light, were watching with interest as Hodwell wrote rapidly and muttered to himself.
He was too involved...
Luo Xiu watched with great interest and couldn't bear to disturb him.
……
(End of this chapter)