Pale Emblem

Chapter 41 Plantation Night
Plantation, the study on the second floor of the mayor's mansion.

At this moment, the night was dark, and the outside was plunged into a cold and silent darkness rendered by snow.The mayor's study was as warm as spring, with bright candles.The wood in the fireplace smelled faintly of charcoal and occasionally crackled, the sound of wood popping in the scorching flames.The candlelight of a dozen antelope oil candles illuminated every corner of the study.

Holding a cup of pine nut tea, Maine sat leisurely on a chair padded with soft animal skins, watching the barbarian boy Yog use a quill as he leaned over the desk to practice copying.

The rustling sound of the pen nib across the cotton bark paper is like a series of never-ending notes, and Yog, who concentrates on writing, is like an outstanding musician, playing a wonderful movement with pen and paper.

Maine likes the sound of writing more than any music, and he can tell by ear that Yog's learning is in excellent condition.Some people can't forget them, and they can see ten lines at a time; some people are drowsy when they grab a book.If a person is gifted, intelligent, and studious, his future academic achievements will be limitless.

Yog was born that way.

Maine sighed secretly that among his half-elf disciples, those who love learning are not as smart as Yog, and those who are talented are not as diligent as Yog.In the more than a month that he has been with Yog, Maine has had the idea of ​​accepting him as a disciple.

...Unfortunately, he is a barbarian.

"Teacher, I have already copied this "Goddess Sect and Famous Family Politics"." Yog put down his quill, lowered his head, and respectfully handed the manuscript he just transcribed to Maine.

Mayor Maine picked up the manuscript, flipped through the manuscript, stroked his long beard, and nodded in praise: "It's well written. Yog, you have made great progress. Now, having you help me copy the manuscript saves me a lot of trouble. Throw that old manuscript into the fireplace and burn it."

Even if the cotton paper is kept carefully, after two or three years, the paper will become crispy, and it may shatter with a slight touch.Mein has filled one wall of bookshelves with papers written on lint paper over the years.Some of the manuscripts have come to the time when they have to be copied and copied.

Maine was getting old, and he couldn't do it himself. He asked those half-elf guards who could read for him to copy it for him. They all complained a lot, or they just copied and scribbled, and the words they wrote were horrible.

Fortunately, Yog was willing to do the job, and Mein was very satisfied with the fruits of his labor.Although the barbarian boy obviously wanted to please him, Maine recognized that Yog's talent and quality were better than his most proud disciple.

The barbarian teenager burned the old manuscript page by page.Seeing the regret on his face, Maine couldn't help showing a kind smile and said kindly, "Yoge, you've worked hard these days. What reward do you want?"

Yog said terrified: "Teacher, this is what I should do. I... love doing these things too. I can't ask for a reward."

With plenty of food and a warm place to live, Yog has grown rapidly in more than a month here.Although he is not as sturdy as a full-grown barbarian, he is also bulkier and sturdier than most half-elves.The tall barbarian boy rubbed his hands together, looked awkward, and seemed very well-behaved and sensible, and even made Maine feel some kind of pity for him.

"The great sage Malfoy created the science of monsters. He divided animals into two categories: intelligent species and beast species. Intelligent species also include humanoid intelligent species and non-human intelligent species. Like rock elves, half elves, barbarians, and half orcs, They all belong to the humanoid intelligent species. He said that humanoids are naturally similar. They have cooperated and disagreed in the past, present, and future. They can coexist, and they can also be hostile. This is because intelligent species can make different choices and produce different As a result, a wonderful fate line is formed."

Yog said uneasily: "Teacher, I don't quite understand what you are saying."

Maine smiled slightly and sighed: "I'm just a little emotional... Vertok gave you an alloy dagger, and you accepted it without thinking. I wanted to give you a reward, but you didn't dare to accept it. Different choices you made?"

There was a warning sign in Yog's heart, and he didn't know how to answer the sage's question.He suddenly looked back at the door of the study.

Outside the study door, a figure appeared.He wore a black professional suit with a round hood and mask, and lowered his head so that his face and eyes could not be seen at all.The man in black drooped his hands naturally, and stood there motionless, and Yog could feel some kind of terrifying aura.His keen intuition told him that as long as he dared to shout, the man in black would kill him before he made a sound!
Although his body trembled uncontrollably from fear, the barbarian boy still protected Mayor Maine behind him.

Maine was equally terrified.The fourth-level bow warrior Joseph lived in this house with three professional guards, responsible for his safety.In addition to the four professionals, there are eleven smart and well-behaved barbarian slaves in the room.They would take turns on duty at night, and not all of them would fall asleep.

The man in black did not disturb the professionals and barbarian slaves in the room, and quietly appeared in the study on the second floor.It can be seen that his stealth ability is very clever, and such a person is either a terrible assassin, or his strength far exceeds the fourth-level bow warrior Joseph.

When Mayne thinks, all fears can be overcome.He said calmly and softly, "Yorg, this is my old friend coming to see me. Quietly go back to your room to sleep, shut the door, and don't mention it to anyone."

"Oh".

Yog watched vigilantly at the man in black who blocked the door, and saw that he stepped into the study, turned his body sideways, and made way for the door.

The barbarian youth carefully brushed past the man in black, closed the door lightly, and walked to his room without haste or slow.

Seeing that the man in black didn't kill the barbarian boy, Mayor Mayen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled calmly: "Your Excellency, visiting late at night, there must be something important to look for, this old guy, right?"

The man in black raised his head, took off his hood and mask, revealing his true face.He looks 27 or [-] years old, with a handsome appearance, a full forehead, a high nose bridge, thin lips and a pair of green eyes with vertical lines inside, revealing a cold and stern temperament, and there are bruises on both sides of his cheeks. Strange black streaks spread all the way down the neck.

"Lord Sage, we meet again." He half-knelt on the floor under the surprised eyes of Mayor Maine and said in a low voice.

Maine rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and said, "Heurante? You... Didn't you bring the dragoons to capture the Shadow Lurker a few days ago? Why are you back?"

Heurante said in a deep voice, "I am under the order of Miss Victoria to pick you up and leave the Braun Plantation."

"Victoria?"

Maine was stunned, loosened the bell and drawstring hidden under the desk, looked at Heurante carefully, and finally said with a smile: "Get up, this old guy is not worthy of the kneeling ceremony of a Dragon Vein Venerable... You really surprised me, the commander of the Dragoons from the famous Golden Oak Sect, Hurant, is actually from Nightingale."

"I've always been a servant of Miss Victoria." Hewlante stood up and said coldly, "The background of the Nightingale's famous family is not what those rebels can imagine."

"As expected of the nightingale with the longest history in Zhumingmen." Maine exclaimed in admiration and asked again, "Your presence makes me more confident in Victoria's plan. Does the Golden Oak Patriarch know your identity?"

"He doesn't know." Hewlante shook his head.

"Unfortunately... If the famous Golden Oaks are also on our side, things will be much easier to handle." Maine nodded, and reached out for Heurante to sit down, "Please sit down, we have time to talk slowly. This room The guards in the house are all mine."

Heurant smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Sage, I'm afraid we don't have time to chat slowly, we must leave immediately!"

Maine put away the smile on his face and asked solemnly, "What happened?"

Hughland said quickly and clearly: "Three days ago, I took the dragoons to the north forest to hunt the Shadow Lurkers. In order to survey the nearby terrain, we passed the ice surface, detoured the north bank of the Krill River, and accidentally bumped into the Outland Half The orcs are mobilizing their troops. I led the dragoons to fight with a group of orc warriors, and then I was targeted by the elite of the orcs. After I figured out a way to get rid of the pursuers, I specially came to pick up the adults and leave. I guess, at the latest Thousands of Orc warriors will attack the Plantation and Braun Town before dawn today."

"Sir, if we don't leave, it will be too late."

These days, Mayne has been thinking about the Orcs in Outland.There are more than a dozen small barbarian tribes living near the Bolang Lake basin, with a total population of about [-] to [-].There is no doubt that the half-orcs who migrated from the outer domain to the north bank of Braun Lake are also a large tribe with a population of more than [-], otherwise the local barbarians would have united to kill them or expel them from the territory.

Last autumn, the local barbarians were raided by the Blackfire Orcs, and their food was only enough to feed their stomachs.If the half-orcs from the outer domain snatch the barbarians' last winter supplies, they will inevitably lead to desperate resistance from the barbarians.But this did not happen, indicating that the Orcs in Outland had food for the winter.They have gone through a long migration and are in desperate need of rest, not war.

It is precisely because the Orcs and the local barbarians in the outer domain are restraining each other, the town of Braun, which has insufficient troops, can play a balancing role.

The barbarians take the initiative to attack the invaders, no matter what the result is, they will eventually be picked up by the half-elves in Braun Town.If the Orcs from Outland attack the town of Braun, they will be stabbed in the back by the barbarians.As for the weak town of Braun, it is not bad to be able to defend its own territory, and it has no ability to provoke the Orc tribe on the other side of the lake.

Mein analyzed that the three parties maintain a delicate balance that should last until next spring.Until then, it will be another situation.

Thousands of Orcs in Outland are fat, and the Blackfire Warchief will surely eat them in one bite.Therefore, they either leave the Braun Lake basin and continue to migrate; or according to the Orc tradition, the tribal leader accepts the challenge of the Blackfire Butcher.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with Braun Town.It is basically impossible for Leaf City to expand its sphere of influence to the other side of Bolang Lake.

Mein never expected that Hewlett would upset this balance.He didn't believe Heurant's rhetoric. Why did he go to the other side of the river in order to survey the terrain, just when the orcs mobilized their troops... This is deceiving the undead!
Even if the dragoons fought against the half-orcs from Outland, they would not dare to assemble their main force, come to take revenge on the half-elves in Braun Town, and then hand over their backs to the local barbarians.

The sage of Maine has repeatedly deduced the current situation, and he has repeatedly thought about strategies from the perspective of the leader of the orc tribe.He found that there was only one situation in which the Orc tribe would go out in full force and trod down the stronghold of Braun Town.That is, the Orc tribe first made peace with the barbarians on the north bank of Lake Braun.

This situation is entirely possible.The Outland tribes wanted to stay in the fertile Braun Lake basin, and they first had to face the annexation of the Blackfire tribe.The butcher in the tribe is dead!However, if the Orc leader, as an outsider, first unites with the local barbarians, then captures the town of Braun and takes all the land on the south bank of Lake Braun, then the situation will be different.

Not only would the Black Fire Chief not stop it, but he was happy to see it happen, and even secretly provided supplies to outsiders.The half-orcs from Outland are equal to the thugs of the Blackfire Tribe, bypassing the Peace Covenant and expanding the territory for the Blackfire Chief.When the time is right, the Black Fire Chief only needs to declare that these outsiders have been incorporated by the Black Fire, ending the war, and the entire Braun Lake basin will belong to the Black Fire territory from now on.

Mayne wished the orc chieftain hadn't had such a strategic vision, but things tended to go bad.As a sage of the Alliance, he must take precautions.Therefore, Mayne informed Hurant of his analysis.At that time, he hoped that the dragoons of the famous Golden Oaks would stay and deter the Orcs, so that they would not dare to act rashly.

Hullant agreed very lightly, saying that after hunting the Shadow Lurkers, they would return to the plantation to garrison.The results of it?The shadow lurker did not catch it, but led the orcs over.

Maine is still not sure whether Hewlett is lying, but he is suspicious of his position.He frowned and tentatively said: "A full-scale invasion of the Orcs? That's trouble... Last winter, Victoria came to see me quietly, and she said that there was a very important person, and she hoped that I could take care of her for a while. She will send someone to pick him up when she's done with some things. Since I have eyes and ears installed in Fallen Leaf City, I suggested she put that person in the Adventurer's House in Braun Town. Do you know about this?"

Heurant nodded expressionlessly and said, "I know, I was the one who came to pick up Vertok under the order of the young lady. However, the steel rock of the Temple of Earth Mother intervened, and I was unable to bring Vertok out... ...I've sent my men to pick him up, hopefully in time."

Maine sighed secretly, no doubt in his heart.After all, Victoria was a princess who could not escape. Although Heurante was loyal to the famous Nightingale, he had his own ideas.Victoria values ​​Vertok, he may not.Since there was no way to get Vertoc out, he simply attracted the Orcs to attack Braun Town.Even if Vertoc died at the hands of the orcs, it would be better than being acquired by other famous families.

Now, Vertok is irrelevant.The important thing is that Heurant's temperament is ruthless and extreme. If he doesn't leave him, I'm afraid he will become a sage who was killed by orcs.... Maine nodded without showing any emotion, and said, "I can't save it. There's no way... well, let's go now. But I still have a few men to leave together."

"My lord, the fewer people you know, the better. The faster you move, the better."

"Me and Joseph, plus three escorts. We have antelope mounts, so we won't delay the trip."

Maine first locked the barbarian slaves in the house in a large room, ordered them to rest in it and not make any noise, then called Joseph and the three guards and left the mayor's mansion through the back door.

It was cold and dark outside, and there were still half-elf guards and barbarian slaves patrolling the plantation.Joseph, the real captain of the guard, came forward and easily dismissed them.Mayor Maine did not disturb the others. He walked all the way to the animal pen. He suddenly stopped, turned to look at the blacksmith shop next to him, thought about it, and motioned to Joseph, "Go and call Big George out."

Joseph nodded and went to knock on the blacksmith's window.Not long after, a strong bald man came out of the blacksmith in a cloak.He followed Joseph to the shadow of the corner, saw Mayor Maine and several guards, and asked in a low voice, "Master Mayor, what are your orders for coming out to me?"

Maine said lightly: "The orcs are coming, just before dawn. I tell you to run for your life, run west, and don't make a sound."

Big George was taken aback and asked nervously, "Master, can you take me and my two apprentices with you?"

Maine shook his head and said, "Big George, it's inconvenient for you to follow me. I'll leave you a mount and supplies in the stable, but before you go, do something for me."

Big George also understood that there might be other reasons for Mein's escape overnight. It might not be a good thing for him to be wrapped up with him, so he nodded and said, "Thank you, sir, for letting me know. If you have anything for me to do, just tell me!"

Maine pondered: "It's not a big deal... You help me burn all the manuscripts I left in the study... If you don't have time to do it, you can ask Yog for help. He lives on the second floor, and Vertok used to be s room."

Big George was still very confused. When the mayor mentioned Yog, he frowned and gradually stretched his brows. He opened his mouth, showing his white teeth, and said honestly, "Don't worry, sir. I promise to keep your The manuscripts are all burned...not a single one will be left."

**********************
Yog sat on the bed in the room, flustered.Previously, the mayor of Maine quietly summoned the barbarian slaves in the house, and he and Joseph and others left, he could hear clearly.Yog instinctively knew that something big was going to happen tonight, and he wanted to flee the plantation desperately, but he didn't dare to act without authorization.

There are many people in the plantation who are malicious towards him, especially Big George in the blacksmith's shop.If he loses the protection of Mayor Maine, he believes that Big George will definitely find an opportunity to kill himself.

At this moment, that maliciousness is getting closer.Yog knew intuitively that Big George entered the house and was touching his room.But he still had hope for Mayor Maine, and felt that Big George would not dare to mess around in the mayor's mansion.

The solid wooden door was pushed down from the outside, and even the cast iron latch was knocked off.The tower-like figure of Big George appeared at the door. He looked around and didn't find Yog in the room, so he touched his bald head and said to himself, "Hey, it's not here, I'll go out and look for it."

Yog, who was hiding under the bed, didn't dare to breathe, until the heavy footsteps of Big George walked downstairs, the sense of danger gradually subsided, and after a while, he crawled out from under the bed holding a wooden stick, tiptoe Go to the door, probe out and watch.

There is no one on the left, and on the right... Big Georgetown's thick and sturdy body leaned against the wall, with a playful smile on his face, and asked, "Yoge, so late, you are not sleeping under the bed, what are you running out to look for?"

Yog suddenly felt a suffocating dizziness, hid the stick behind him, and stammered: "Big, big George, what are you doing, what are you doing? This is Mr. Mein's house, you, you can't hit me... …”

Big George laughed and said: "Little bastard, aren't you very strange, why doesn't the danger prediction work? Yes, Mr. Maine should have never told you, I am the Oak Guard, and I have not told you, the Oak Guard can Blind the perception of danger. Let me teach you one more thing, next time you hide under the bed, don't lock the door... Barbarians are all idiots, and of course the little bastards are also idiots."

In the desperate situation, Yog inspired his inner courage. He took advantage of George to mock him, and decisively used the laundry hammer and stick to smash the opponent's chest and abdomen.

Barbarian warriors are born with divine power, and Yog's current strength is not much worse than that of adult barbarians.The wooden stick that can be used by barbarian slaves to hammer and wash clothes is hard enough. It slammed into Big George's stomach, and with a click, it was crushed and broken by Yog's powerful force.

The bald blacksmith on the opposite side did not move at all. He patted the sawdust off his clothes and continued to mock: "Little bastards are just bastards, and they will even attack." He raised his rough, calloused hands and grabbed the barbarian boy's head. neck.

Yog slipped, deftly avoiding Big George's grasp, and turned to run.

Big George threw a backhand punch and hit Yoge's vest. The heavy force knocked him out and hit the wall with a loud noise.

"Mr. Vertok's slides, you have learned a decent way." Big George approached the corner of the corner, with bleeding from his nose and mouth, and said grimly: "You can fool Mr. Vertok, but you can't fool me. Look. Look, this vicious look that wants to eat people reveals that you are a lowly barbarian... I don't have time to play with you, and for the sake of Mr. Vertoc, I will give you a good time now."

Yog let out a dying roar of a beast, as if hoping that this would trigger the blood rage talent of the barbarians. The peculiar scars on his face scorched by lightning flashed blue light. He instinctively raised his hands and shot a thick lightning bolt at the bald blacksmith.

Big George didn't have time to dodge at all, and his body was shaking non-stop in the sound of "呲la".When the electric light disappeared, the bald blacksmith, who was black and smoking, fell to the ground.

Yog used up all his strength and knelt on the broken floor without even the strength to lift his head.He struggled to breathe, refilling his atrophied lungs, and his blurred vision gradually became clearer, only to be horrified to find that the burns were bad, and Big George, who should have died, was squirming on the floor.

He didn't die? !
Yog was so terrified that he desperately wanted to stand up and tie each other up first.But it was more difficult than he imagined, no matter how anxious he was, he still couldn't make a move to raise his head.

The life force of the oak guards was terrifyingly tenacious. The seriously injured blacksmith grabbed ahead of Yog, staggered to his feet, and walked towards Yog step by step, making a hoarse but smug "ho, ho" sound in his mouth.

I'm done... Yog, who had just raised his head, closed his eyes in despair, only to hear a thud, and the bald blacksmith fell again.This time, he couldn't get up again.Ingrid, the barbarian slave leader of the plantation, held an iron drill and gave the blacksmith a fatal blow from behind.

Yog reopened his eyes and said weakly, "Ingrid..."

"Don't talk." Ingrid, who was plump and beautiful, bent over and hugged Yog, returned to the room, put him on the bed first, then brought a water jug, held his head, and carefully fed him water.

After drinking a few sips of water, Yog regained some energy and felt Ingrid's warm embrace. He said a little embarrassedly: "I'm fine, you... let me go."

Instead, Ingrid hugged tighter, and brought his face closer, looked at Yoger's eyes up close, and asked with a half-smile, "Are you sure?"

Yog avoided the fiery gaze of the barbarian slave unnaturally, and said, "The teacher came back and saw that I killed Big George... I will implicate you, so go away."

Ingrid raised the corner of his mouth, showing a gentle smile, shook his head and said, "You said you wanted to marry me as your queen, didn't you forget?"

"That's... I, Ingrid, thank you for saving me. You go quickly." Yogg hurriedly urged Ingrid to leave as soon as possible.

Ingrid's eyes flashed, and he continued to ask: "You haven't forgotten what you said, right? Or do you think I'm ugly?"

Yog shook his head and said: "No, you are very beautiful, very beautiful. As long as I can survive, I will marry you. But Big George is dead! The teacher will not let me go. You go!"

"Don't you understand? Mayor Maine abandoned us, and he sent Big George to kill you. Otherwise, Big George would not have come to you right after the mayor left." Ingrid sighed softly. Sheng Sheng said: "My barbarian slaves found Mayor Mayen leaving the plantation. I received news, and when I went to the door again, I saw that they had disappeared without a trace on the antelope. I came to the mayor's house and wanted to ask What happened to the barbarian slave here, and it turned out that Big George came up to trouble you alone. If the mayor doesn't want you to die, he will remind you to be careful about Big George when he leaves... Why, you don't believe what I said? "

Yog shook his head with a bleak expression: "I know, I always knew, the teacher wanted to kill me too. I don't understand, what did I do wrong?"

"Just because he's a half-elf, and you're a barbarian, and you've learned from him," Ingrid said lightly. "But it's different now. The plantation will have a new owner. We need to get ready. I'll go get Burn all the manuscripts that Mayne left behind. This way, what you have learned will lead us to a higher status. Also, you must not tell others that you will use the power of lightning. There has never been a male shaman in the barbarians. Yog, you are the favored one of the great heavenly spirit, destined to be the king of our barbarian race. The premise is that you must never let the orcs know!"

Yog was silent for a moment, then said dully: "Is the dagger that Vertok gave me? You have to give it back to me."

Gifting hand-made weapons has a special meaning for the barbarians who have just grown up, it is a kind of approval from their parents or elder brothers.Ingrid asked suspiciously: "Vertok is also a half-elf, is it different from Maine?"

Yog didn't speak, just shook his head.But he kept repeating in his own mind: Vertok looked at me the same way he looked at anyone else.He also gave me a dagger that he made with his own hands...he is my brother.

(End of this chapter)