Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1183 1165. Discussion
The curses against the non-human races that surrounded them like flies made Lan En and Sakia frown unconsciously.

If it was just for this one attack, then Lan En didn't have any ideas.

After all, what the Scoia'tael did was what they did. It is also a fact that they destroyed important public facilities and killed innocent people.

However, the attack by the Squirrel Party is linked to the so-called "innate inferiority" of the non-human race and the "blood of no gratitude and integrity in the race".
Lan En felt disgusted by this illogical and groundless statement.

When they got off the boat and walked to the ferry, they found that there were indeed quite a few people working on clearing the river of shipwrecks.

Lan waved his hand behind him, so Lincoln led the rest of the Embers Knights to help with the work.

The sunken ship didn't look big, but because its position after sinking was very unnatural, it posed a considerable threat to passing ships.

The mast was still visible above the water.

You really have to clean it up before you can go there.

Then, in the busy ferry where people were coming and going, Lan, Flannel Ball and Sakia walked inside.

This was the second facility that Lan had entered that had been attacked by the Scoia'tael.

It can be seen that the security environment in Temeria is deteriorating rapidly.

Although there were bandits rampant before and it was not uncommon for a few people to die on the road, but now even official facilities guarded by soldiers were breached, which was a big blow to public security and prestige.

The sergeant who had boarded the boat to retrieve people was walking in front of Lan En. The bandages on his body were bleeding. Because of his injury, he did not have to do the work of cleaning the river.

"Those are the people who died in the attack."

The sergeant stretched out his hand and pointed to a makeshift thatched-roof shed outside the wooden sentry box.

There were eight or nine bodies covered with white cloth and canvas.

"Three are Scoia'tael, the rest are ours."

The wooden boards on the ground were covered with mud and the ground was very wet.

The wooden boards made a crackling sound when stepped on, and mud and water squeezed out from the cracks from time to time.

When the fluff ball walks on the surface, it always lifts its legs habitually and then kicks its legs backward to shake off the water.

This is originally a mudflat near the river, and the recent fighting made it even more muddy and chaotic.

The men and horses were neighing, and there was shouting and activity everywhere. The sergeant led Lan En and the others to the outside of the wooden sentry box and pointed inside.

"You guys go in, the person in charge is inside, just talk to him if you have anything to say."

The demon hunter nodded, and the group went inside.

There was a lively conversation going on in the dim and smoke-filled sentry box.

A bald knight, wearing sleeveless mail and a blue tunic with the coat of arms of the Principality of Elland, appeared to be the leader of the group of soldiers.

He was yelling at two businessmen in the room.

The original toll collector at the ferry, with several bandages wrapped around his head but still bleeding, was sitting quietly but with a gloomy expression.

I don’t know if he was just watching the fun, or if the injury on his head caused nerve damage, causing him to be in an uncontrollable daze.

"I said, no! Are your ears broken?!"

The knight slammed his fist on the table, and the table seemed to be about to fall apart. Several bills popped out from the drawer.

"I told you, there are also Scoia'tael in the Pontar Valley ahead! And they are even more rampant! They have massacred several villages in the mountains, and no one survived!"

"But we have been detained here for several days!" A businessman wearing a disc-shaped cloth hat who kept wiping his sweat with a handkerchief complained.

"Especially today! If you hadn't come quickly and we hadn't dodged well, the Scoia'tael's knives would have been stained with my blood!"

Another businessman, who had his wallet hanging around his neck, also said, "Besides, the value of goods depreciates every day they are hoarded, and the investment is increasing. Our business can't sustain it!"

"That's none of my business." The knight said arrogantly, throwing his leather gloves on the table. "Anyway, Duke Seaward is mobilizing troops in the Pontar Valley ahead to completely eliminate the Squirrel Party entrenched there."

"To avoid any trouble, no one is allowed to go there until the job is done. Hey, Sergeant, who did you bring over?"

The soldier outside the door, who didn't want to go in, just poked his head in and answered.

"No, sir. These are soldiers from the Duke's ship. They come to hear what's going on."

Now, a hearty smile appeared on the knight's face as he looked at Lan and Sakia who were almost blocking the door.

"You look like you have great skills. It's a pity that you have to go to the river valley. Otherwise, I really want you to help me deal with the Scoia'tael here."

He has completely different attitudes towards warriors and businessmen. I think he prefers to communicate with brave people.

But when he finally talked about the Scoia'tael, his face turned sour again.

"I heard you say before that the Scoia'tael were causing trouble in the valley? Is this true? Why did they do this?"

Sakia took a step forward and asked the knight in a somewhat curious manner. The closer we get to the river valley, the harder it is to hide this matter. This is normal.

But even Sister Nenneke didn't know the details, but a knight here said with certainty that "the chaos in the valley came from the Scoia'tael."
The knight still had that unquestionable expression.

"Of course it's them, who else? Monsters you've never seen? Don't be ridiculous, ma'am. This world is not a fairy tale book."

"As for why? Everyone knows that the Scoia'tael want every human to die. They are already notorious. Destroying the valley will damage all four northern countries. Isn't that enough?"

The knight continued, seeming to be surprised that Sakia showed so little understanding of the Scoia'tael.

"Since the war with Nilfgaard began, the first Scoia'tael have already appeared. These vile inhumans are simply adding insult to injury!"

"We were fighting the Nilfgaardian black dogs on the front line, and they were fighting guerrilla warfare with our baggage train in the back. They must have thought that the Nilfgaardians could defeat us, so they spread the word that human rule had ended and the world would return to the old order."

The knight waved his hand angrily.

"'Drive humans back into the sea', this is their battle cry, and their excuse for looting, murder, and arson!"

When the Knight was speaking, Lann responded quickly and the fluff ball was also very smart.

The knight before him expressed distrust and disgust for non-human races beyond words.

So, relying on his body size and cloak, Lan En simply blocked the figure of the fluffy ball.

The kitten was smart enough not to go in, but stayed outside the booth to avoid any complications.

It really couldn't understand why the humans in this world couldn't be like the New World where it lived.

Wouldn’t it be good for humans to cooperate and coexist peacefully with other intelligent races?

It’s obvious that if we all work together, we can accomplish many things that we couldn’t do before!
The Detter of the Valley Plundering Tribe have a much better life now after they got in touch with the New World Investigation Team and started cooperating with each other.

The fluff ball scratched its ears with its little paws in confusion.

And inside the sentry box, there were also people who opposed the knight's statement.

"This is your fault, your problem."

The businessman was wiping his sweat with a handkerchief, but the more he wiped, the more sweat he seemed to be sweating.

"It's you, as well as the other nobles and knights! You oppressed the non-human races, not allowing them to live their own lives, and went to cause trouble for no reason. Now the retribution has come. And we have been transporting goods in this area and have nothing to do with them."

"That's right." The merchant with the purse hanging around his neck agreed. "The Scoia'tael are no more vicious than the thieves and pirates that plague the trade routes. Who will the elves deal with first? Those thieves and pirates!"

"But I don't care whether the person hiding in the bushes and shooting an arrow through my heart was an elf or a thief or a pirate!" The toll collector who had been standing in a daze in the corner suddenly said viciously.

He pointed his dirty fingers at the gauze on his forehead that was still oozing blood.

"The same thing goes for the iron-clad stick that nearly split my head. Does it matter who hits me on the head with it?"

"Sir, you said the Scoia'tael are similar to thieves and pirates? That's totally wrong! The thieves and pirates just want money, but the Scoia'tael just want to see humans bleed!"

"Not all of us have money, but we all have blood in our veins!"

He first spoke to the merchant with a purse hanging around his neck, and then turned to look at the merchant holding a handkerchief.

"Also, you said this was a problem between nobles and knights, which is even more stupid!"

"There's another toll collector lying in the charnel house outside us. Elsewhere in Temeria, there are minced tarrs in the beech forests, and peasants fleeing after their villages were burned. Have they done anything to offend the nonhuman race?"

"I have never done anything to offend them in my life, but not long ago a dwarf jumped up and tried to smash my head!"

The topic, which was originally superficial, is gradually moving into deeper levels with the conversations between several eyewitnesses and knowledgeable and thoughtful people present.

Lan En did not say a word, but just listened, because he had already thought about the topics these people were talking about, and even thought about them more deeply.

But Sakia in front of Lan En. Obviously, apart from the book she discussed with Lan En last time, she had not thought deeply about reality many times.

He looked worried at the moment, but it was obvious that he was trying hard to keep up with the progress of the discussion.

With a "bang", the shaky table in the middle of the room was hit hard again.

After knocking on the table, the bald knight in the blue coat loudly praised the toll collector.

"That's absolutely right! They want to see humans bleed, and they don't care whether the blood is noble or base!"

"We were too indulgent to them before. We trusted and treated them the same as humans. As a result, our tolerance led to betrayal! I guarantee with my life that it must be the Nilfgaardians who are funding them and transporting weapons to these barbaric elves and dwarves!"

"But there is another saying."

The bald knight's tone dropped.

"In fact, the real help for the Scoia'tael comes from those around us—the elves, half-elves, dwarves, and halflings who are still living normal lives!"

"They harbor the Scoia'tael, send them supplies and intelligence, and even recruit them!"

(End of this chapter)