Steel Chang'an
Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Mu Yun looked out through the transparent cover of the elevator, and the night view of Yongjiang City was still very bright.
Just like when he came to Yongjiang City on the first day, the holographic advertisements crowded in the streets and alleys were bizarre, like a group of large and small electronic ghosts floating above the city, and the dark green river reflected the whole city. The lights of Yongjiang City, the huge painting cruise ship is like a moving high-rise building passing through it.
Mu Yun stared at this strange city.Through the reflection of the protective glass, he saw his own face reflected above the city, pale and dim, like a depressed shadow, looking down in bewilderment on the roads that spread out like cobwebs on the land.
Go on like this and become a real knight.
Mu Chuan's words were like the wind in Baima City, always lingering in his ears.
how should i gohe asked in a low voice.Every road is a lie, everyone has secrets, and even this city has its own secrets buried underground.Every step I take is a mistake.I originally thought that as long as I kept going like this, I would one day be able to avenge Baima City and you, but in the end, every step I took was doing things for my enemies, and every step I took was within their calculations.The man I regard as my master is also my enemy, and I thought he could help me become a real knight. I thought that as long as I go on like this, one day I will be able to bring justice to White Horse City. fool.
I can make him into that person, whoever he wants to be.A true knight.
He remembered what Li Jing said to the wolf lord.
To become a true knight is his wish, his goal, and his final agreement with Mu Chuan.
But even this was in Li Jing's calculations.
From the moment he met Li Jing...no, even from the moment the White Horse City was broken, every step he took was already in Li Jing's calculations.
why?
What can you gain by making me a true knight?
What does White Horse City have to do with you?Why let the wolf lord slaughter Baima City, but let the wolf lord spare my life?
Why did you accept me as a disciple?What do you want from me?
What does all this have to do with the Seal of the King you are looking for?
He really wanted to grab Li Jing with these hands, press him heavily against the wall, and ask Li Jing these questions himself.
But he knew that it was absolutely impossible to get a real answer from Li Jing's mouth based on his current self.
After witnessing the fight between Li Jing and Zheng Quan, he realized that even if he had the Bright Sword in his hand, he might not be Li Jing's opponent.
How should I do?He asked in a low voice, knowing that it was impossible for Mu Chuan to answer his question again.
If even my goal is in their calculation, how should I go to get out of their calculation?
You need strength.
The familiar voice said to him.
If you don't want to be a chess piece, you must become a chess player.
For that you need to master power.Powerful enough to rival Li Jing.
Mu Yun shook his head.Where can I find this power?He whispered in his heart, should he worship another famous knight as his teacher, or should he seek refuge with another noble lord?Even if I want to borrow other people's power, won't I be used by others and become someone else's pawn?What's more, is there any knight stronger than Li Jing on this continent?Which lord is more powerful than the combination of the wolf lord of the Northwest Canglang and the one in Daming Palace?
So you need power that you can hold in your own hands, real power, power that belongs to you.
The voice continued to speak to him.
I do not know……
No, you know enough already.said the voice.Think hard about everything you've heard tonight.
Seal of the King.Mu Yun thought silently.He already knew that the King's Seal was underground in this Yongjiang City.From Zheng Quan's later conversation with Li Jing, he also knew that Zheng Quan hadn't had time to locate the specific coordinates of the King's Seal.
He might have a chance to find the King's Seal before Li Jing.
No...he wouldn't have much chance.Mu Yun immediately realized.Yongjiang City has a long and narrow terrain and a large population. As a vibrant trading city, the buildings on the ground have been constantly renovated and rebuilt for more than 300 years. It is still impossible to find out the exact location of the King's Seal, and he doesn't even know what the King's Seal is, so how can he find the King's Seal before Li Jing?
In addition to the seal of the king, there is another kind of power.The voice reminded him.A power that even Li Jing fears...
They call that power the Master's Power.
If he can find that power...
At this moment, the elevator stopped silently.A soft reminder interrupted Mu Yun's train of thought, telling him that he had now returned to the floor where the Deer Hall was located.
He glanced up at the time displayed above the elevator.Only half an hour passed.he thought.Only half an hour had passed between the time he left the ballroom to go to the hangar and the time he returned here.And in order to avoid being discovered, he deliberately waited for a long time after Li Jing and Zheng Quan left the hangar before coming out from behind the battle armor he was hiding in.He originally thought he had been away for a long time.
The corridor covered with expensive wool carpets is still very quiet, and the melodious string music from the Deer Hall can be faintly heard.The dance was still going on, he subconsciously thought that Xiao Yezi was still waiting for him to go back and continue dancing with her.He had almost completely forgotten about it before.
Only half an hour passed.
he thought.But the world has completely changed.He realizes that what his eyes see may not be real.There are lies everywhere.Everyone is dancing with masks on.Everyone is chasing their own prey in spring hunting.He doesn't know how many secrets have not been revealed, how many truths he doesn't know, and he doesn't know who he should believe or doubt next.The world in front of him seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog, and he didn't know if the next step would be a trap.
He didn't even know if he would reveal his flaws when facing Li Jing.
hold your breath.said the voice to him.Li Jing still doesn't know that you have discovered his secret.You now have the upper hand.This is your only advantage, and you'd better find a way to keep it.
"Owner."
He was startled suddenly, Xue Nu was standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Why are you here?" After the ball started, the sharp and servant attendants brought by the guests usually would not stay in the banquet hall of the nobles, they should be on standby in the lounge of the side hall.At least when Mu Yun left, Xue Nu should still be in the side hall.They hoped that she could glean some useful information from her conversations with other Sharp bodyguards.Usually the masters don't pay attention to the sharp clan or servants around them.They are not humans, but they can know the most secrets.Just like when Teng Wengong's female military adviser did not shy away from the presence of Xue Nu when he handed over the fire to the young master of Eagle Castle.Some people don't even tell their Rai or minions to back away when they go to the bathroom.
"I heard that you slipped out of the banquet hall." Xue Nu said, "I'm worried about your safety. Your face looks ugly, did you go to have diarrhea?"
"I'm fine." Mu Yun said, "I just left for a short while, what could happen?" He stroked Xue Nu's hair, if it wasn't for his heavy heart, he would almost be caught by her seriousness. His tone was amused.Can he trust Yukio?They had met her by accident in Deadhold, when she was their enemy.She should not be in Li Jing's plan, he personally destroyed her contract, she was the one who voluntarily followed him.Xuenv should not betray herself.Mu Yun thought to himself.He suddenly realized that he might be like those noble knights now, the only person he could trust was his sharp clan or servant servants.
You'd better not reveal too many secrets to this sharp girl.Do not take this girl with you.said the voice.Even if she won't betray you, with Ruizu's simple mind, it's easy for others to get words out of her mouth.
Mu Yun suddenly felt tired. "You've been waiting in this corridor?" he asked pretending to be casual. "How long has it been?"
"About half an hour." Xue Nu replied.
"Have you seen that guy Li Jing?" He asked, "Is he in the hall?" Xue Nu shook her head.
Mu Yun breathed a sigh of relief.At least he doesn't have to face Li Jing now.The elevators are located at both ends of the corridor, if Li Jing returns to the banquet hall after leaving the hangar, Xuenv will definitely see him passing through the corridor.
He walked towards the hall, when someone passed him by, Xue Nu's red pupils suddenly contracted, and her petite body suddenly stopped in front of him. "Let me follow you to the lobby," she said.
"Oh? Do you want to dance with me too?" Mu Yun tried to make a joke, but he didn't even laugh to himself.Xue Nu looked at him expressionlessly, "No, I'm worried that something will happen." She said, pointing to the front silently, "They don't seem to be the guests invited by King Teng."
It was only then that Mu Yun noticed that the two people she passed by just now were rather weird.He wondered to what extent he was in a trance, and he didn't notice the existence of those two people at all before.
They are now standing near the entrance of the hall, and what they are wearing is not so much clothes as they are cloth wrapped around their bodies tied with hemp rope.One of them was a tall, strong man with black tattoos around his eyes and his teeth painted black so that the first person who saw his face would think he saw a skeleton, and his chest, arms and legs were similarly covered. It is full of hideous tattoos, and the other one looks shorter and younger, and there are not so many tattoos on its face and body.They all had long hair, braided near the sides of the cheeks, with beads and feathers adorning the ends.Mu Yun had never seen people dressed like this before, and their dark brown skin was also very different from the fair complexion common to Donglin people.
Mu Yun walked into the hall, and Xue Nu followed behind him vigilantly.Those two people were still standing at the entrance of the hall, looking inside with some hesitation.At this moment, a group of Rui clan guards from Tengwang Pavilion rushed from behind them and surrounded them.The tall strong man stood back to back with the small man, growling threateningly at the sharp guards.
"Don't do anything," Mu Yun heard the little man say, "We didn't come to fight." But his words were a bit late. The stun gun was fired, and when he finished speaking, the sharp guards had already fallen at his feet.The tall and strong man grumbled, opened his hands, and several twisted and deformed stun guns fell from his palms to the ground.Mu Yun looked at them with some surprise, he didn't expect that tall and strong man who looked a bit clumsy could move his hands so neatly.He noticed that his figure was very strange when he launched the attack. He moved on all fours like a wild beast, and the bite marks left on the face of the sharp guards also showed that he used more than just fists to attack. .
But what surprised Mu Yun even more was that the tall and strong man obediently stood behind him immediately after hearing what the little man said. He originally thought that the big man was the leader.The commotion just now attracted the attention of the hall, and more sharp guards were rushing into the hall. "We're not here to cause trouble!" The little man raised his hands, signaling the strong man to do the same, "We just want to see the lord here!" The strong man raised his hands hesitantly, and slowly put them on the Behind their heads, the sharp guards swarmed up and pushed them down to the ground.
Steward Ji walked towards them, his steps were still graceful and calm, but his usual gentle voice revealed a stern question: "You have disturbed the guests here." He said to the leader of the sharp guards.
"I, I'm sorry." The sharp guard leader stammered, "They hid in the food transport box and sneaked in from the unloading aisle of the back kitchen. I'll take them away."
The housekeeper nodded. "Find out who they are." He glanced at the two men, obviously noticing their shabby clothes, "If they just want to sneak in to find something to eat, take the food delivery compartment they were hiding in before." Take them away, the contaminated food will have to be disposed of anyway.”
This is already a very lenient way of dealing with it.But the little man persisted, "We are neither beggars nor thieves," he struggled, trying to stand up, "I am Gran, my father is Golmud from Haitou, he is Black Fang, and he is me. My friend," he pointed to the tall and strong man, and said loudly, "we had to sneak in because the guards didn't allow us to come in openly through the main gate, and we have an urgent need to see the lord here."
"Haitou people? What does that mean?" Mu Yun asked in a low voice.
"I don't know either, Master," said Xue Nu standing behind Mu Yun, "I have never heard such an accent, nor have I seen this kind of skin color. They look like savages."
"They are free people living near the East China Sea. They call themselves Haimin. Haitouren is what they call the leader of the Haimin. This Gran should be the son of the leader of the Haimin. No wonder the big man obeys his orders. , but I don’t know why he came to find Prince Teng.” Mu Yun turned her head, and was a little shocked to find that Zheng Quan had also returned to the hall.He didn't know when he walked to his side, and he was looking at Mu Yun with a smile, "I heard that you are not from aristocratic family, you should know what a freeman is, right?"
Mu Yun glanced at him vigilantly, but didn't speak.Of course he knew what a freeman was.They are a group of vagrants who live outside the aristocratic territory, do not serve any noble lords, do not live on any piece of land belonging to the nobles, and do not pay taxes to any nobles.There are such free people everywhere in this continent, but the names are different in each place.Some of them are just civilians who left their hometowns because they couldn't pay taxes, and some are bandits and bandits who fled everywhere because they were wanted. These people gathered together and lived in abandoned mines and cities for generations. Live by picking up leaks, or hide in the wilderness and mountains, live by hunting and fishing, sometimes go to the city to do some petty theft, or rob passing caravans, but never commit crimes. It is a great crime to send troops to the noble lords to exterminate them.Therefore, the lords everywhere just turned a blind eye to the existence of the free people, and the free people rarely took the initiative to expose their existence and contact the noble lords.
And Haimin, according to Zheng Quan, is the largest group of free people in Donglin.Some people say that they are survivors of the Millennium War, because they are unwilling to abandon the homeland reclaimed by their ancestors, and they still live in the old city near the East China Sea that was abandoned due to the Millennium War.The tidal defense energy wall along the coastline has been destroyed in the war, and the raging tsunami often submerges the entire city under it.In the abandoned city without energy supply, people can only rely on the most primitive way to generate electricity, light and heat. Even so, every year, people who escaped from the aristocratic territory because they cannot afford taxes go to join them, and their status is revoked and they become sea people. .Some people say that their scale has reached hundreds of thousands of people, while others say that the number should be millions of people, but no one has ever actually counted the number of sea people.Not only for the aristocratic lords of Donglin, but even for the common people living in the towns and cities under the jurisdiction of the major lords of Donglin, they do not exist.
Because of this, not only Mu Yun, but also those Donglin noble knights gathered curiously when seeing these two Haimin who should not have existed in the magnificent banquet hall of Tengwang Pavilion, wanting to know They took the risk of sneaking into the Tengwang Pavilion secretly, and here they are deliberately asking to see the little Tengwang, what is the reason for it?
"Ji Yan, I'm afraid the lord here doesn't have time to meet you." Butler Ji is obviously very experienced in dealing with this kind of scene, and he said to the two seamen in a very standard tone of aristocratic butler, "If you If you have any important matters, you can let Ji Yan pass them on, now let's invite the two of you to move into the conference hall with Ji Yan."
"You mean the nobleman here is busy drinking and having fun, so he has no time to meet us?" Although the little man named Gran has a strange accent, he speaks very sharply, "You Are you going to send us away because we don't look decent enough, for fear that we will spoil the eyes of the gentlemen and disturb the pleasure of drinking and having fun?"
"You said you didn't come here to make trouble, Gran, the son of Haitou," said Butler Ji, waving his hand back slightly, "Ji Yan believes in your words, which is why you are still standing here intact .I hope you can abide by what you just said, and don’t cause trouble for us. Ji Yan can guarantee that if the floor of this hall is stained with blood, it will be very troublesome to clean up.”
Butler Ji's voice was still very soft, but under his gesture, more sharp guards rushed forward from behind him, completely suppressing the two sea people on the ground, and were about to force them out of the banquet hall .The tall burly man bared his black-stained teeth at the sharp guards and growled like a beast.Mu Yun noticed that every one of his teeth was sharpened.Compared to the short-tongued Gran, this big man named Black Fang was more like a real wild man, and he never spoke a word.
The atmosphere became tense again, and at this time King Teng finally lived up to expectations and stepped out of the crowd, "Okay, Ji Yan," he said nonchalantly, "Let them meet me, after all, I'm not that ugly. Yes or no?"
Hearing Xiao Teng Wang tell a joke, the surrounding knights also laughed wittily, and the scene suddenly relaxed a lot.Steward Ji bowed and stepped aside, signaling the sharp guards who were holding the shoulders of the two Haimins to let go. "Little prince, please be careful." He whispered, and Mu Yun saw that the guns of the sharp guards were still aiming at the two seamen vigilantly.
"Tell me," Little King Teng looked at the two Haimin with interest, "Why do you want to see me?"
They are on purpose.Mu Yun suddenly realized.These two sea people came prepared.The big man was pretty good at it, and they would have had a chance of not getting caught.They knew that King Teng was holding a banquet here.If they hadn't rushed in like this and caused commotion at the banquet, they probably wouldn't have had the chance to see King Teng at all, and they would have been kicked out quietly.The two sea folk—at least the little one named Gran—were not as wild as they appeared.
But he still underestimated the little Gran. "We're not just here to see you." He stood up and said loudly, "We're here to see all the lords and knights here."
"We encountered a tsunami, and there was a crack in the coastal defense wall. Mrs. Hai came ashore with the tide, more than one," he said to the hall, "They have destroyed several villages along the coast, and many people died. We have no armor and Knights, there is no way to fight them, I was sent to ask you for help, please send knights to destroy Mrs. Hai!"
Even without Zheng Quan citing scriptures, Mu Yun still knew what Mrs. Hai was.It was a huge sea beast, one of the "ten evils" on this continent.Just like the dragon beasts, the sea lady existed long before this continent surfaced, but they don't have wings like the dragon beasts, and they can't survive on land for a long time.Most of the time, they stay on the bottom of the sea, and only come ashore with the tide to look for food when there is an extreme lack of food.They are larger than a forty-ton battle armor, and their whole bodies are covered with extremely hard exoskeletons. The bifurcated horns on their heads are like a lady's hairpin, which is also the origin of the name Mrs. Hai.Their bodily fluids are highly corrosive, and everything they pass through will become lifeless.Except for the knights who control the armor, there are almost no weapons that can kill them.
There was silence in the hall. "Mrs. Hai doesn't need to take the trouble to eliminate it at all," said an older knight. Mu Yun recognized him as a knight from the Li family from the pattern on his coat. "They don't last three days on land," he said, "and they don't usually move very far from the coastline, they're not a threat at all."
"And the towns near the sea are protected by energy defense walls," said another knight. "Even Mrs. Hai can't break through the defense walls. It's impossible for them to enter the town."
"You are right." The little Gran said in a deep voice, "But there are many settlements of sea people near the coastline, and there is no defensive wall there. Even if a sea lady can only survive on land for three days, in this In three days, a lot of people will die too."
"Actually," he took a step forward and looked straight into Xiao Teng's eyes, and the sharp guards clasped the handles of their guns tightly because of his movement, "while I'm talking to you, every 1 People are dying every minute, and I beg you to send troops as soon as possible to save the lives of these people."
"It's rare that people come to see me for this kind of thing. After all, I'm just a businessman. Most people ask to see me to borrow money, not to borrow soldiers." Xiao Teng Wang scratched his chin, "No matter what Said, you should go to see my eldest brother first, after all, he is the master of Donglin." He glanced at the expression on the face of that little Gran, and suddenly understood: "Could it be that you have already met Have you passed my elder brother?"
"We have no chance to meet the Lord of the East Forest at all." The young Haimin said, "The inspection of the castle castle is very strict, and we don't even have the chance to get close to the castle tower where the Lord of the East Forest is."
"What do the other lords say?" Little Teng Wang asked, "The Qi family and the Xiao family, their territory is closer to the East China Sea than Yongjiang City, why do you want to be far away instead of begging them to send troops?"
He saw the answer in the tanned face of the young seaman. "Where is the Li family? The territory of the Li family is not far from the East China Sea." King Teng turned his head and glanced at the young master of the Li family who was standing not far away, but he shook his head slightly, "My father refused to send troops." Li Shan said, frowning on that solemn square face, for some reason, Mu Yun felt ashamed in his tone, "The East China Sea is not the territory of the Li family, let alone the Qi family and the Li family who are stronger than the Li family." Even the Xiao family did not send troops, so if the Li family mobilizes troops at this moment, I am afraid that it will grant authority and cause accidents."
"Fei family——" Mu Yun saw that Fei Ye was about to speak, when a gorgeously dressed elderly knight took a step forward and said loudly before her, "The Fei family elders have already made a decision and will not fight for the East China Sea. Send troops for this matter." He turned around, saw Fei Ye's two raised willow eyebrows, immediately knelt down on one knee, and said respectfully, "Atonement, this is the resolution of the elders, even the Patriarch cannot Change."
Mu Yun couldn't understand, "Human life is at stake, why are they unwilling to send troops?" He asked in a low voice.Xue Nu shook her head, "I can't answer this question, master, this is beyond my thinking, only humans can answer your question."
This time it was Zheng Quan who took over the conversation again, and Mu Yun realized that this guy hadn't walked away, "That's not easy," Zheng Quan said in a low voice, "You heard it just now, the Qi family, The towns facing the sea in the territory of the Xiao family and the Li family have defensive walls, and Mrs. Hai cannot enter, and Mrs. Hai can't live on land for more than three days. Even if they wreak havoc everywhere during these three days, those who die are those near the East China Sea. The free folk have nothing to do with these lords, so why did they send troops? After all, Mrs. Hai is also one of the ten evils. To deal with Mrs. Hai, the only way to deal with them is to use armor, not to mention the knights risking their lives. Just talking about the weapon consumption and battle damage maintenance costs of the battle armor is also an expense, why would those lords take the risk of losing their knights and spend this money for these sea people for no reason?"
Hearing that the big lords who bet on the city and risked the lives of knights on the Spring Hunt, and invested a lot of money to build countless battle armors to fight each other, would feel sorry for the cost of the battle damage. Mu Yun didn't know what to feel in his heart. But I heard Zheng Quan continue to say: "What's more, for the lords who have long-term disputes over the borders of the Qi family, Xiao family, Li family, and Fei family, they send knights to support the free people in the East China Sea, while other lords stand still. If the defense of the town is weakened by the transfer of soldiers and horses, it is very likely that the opponent will take the opportunity to eat it, and the loss will be great; in addition, sending troops to pass through the borders of other lords' territories can easily be used as an excuse. Make provocations, cause disputes and even provoke wars, especially like the Fei family and the Qi family, the Xiao family and the Li family, the relationship between the original is very tense, and a small conflict between the knights will go off and cause a big war. Fei Ye She's still too young to understand the stakes, and I guess that's why the elders made a decision before her order, ordering the Fei family not to send troops."
Mu Yun couldn't help looking at Zheng Quan more, "I didn't expect you to think so thoroughly about the thoughts of the lords."
"Zheng was also the commander of the Jinwu Guard Zuo in Chang'an City in the past," Zheng Quan said with a smile, "The great lords of Donglin are no different from the big bureaucrats in Chang'an City. When it comes to taking risks, even if their lives are at stake, they won’t even move their little fingers. But if it’s profitable, then the situation is different. Guess if it’s not the sea that goes ashore this time Ma'am, it's a dragon beast that can produce dragon crystals, will these great lords stand still? I'm afraid they will rush to send knights to save the lives of the sea people!"
"Just wait and see," he whispered to Mu Yun, "Based on Zheng's experience, even if King Teng is so rebellious, his decisions will be no different from those of these noble lords. I will send troops for the sea people."
Mu Yun frowned.He didn't like Zheng Quan's pretentiously affectionate tone, and he didn't like Zheng Quan deliberately staying near him, blatantly observing his every move.He didn't know why Zheng Quan didn't reveal his existence in the hangar, but he could guess that Zheng Quan wanted to dig out something valuable from him. Did he want to use himself to deal with Li Jing?Mu Yun thought in his heart, after all, their goal is the seal of the king, and the cooperation can only be temporary.
But at this moment, what he didn't like even more was Zheng Quan's assertion against King Teng.He didn't dare to say how much he liked Xiao Teng Wang, but during the month of coming to Donglin, they were at least companions fighting side by side...
That's enough, the familiar voice rang in his ears again, don't be stupid again, you don't understand the game of nobles at all, there are lies everywhere, everyone is dancing with masks on.Take off the mask of an armor-making genius and playboy, and you have no idea what kind of person the real King Teng is.As the lord of Yongjiang City, does Little King Teng really know nothing about the King's Seal buried underground in Yongjiang City?Why do you believe he is a better lord than Teng Wengong?
Because I want to believe.Mu Yun answered in a low voice in her heart.Because I don't want to be that desperate yet.
Oh, then you are expecting to be disappointed.said the voice.Listen carefully, and take a closer look at the true colors of these nobles.
"We asked to see the lords of Donglin, big and small," he heard the little man named Gran say, "They either refused to see us outright, or they refused to send troops for various reasons. Here is our last Hope." He looked at Xiao Teng Wang, "They said you are different from those noble lords, now even you have to refuse our request?"
"I sympathize with those sea people," said Little King Teng, "but I'm just a businessman, and I have no soldiers to send."
"There are three hundred Tengjia soldiers in Yongjiang City." The young Haimin said.He obviously came prepared.
"But there are still [-] Habayashi soldiers in Yongjiang City." Xiao Teng Wang replied, "If I transfer these [-] Tengjia soldiers, Yongjiang City will fall into the hands of my elder brother. I can't take this risk."
"We don't need so many armored soldiers. Ten knights and ten [-]-ton battle armors are enough to deal with those fierce beasts." Gran said.
King Teng sighed. "Then let me make my words clearer." He said, "It is impossible for me to send even one Tengjia soldier to the East China Sea to help you. It is not my territory. And I only need to mobilize even one Tengjia soldier to leave my territory. My eldest brother will use this as an excuse for my rebellion and rebellion, and naturally send troops to capture Yongjiang City. Now his Habayashi Army is stationed under the gate of Yongjiang City. I doubt that any Tengjia soldiers can survive city."
Gran's eyes were fixed on Xiao Teng Wang, wanting to know whether he was telling the truth.But Mu Yun knew that Prince Teng was not lying.Even during the Spring Hunting period, Teng Jiaxing's formations were always "protected" by the Habayashi Army.It's just that Little King Teng didn't tell this Haimin that the reason why Teng Wengong was eyeing Yongjiang City was because the prince of the Northern Realm was in Yongjiang City.
Because the seal of the king is buried underground in Yongjiang City.
The familiar voice added in his ear.
Mu Yun ignored the voice.King Teng's decision was correct.He wanted to tell himself that.In the current situation, in his position, he has no other choice.He couldn't let Yongjiang City fall into the hands of Teng Wengong.He couldn't let the prince of the northern border fall into the hands of Teng Wengong.He couldn't risk the lives of a few seafolk like that.But he couldn't stop the voice from repeating in his mind: What's the difference?How is this different from what the noble lords did?
The young seaman named Gran said something more.Little King Teng shook his head slowly, "I said that I am just a businessman, and you want me to take the entire Yongjiang City to rescue your Haimin. I really can't do this loss-making business."
"I understand." Gran nodded, "So you are no different from those noble lords, but you are more honest than them. They will never admit that they are businessmen, but they have the same heart as you. Thinking about the abacus, calculating your own gains and losses."
"What about you?" He turned around and said loudly to the nearly a hundred people standing in the hall, "You are all knights. Didn't you swear to protect the unarmed when you became knights? Didn't your Doesn't the creed tell you to help those who ask you for help?"
There were some angry shouts and curses in the hall.These noble knights were obviously not used to being questioned in such an arrogant tone by a lowly sea dweller.Someone yelled at Gran for his rudeness.But most of the knights said nothing.They seemed a little at a loss, not knowing how to refute Gran's questioning. "It's not fair," said an elderly knight at last. "As knights, we swear to protect the defenseless and to help those who come to us because they are our people. It is they who pay the price." Taxes provide us with arms and food. You chose to be freemen, you never paid taxes, and you now ask us to help you with the arms and food you get from our people. It is not fair to our people They are the ones we swore to protect." The silent knights nodded in agreement.Various discussions gradually sounded in the hall.A few remained silent, but the embarrassment and shame that had been revealed under the heckling of the young seaman had faded from the faces of most of the knights. "Our duty as knights is to be loyal to the lord and protect the people. You ask us to disobey the lord's order, abandon our people, and fight for you. This request itself is unreasonable." Another knight said loudly.The knights tapped the ground with their sword hilts to show their agreement.
Gran squinted at the scene in the hall.He took a deep breath, and was about to raise his voice to say something, when a tall figure stood in front of him, separating him from the knights. "It's not a wise choice to humiliate the knights, not to mention that you plan to humiliate hundreds of knights at the same time." The butler Ji said, shaking his head at him in warning, "You said that you are not here to cause trouble. You asked to see the lord and knight here , you've met them, you've got their answer, now you should go."
The young Haimin stood where he was. He raised his head to look at Steward Ji, and then at the sharp guards behind him. "I didn't intend to humiliate any knight." He pointed to the knights in the hall and said calmly, "It's their words and deeds that humiliate the name of the knights, not me." After he finished speaking, he turned around and ignored He stopped the guns aimed at them, and greeted the strong man, "Let's go, Black Fang, there is no hope here."
"Wait a minute."
Gran stopped.He saw a strange young man stepping out from the group of knights.He should not be a knight.Gran thought.Without any knightly arms or family crest on his coat, nor did he wear a knightly sword, his attire looked more like that of a commoner.But he probably wasn't a commoner either, because from under the young man's coat, Gran noticed that he was wearing knight armor specially designed for manipulating armor.And beside him stood a girl from the Rui tribe, who looked like his bodyguard.
"Have you considered hiring a hedge knight?" asked the strange young man.He has striking white hair, almost as white as the hair of the Rai girl standing beside him.But his pupils are a human charcoal brown.
The knights in the hall burst into laughter because of the young man's question.Gran shook his head helplessly.This question is as ridiculous as asking why people who are about to starve to death don't eat minced meat.A noble young master who knows nothing about the world.Gran thought.He had encountered such a person before, a rebel among the children of aristocratic families, who liked to pretend to be a commoner to show that he was different. "The Sea People don't have the money to hire knights," he said matter-of-factly, "but thank you for your suggestion." There was no mockery in his tone.Stupid though the young man was, at least he was not like those knights who deluded themselves.At least he's trying to figure out how to help them.
"I don't ask much," he heard the young man go on unexpectedly. "I only want two guineas. On credit."
Alright, so this odd young man really wants to help.Gran thought in amazement.Regardless of whether the young man's purpose of standing up at such a time was to impress others - more likely to attract the attention of a certain girl - Gran noticed the look he had exchanged with the Fijia girl earlier.This kind of thing is very common. In any case, he admired the young man's courage, but he still shook his head, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but you can't deal with a group of sea ladies alone." He said.The Sea People need help, but not vain and foolish young men dying for it.
"As much as you can handle." Mu Yun said, "And I'm not a lord, I'm just a commoner, but I'm a knight."
He saw the bewildered look in Gran's eyes.But he didn't want to explain anything to him.He turned to King Teng, "Although I promised you to fight for Teng Jiaxing in the spring hunt, I have not pledged my allegiance to you, and I am not a knight of Teng Jiaxing. I am going out of the city at this moment, and Habayashi should not stop me."
"If you go out of the city now, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up with the Chinese banquet." Xiao Teng Wang reminded.
Yes.Mu Yun thought to himself.This is a stupid decision.If he wants to find the King's Seal before Li Jing, if he wants to master the power enough to compete with Li Jing, he should stay in Yongjiang City, and he can't take the risk of missing the banquet.The voice told him.But he just couldn't stand in this hall any longer, couldn't listen anymore.He knew that those knights' defenses to Gran's questioning were just self-deceiving excuses, but he didn't know how to refute them—except to stand up at this moment.
If he hasn't stepped forward, what's the difference between him and those noble knights?
But deep down he knew it was a stupid decision.
"I'll be back as soon as possible," he replied curtly.
At least, he comforted himself in his heart, he didn't have to face Li Jing immediately.He wondered if Li Jing was standing in front of him now, could he pretend that he didn't know anything, that nothing happened, that everything was the same as before.
Even just thinking of this name made him clenched his fists involuntarily.
"What should I call you, knight?" asked the young but shrewd Sea Folk.
"White Horse City, Mu Yun." He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."
He felt that he could no longer stay in this hall any longer.
"Wait a minute," came a loud voice from the back of the hall, "I'll give you the pound, and I'll go with you."
Gran blinked in surprise.He saw a mass of pink standing up from a table somewhere in the back of the hall, stretching.A huge man in a pink knight's cloak, even taller than Black Fang.The knights in the hall rushed to make way for him like the plague.As he approached, yawning, Gran could smell a strong smell of alcohol on him.
"You want to grab me for a gold pound?" Mu Yun said dissatisfiedly, but for some reason, he wanted to smile a little.
"You can't let me do it for nothing, right? I, Lao Zhang, is a man of value!" Lao Zhang scratched his disheveled hair, and patted Grann on the shoulder vigorously, "You're lucky today, a gold pound can Invite the leader of the Knights of the Rose to fight in person, do you know how much that guy paid for me to take a shot for him in Spring Hunting?" He pointed to King Teng and shook his hand, "This number , sixty battle armors!"
Your slap is only five fingers, what does it have to do with sixty!Mu Yun couldn't help but spit in his heart, but he couldn't help showing a smile on his face.
At this moment, he heard another voice from beside him, "I'll share the gold pound too, and I'll go with you."
Mu Yun's smile froze on his face, he turned his head and saw Zheng Quan standing beside him at some point, and said to the young master of the Li family with a smile: "I am no longer a knight of the Li family. , go with them, it shouldn't make you too embarrassed, right?"
Li Shan shook his head, "It would be great if you were willing to make a move, but your battle armor Gale..."
"It's fixed, it's fixed, it was fixed overnight last night." Before Zheng Quan could answer, he saw Su Sheng trotting up, "I'll take care of you if you have a young master, you can use it safely and be satisfied with the custodian!"
You are the Prince of the North!Why do you act like a boy in a mechanic shop!While complaining in his heart, Mu Yun glared at Su Sheng viciously.Although he could probably guess that Su Sheng couldn't help dismantling and repairing Zheng Quan's Gale Armor because he was curious about the construction materials of Zheng Quan's Gale Armor, but when he thought that Zheng Quan was going to follow him on the road, and when he thought of that smiling face, Mu Yun felt unhappy all over his body as if he was being watched by Smiling Mianhu.He knew very well that Zheng Quan definitely didn't stand up for Haimin at this time, his real purpose was probably related to himself.
"Speaking of which," Zheng Quan looked at Mu Yun and said with a smile, "Why is your asking price two gold pounds?"
Because I still owe Li Jing two gold pounds.Mu Yun thought to himself.Before taking revenge, I hope to owe him nothing.
But he strode forward without saying anything.
(End of this chapter)
Mu Yun looked out through the transparent cover of the elevator, and the night view of Yongjiang City was still very bright.
Just like when he came to Yongjiang City on the first day, the holographic advertisements crowded in the streets and alleys were bizarre, like a group of large and small electronic ghosts floating above the city, and the dark green river reflected the whole city. The lights of Yongjiang City, the huge painting cruise ship is like a moving high-rise building passing through it.
Mu Yun stared at this strange city.Through the reflection of the protective glass, he saw his own face reflected above the city, pale and dim, like a depressed shadow, looking down in bewilderment on the roads that spread out like cobwebs on the land.
Go on like this and become a real knight.
Mu Chuan's words were like the wind in Baima City, always lingering in his ears.
how should i gohe asked in a low voice.Every road is a lie, everyone has secrets, and even this city has its own secrets buried underground.Every step I take is a mistake.I originally thought that as long as I kept going like this, I would one day be able to avenge Baima City and you, but in the end, every step I took was doing things for my enemies, and every step I took was within their calculations.The man I regard as my master is also my enemy, and I thought he could help me become a real knight. I thought that as long as I go on like this, one day I will be able to bring justice to White Horse City. fool.
I can make him into that person, whoever he wants to be.A true knight.
He remembered what Li Jing said to the wolf lord.
To become a true knight is his wish, his goal, and his final agreement with Mu Chuan.
But even this was in Li Jing's calculations.
From the moment he met Li Jing...no, even from the moment the White Horse City was broken, every step he took was already in Li Jing's calculations.
why?
What can you gain by making me a true knight?
What does White Horse City have to do with you?Why let the wolf lord slaughter Baima City, but let the wolf lord spare my life?
Why did you accept me as a disciple?What do you want from me?
What does all this have to do with the Seal of the King you are looking for?
He really wanted to grab Li Jing with these hands, press him heavily against the wall, and ask Li Jing these questions himself.
But he knew that it was absolutely impossible to get a real answer from Li Jing's mouth based on his current self.
After witnessing the fight between Li Jing and Zheng Quan, he realized that even if he had the Bright Sword in his hand, he might not be Li Jing's opponent.
How should I do?He asked in a low voice, knowing that it was impossible for Mu Chuan to answer his question again.
If even my goal is in their calculation, how should I go to get out of their calculation?
You need strength.
The familiar voice said to him.
If you don't want to be a chess piece, you must become a chess player.
For that you need to master power.Powerful enough to rival Li Jing.
Mu Yun shook his head.Where can I find this power?He whispered in his heart, should he worship another famous knight as his teacher, or should he seek refuge with another noble lord?Even if I want to borrow other people's power, won't I be used by others and become someone else's pawn?What's more, is there any knight stronger than Li Jing on this continent?Which lord is more powerful than the combination of the wolf lord of the Northwest Canglang and the one in Daming Palace?
So you need power that you can hold in your own hands, real power, power that belongs to you.
The voice continued to speak to him.
I do not know……
No, you know enough already.said the voice.Think hard about everything you've heard tonight.
Seal of the King.Mu Yun thought silently.He already knew that the King's Seal was underground in this Yongjiang City.From Zheng Quan's later conversation with Li Jing, he also knew that Zheng Quan hadn't had time to locate the specific coordinates of the King's Seal.
He might have a chance to find the King's Seal before Li Jing.
No...he wouldn't have much chance.Mu Yun immediately realized.Yongjiang City has a long and narrow terrain and a large population. As a vibrant trading city, the buildings on the ground have been constantly renovated and rebuilt for more than 300 years. It is still impossible to find out the exact location of the King's Seal, and he doesn't even know what the King's Seal is, so how can he find the King's Seal before Li Jing?
In addition to the seal of the king, there is another kind of power.The voice reminded him.A power that even Li Jing fears...
They call that power the Master's Power.
If he can find that power...
At this moment, the elevator stopped silently.A soft reminder interrupted Mu Yun's train of thought, telling him that he had now returned to the floor where the Deer Hall was located.
He glanced up at the time displayed above the elevator.Only half an hour passed.he thought.Only half an hour had passed between the time he left the ballroom to go to the hangar and the time he returned here.And in order to avoid being discovered, he deliberately waited for a long time after Li Jing and Zheng Quan left the hangar before coming out from behind the battle armor he was hiding in.He originally thought he had been away for a long time.
The corridor covered with expensive wool carpets is still very quiet, and the melodious string music from the Deer Hall can be faintly heard.The dance was still going on, he subconsciously thought that Xiao Yezi was still waiting for him to go back and continue dancing with her.He had almost completely forgotten about it before.
Only half an hour passed.
he thought.But the world has completely changed.He realizes that what his eyes see may not be real.There are lies everywhere.Everyone is dancing with masks on.Everyone is chasing their own prey in spring hunting.He doesn't know how many secrets have not been revealed, how many truths he doesn't know, and he doesn't know who he should believe or doubt next.The world in front of him seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog, and he didn't know if the next step would be a trap.
He didn't even know if he would reveal his flaws when facing Li Jing.
hold your breath.said the voice to him.Li Jing still doesn't know that you have discovered his secret.You now have the upper hand.This is your only advantage, and you'd better find a way to keep it.
"Owner."
He was startled suddenly, Xue Nu was standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Why are you here?" After the ball started, the sharp and servant attendants brought by the guests usually would not stay in the banquet hall of the nobles, they should be on standby in the lounge of the side hall.At least when Mu Yun left, Xue Nu should still be in the side hall.They hoped that she could glean some useful information from her conversations with other Sharp bodyguards.Usually the masters don't pay attention to the sharp clan or servants around them.They are not humans, but they can know the most secrets.Just like when Teng Wengong's female military adviser did not shy away from the presence of Xue Nu when he handed over the fire to the young master of Eagle Castle.Some people don't even tell their Rai or minions to back away when they go to the bathroom.
"I heard that you slipped out of the banquet hall." Xue Nu said, "I'm worried about your safety. Your face looks ugly, did you go to have diarrhea?"
"I'm fine." Mu Yun said, "I just left for a short while, what could happen?" He stroked Xue Nu's hair, if it wasn't for his heavy heart, he would almost be caught by her seriousness. His tone was amused.Can he trust Yukio?They had met her by accident in Deadhold, when she was their enemy.She should not be in Li Jing's plan, he personally destroyed her contract, she was the one who voluntarily followed him.Xuenv should not betray herself.Mu Yun thought to himself.He suddenly realized that he might be like those noble knights now, the only person he could trust was his sharp clan or servant servants.
You'd better not reveal too many secrets to this sharp girl.Do not take this girl with you.said the voice.Even if she won't betray you, with Ruizu's simple mind, it's easy for others to get words out of her mouth.
Mu Yun suddenly felt tired. "You've been waiting in this corridor?" he asked pretending to be casual. "How long has it been?"
"About half an hour." Xue Nu replied.
"Have you seen that guy Li Jing?" He asked, "Is he in the hall?" Xue Nu shook her head.
Mu Yun breathed a sigh of relief.At least he doesn't have to face Li Jing now.The elevators are located at both ends of the corridor, if Li Jing returns to the banquet hall after leaving the hangar, Xuenv will definitely see him passing through the corridor.
He walked towards the hall, when someone passed him by, Xue Nu's red pupils suddenly contracted, and her petite body suddenly stopped in front of him. "Let me follow you to the lobby," she said.
"Oh? Do you want to dance with me too?" Mu Yun tried to make a joke, but he didn't even laugh to himself.Xue Nu looked at him expressionlessly, "No, I'm worried that something will happen." She said, pointing to the front silently, "They don't seem to be the guests invited by King Teng."
It was only then that Mu Yun noticed that the two people she passed by just now were rather weird.He wondered to what extent he was in a trance, and he didn't notice the existence of those two people at all before.
They are now standing near the entrance of the hall, and what they are wearing is not so much clothes as they are cloth wrapped around their bodies tied with hemp rope.One of them was a tall, strong man with black tattoos around his eyes and his teeth painted black so that the first person who saw his face would think he saw a skeleton, and his chest, arms and legs were similarly covered. It is full of hideous tattoos, and the other one looks shorter and younger, and there are not so many tattoos on its face and body.They all had long hair, braided near the sides of the cheeks, with beads and feathers adorning the ends.Mu Yun had never seen people dressed like this before, and their dark brown skin was also very different from the fair complexion common to Donglin people.
Mu Yun walked into the hall, and Xue Nu followed behind him vigilantly.Those two people were still standing at the entrance of the hall, looking inside with some hesitation.At this moment, a group of Rui clan guards from Tengwang Pavilion rushed from behind them and surrounded them.The tall strong man stood back to back with the small man, growling threateningly at the sharp guards.
"Don't do anything," Mu Yun heard the little man say, "We didn't come to fight." But his words were a bit late. The stun gun was fired, and when he finished speaking, the sharp guards had already fallen at his feet.The tall and strong man grumbled, opened his hands, and several twisted and deformed stun guns fell from his palms to the ground.Mu Yun looked at them with some surprise, he didn't expect that tall and strong man who looked a bit clumsy could move his hands so neatly.He noticed that his figure was very strange when he launched the attack. He moved on all fours like a wild beast, and the bite marks left on the face of the sharp guards also showed that he used more than just fists to attack. .
But what surprised Mu Yun even more was that the tall and strong man obediently stood behind him immediately after hearing what the little man said. He originally thought that the big man was the leader.The commotion just now attracted the attention of the hall, and more sharp guards were rushing into the hall. "We're not here to cause trouble!" The little man raised his hands, signaling the strong man to do the same, "We just want to see the lord here!" The strong man raised his hands hesitantly, and slowly put them on the Behind their heads, the sharp guards swarmed up and pushed them down to the ground.
Steward Ji walked towards them, his steps were still graceful and calm, but his usual gentle voice revealed a stern question: "You have disturbed the guests here." He said to the leader of the sharp guards.
"I, I'm sorry." The sharp guard leader stammered, "They hid in the food transport box and sneaked in from the unloading aisle of the back kitchen. I'll take them away."
The housekeeper nodded. "Find out who they are." He glanced at the two men, obviously noticing their shabby clothes, "If they just want to sneak in to find something to eat, take the food delivery compartment they were hiding in before." Take them away, the contaminated food will have to be disposed of anyway.”
This is already a very lenient way of dealing with it.But the little man persisted, "We are neither beggars nor thieves," he struggled, trying to stand up, "I am Gran, my father is Golmud from Haitou, he is Black Fang, and he is me. My friend," he pointed to the tall and strong man, and said loudly, "we had to sneak in because the guards didn't allow us to come in openly through the main gate, and we have an urgent need to see the lord here."
"Haitou people? What does that mean?" Mu Yun asked in a low voice.
"I don't know either, Master," said Xue Nu standing behind Mu Yun, "I have never heard such an accent, nor have I seen this kind of skin color. They look like savages."
"They are free people living near the East China Sea. They call themselves Haimin. Haitouren is what they call the leader of the Haimin. This Gran should be the son of the leader of the Haimin. No wonder the big man obeys his orders. , but I don’t know why he came to find Prince Teng.” Mu Yun turned her head, and was a little shocked to find that Zheng Quan had also returned to the hall.He didn't know when he walked to his side, and he was looking at Mu Yun with a smile, "I heard that you are not from aristocratic family, you should know what a freeman is, right?"
Mu Yun glanced at him vigilantly, but didn't speak.Of course he knew what a freeman was.They are a group of vagrants who live outside the aristocratic territory, do not serve any noble lords, do not live on any piece of land belonging to the nobles, and do not pay taxes to any nobles.There are such free people everywhere in this continent, but the names are different in each place.Some of them are just civilians who left their hometowns because they couldn't pay taxes, and some are bandits and bandits who fled everywhere because they were wanted. These people gathered together and lived in abandoned mines and cities for generations. Live by picking up leaks, or hide in the wilderness and mountains, live by hunting and fishing, sometimes go to the city to do some petty theft, or rob passing caravans, but never commit crimes. It is a great crime to send troops to the noble lords to exterminate them.Therefore, the lords everywhere just turned a blind eye to the existence of the free people, and the free people rarely took the initiative to expose their existence and contact the noble lords.
And Haimin, according to Zheng Quan, is the largest group of free people in Donglin.Some people say that they are survivors of the Millennium War, because they are unwilling to abandon the homeland reclaimed by their ancestors, and they still live in the old city near the East China Sea that was abandoned due to the Millennium War.The tidal defense energy wall along the coastline has been destroyed in the war, and the raging tsunami often submerges the entire city under it.In the abandoned city without energy supply, people can only rely on the most primitive way to generate electricity, light and heat. Even so, every year, people who escaped from the aristocratic territory because they cannot afford taxes go to join them, and their status is revoked and they become sea people. .Some people say that their scale has reached hundreds of thousands of people, while others say that the number should be millions of people, but no one has ever actually counted the number of sea people.Not only for the aristocratic lords of Donglin, but even for the common people living in the towns and cities under the jurisdiction of the major lords of Donglin, they do not exist.
Because of this, not only Mu Yun, but also those Donglin noble knights gathered curiously when seeing these two Haimin who should not have existed in the magnificent banquet hall of Tengwang Pavilion, wanting to know They took the risk of sneaking into the Tengwang Pavilion secretly, and here they are deliberately asking to see the little Tengwang, what is the reason for it?
"Ji Yan, I'm afraid the lord here doesn't have time to meet you." Butler Ji is obviously very experienced in dealing with this kind of scene, and he said to the two seamen in a very standard tone of aristocratic butler, "If you If you have any important matters, you can let Ji Yan pass them on, now let's invite the two of you to move into the conference hall with Ji Yan."
"You mean the nobleman here is busy drinking and having fun, so he has no time to meet us?" Although the little man named Gran has a strange accent, he speaks very sharply, "You Are you going to send us away because we don't look decent enough, for fear that we will spoil the eyes of the gentlemen and disturb the pleasure of drinking and having fun?"
"You said you didn't come here to make trouble, Gran, the son of Haitou," said Butler Ji, waving his hand back slightly, "Ji Yan believes in your words, which is why you are still standing here intact .I hope you can abide by what you just said, and don’t cause trouble for us. Ji Yan can guarantee that if the floor of this hall is stained with blood, it will be very troublesome to clean up.”
Butler Ji's voice was still very soft, but under his gesture, more sharp guards rushed forward from behind him, completely suppressing the two sea people on the ground, and were about to force them out of the banquet hall .The tall burly man bared his black-stained teeth at the sharp guards and growled like a beast.Mu Yun noticed that every one of his teeth was sharpened.Compared to the short-tongued Gran, this big man named Black Fang was more like a real wild man, and he never spoke a word.
The atmosphere became tense again, and at this time King Teng finally lived up to expectations and stepped out of the crowd, "Okay, Ji Yan," he said nonchalantly, "Let them meet me, after all, I'm not that ugly. Yes or no?"
Hearing Xiao Teng Wang tell a joke, the surrounding knights also laughed wittily, and the scene suddenly relaxed a lot.Steward Ji bowed and stepped aside, signaling the sharp guards who were holding the shoulders of the two Haimins to let go. "Little prince, please be careful." He whispered, and Mu Yun saw that the guns of the sharp guards were still aiming at the two seamen vigilantly.
"Tell me," Little King Teng looked at the two Haimin with interest, "Why do you want to see me?"
They are on purpose.Mu Yun suddenly realized.These two sea people came prepared.The big man was pretty good at it, and they would have had a chance of not getting caught.They knew that King Teng was holding a banquet here.If they hadn't rushed in like this and caused commotion at the banquet, they probably wouldn't have had the chance to see King Teng at all, and they would have been kicked out quietly.The two sea folk—at least the little one named Gran—were not as wild as they appeared.
But he still underestimated the little Gran. "We're not just here to see you." He stood up and said loudly, "We're here to see all the lords and knights here."
"We encountered a tsunami, and there was a crack in the coastal defense wall. Mrs. Hai came ashore with the tide, more than one," he said to the hall, "They have destroyed several villages along the coast, and many people died. We have no armor and Knights, there is no way to fight them, I was sent to ask you for help, please send knights to destroy Mrs. Hai!"
Even without Zheng Quan citing scriptures, Mu Yun still knew what Mrs. Hai was.It was a huge sea beast, one of the "ten evils" on this continent.Just like the dragon beasts, the sea lady existed long before this continent surfaced, but they don't have wings like the dragon beasts, and they can't survive on land for a long time.Most of the time, they stay on the bottom of the sea, and only come ashore with the tide to look for food when there is an extreme lack of food.They are larger than a forty-ton battle armor, and their whole bodies are covered with extremely hard exoskeletons. The bifurcated horns on their heads are like a lady's hairpin, which is also the origin of the name Mrs. Hai.Their bodily fluids are highly corrosive, and everything they pass through will become lifeless.Except for the knights who control the armor, there are almost no weapons that can kill them.
There was silence in the hall. "Mrs. Hai doesn't need to take the trouble to eliminate it at all," said an older knight. Mu Yun recognized him as a knight from the Li family from the pattern on his coat. "They don't last three days on land," he said, "and they don't usually move very far from the coastline, they're not a threat at all."
"And the towns near the sea are protected by energy defense walls," said another knight. "Even Mrs. Hai can't break through the defense walls. It's impossible for them to enter the town."
"You are right." The little Gran said in a deep voice, "But there are many settlements of sea people near the coastline, and there is no defensive wall there. Even if a sea lady can only survive on land for three days, in this In three days, a lot of people will die too."
"Actually," he took a step forward and looked straight into Xiao Teng's eyes, and the sharp guards clasped the handles of their guns tightly because of his movement, "while I'm talking to you, every 1 People are dying every minute, and I beg you to send troops as soon as possible to save the lives of these people."
"It's rare that people come to see me for this kind of thing. After all, I'm just a businessman. Most people ask to see me to borrow money, not to borrow soldiers." Xiao Teng Wang scratched his chin, "No matter what Said, you should go to see my eldest brother first, after all, he is the master of Donglin." He glanced at the expression on the face of that little Gran, and suddenly understood: "Could it be that you have already met Have you passed my elder brother?"
"We have no chance to meet the Lord of the East Forest at all." The young Haimin said, "The inspection of the castle castle is very strict, and we don't even have the chance to get close to the castle tower where the Lord of the East Forest is."
"What do the other lords say?" Little Teng Wang asked, "The Qi family and the Xiao family, their territory is closer to the East China Sea than Yongjiang City, why do you want to be far away instead of begging them to send troops?"
He saw the answer in the tanned face of the young seaman. "Where is the Li family? The territory of the Li family is not far from the East China Sea." King Teng turned his head and glanced at the young master of the Li family who was standing not far away, but he shook his head slightly, "My father refused to send troops." Li Shan said, frowning on that solemn square face, for some reason, Mu Yun felt ashamed in his tone, "The East China Sea is not the territory of the Li family, let alone the Qi family and the Li family who are stronger than the Li family." Even the Xiao family did not send troops, so if the Li family mobilizes troops at this moment, I am afraid that it will grant authority and cause accidents."
"Fei family——" Mu Yun saw that Fei Ye was about to speak, when a gorgeously dressed elderly knight took a step forward and said loudly before her, "The Fei family elders have already made a decision and will not fight for the East China Sea. Send troops for this matter." He turned around, saw Fei Ye's two raised willow eyebrows, immediately knelt down on one knee, and said respectfully, "Atonement, this is the resolution of the elders, even the Patriarch cannot Change."
Mu Yun couldn't understand, "Human life is at stake, why are they unwilling to send troops?" He asked in a low voice.Xue Nu shook her head, "I can't answer this question, master, this is beyond my thinking, only humans can answer your question."
This time it was Zheng Quan who took over the conversation again, and Mu Yun realized that this guy hadn't walked away, "That's not easy," Zheng Quan said in a low voice, "You heard it just now, the Qi family, The towns facing the sea in the territory of the Xiao family and the Li family have defensive walls, and Mrs. Hai cannot enter, and Mrs. Hai can't live on land for more than three days. Even if they wreak havoc everywhere during these three days, those who die are those near the East China Sea. The free folk have nothing to do with these lords, so why did they send troops? After all, Mrs. Hai is also one of the ten evils. To deal with Mrs. Hai, the only way to deal with them is to use armor, not to mention the knights risking their lives. Just talking about the weapon consumption and battle damage maintenance costs of the battle armor is also an expense, why would those lords take the risk of losing their knights and spend this money for these sea people for no reason?"
Hearing that the big lords who bet on the city and risked the lives of knights on the Spring Hunt, and invested a lot of money to build countless battle armors to fight each other, would feel sorry for the cost of the battle damage. Mu Yun didn't know what to feel in his heart. But I heard Zheng Quan continue to say: "What's more, for the lords who have long-term disputes over the borders of the Qi family, Xiao family, Li family, and Fei family, they send knights to support the free people in the East China Sea, while other lords stand still. If the defense of the town is weakened by the transfer of soldiers and horses, it is very likely that the opponent will take the opportunity to eat it, and the loss will be great; in addition, sending troops to pass through the borders of other lords' territories can easily be used as an excuse. Make provocations, cause disputes and even provoke wars, especially like the Fei family and the Qi family, the Xiao family and the Li family, the relationship between the original is very tense, and a small conflict between the knights will go off and cause a big war. Fei Ye She's still too young to understand the stakes, and I guess that's why the elders made a decision before her order, ordering the Fei family not to send troops."
Mu Yun couldn't help looking at Zheng Quan more, "I didn't expect you to think so thoroughly about the thoughts of the lords."
"Zheng was also the commander of the Jinwu Guard Zuo in Chang'an City in the past," Zheng Quan said with a smile, "The great lords of Donglin are no different from the big bureaucrats in Chang'an City. When it comes to taking risks, even if their lives are at stake, they won’t even move their little fingers. But if it’s profitable, then the situation is different. Guess if it’s not the sea that goes ashore this time Ma'am, it's a dragon beast that can produce dragon crystals, will these great lords stand still? I'm afraid they will rush to send knights to save the lives of the sea people!"
"Just wait and see," he whispered to Mu Yun, "Based on Zheng's experience, even if King Teng is so rebellious, his decisions will be no different from those of these noble lords. I will send troops for the sea people."
Mu Yun frowned.He didn't like Zheng Quan's pretentiously affectionate tone, and he didn't like Zheng Quan deliberately staying near him, blatantly observing his every move.He didn't know why Zheng Quan didn't reveal his existence in the hangar, but he could guess that Zheng Quan wanted to dig out something valuable from him. Did he want to use himself to deal with Li Jing?Mu Yun thought in his heart, after all, their goal is the seal of the king, and the cooperation can only be temporary.
But at this moment, what he didn't like even more was Zheng Quan's assertion against King Teng.He didn't dare to say how much he liked Xiao Teng Wang, but during the month of coming to Donglin, they were at least companions fighting side by side...
That's enough, the familiar voice rang in his ears again, don't be stupid again, you don't understand the game of nobles at all, there are lies everywhere, everyone is dancing with masks on.Take off the mask of an armor-making genius and playboy, and you have no idea what kind of person the real King Teng is.As the lord of Yongjiang City, does Little King Teng really know nothing about the King's Seal buried underground in Yongjiang City?Why do you believe he is a better lord than Teng Wengong?
Because I want to believe.Mu Yun answered in a low voice in her heart.Because I don't want to be that desperate yet.
Oh, then you are expecting to be disappointed.said the voice.Listen carefully, and take a closer look at the true colors of these nobles.
"We asked to see the lords of Donglin, big and small," he heard the little man named Gran say, "They either refused to see us outright, or they refused to send troops for various reasons. Here is our last Hope." He looked at Xiao Teng Wang, "They said you are different from those noble lords, now even you have to refuse our request?"
"I sympathize with those sea people," said Little King Teng, "but I'm just a businessman, and I have no soldiers to send."
"There are three hundred Tengjia soldiers in Yongjiang City." The young Haimin said.He obviously came prepared.
"But there are still [-] Habayashi soldiers in Yongjiang City." Xiao Teng Wang replied, "If I transfer these [-] Tengjia soldiers, Yongjiang City will fall into the hands of my elder brother. I can't take this risk."
"We don't need so many armored soldiers. Ten knights and ten [-]-ton battle armors are enough to deal with those fierce beasts." Gran said.
King Teng sighed. "Then let me make my words clearer." He said, "It is impossible for me to send even one Tengjia soldier to the East China Sea to help you. It is not my territory. And I only need to mobilize even one Tengjia soldier to leave my territory. My eldest brother will use this as an excuse for my rebellion and rebellion, and naturally send troops to capture Yongjiang City. Now his Habayashi Army is stationed under the gate of Yongjiang City. I doubt that any Tengjia soldiers can survive city."
Gran's eyes were fixed on Xiao Teng Wang, wanting to know whether he was telling the truth.But Mu Yun knew that Prince Teng was not lying.Even during the Spring Hunting period, Teng Jiaxing's formations were always "protected" by the Habayashi Army.It's just that Little King Teng didn't tell this Haimin that the reason why Teng Wengong was eyeing Yongjiang City was because the prince of the Northern Realm was in Yongjiang City.
Because the seal of the king is buried underground in Yongjiang City.
The familiar voice added in his ear.
Mu Yun ignored the voice.King Teng's decision was correct.He wanted to tell himself that.In the current situation, in his position, he has no other choice.He couldn't let Yongjiang City fall into the hands of Teng Wengong.He couldn't let the prince of the northern border fall into the hands of Teng Wengong.He couldn't risk the lives of a few seafolk like that.But he couldn't stop the voice from repeating in his mind: What's the difference?How is this different from what the noble lords did?
The young seaman named Gran said something more.Little King Teng shook his head slowly, "I said that I am just a businessman, and you want me to take the entire Yongjiang City to rescue your Haimin. I really can't do this loss-making business."
"I understand." Gran nodded, "So you are no different from those noble lords, but you are more honest than them. They will never admit that they are businessmen, but they have the same heart as you. Thinking about the abacus, calculating your own gains and losses."
"What about you?" He turned around and said loudly to the nearly a hundred people standing in the hall, "You are all knights. Didn't you swear to protect the unarmed when you became knights? Didn't your Doesn't the creed tell you to help those who ask you for help?"
There were some angry shouts and curses in the hall.These noble knights were obviously not used to being questioned in such an arrogant tone by a lowly sea dweller.Someone yelled at Gran for his rudeness.But most of the knights said nothing.They seemed a little at a loss, not knowing how to refute Gran's questioning. "It's not fair," said an elderly knight at last. "As knights, we swear to protect the defenseless and to help those who come to us because they are our people. It is they who pay the price." Taxes provide us with arms and food. You chose to be freemen, you never paid taxes, and you now ask us to help you with the arms and food you get from our people. It is not fair to our people They are the ones we swore to protect." The silent knights nodded in agreement.Various discussions gradually sounded in the hall.A few remained silent, but the embarrassment and shame that had been revealed under the heckling of the young seaman had faded from the faces of most of the knights. "Our duty as knights is to be loyal to the lord and protect the people. You ask us to disobey the lord's order, abandon our people, and fight for you. This request itself is unreasonable." Another knight said loudly.The knights tapped the ground with their sword hilts to show their agreement.
Gran squinted at the scene in the hall.He took a deep breath, and was about to raise his voice to say something, when a tall figure stood in front of him, separating him from the knights. "It's not a wise choice to humiliate the knights, not to mention that you plan to humiliate hundreds of knights at the same time." The butler Ji said, shaking his head at him in warning, "You said that you are not here to cause trouble. You asked to see the lord and knight here , you've met them, you've got their answer, now you should go."
The young Haimin stood where he was. He raised his head to look at Steward Ji, and then at the sharp guards behind him. "I didn't intend to humiliate any knight." He pointed to the knights in the hall and said calmly, "It's their words and deeds that humiliate the name of the knights, not me." After he finished speaking, he turned around and ignored He stopped the guns aimed at them, and greeted the strong man, "Let's go, Black Fang, there is no hope here."
"Wait a minute."
Gran stopped.He saw a strange young man stepping out from the group of knights.He should not be a knight.Gran thought.Without any knightly arms or family crest on his coat, nor did he wear a knightly sword, his attire looked more like that of a commoner.But he probably wasn't a commoner either, because from under the young man's coat, Gran noticed that he was wearing knight armor specially designed for manipulating armor.And beside him stood a girl from the Rui tribe, who looked like his bodyguard.
"Have you considered hiring a hedge knight?" asked the strange young man.He has striking white hair, almost as white as the hair of the Rai girl standing beside him.But his pupils are a human charcoal brown.
The knights in the hall burst into laughter because of the young man's question.Gran shook his head helplessly.This question is as ridiculous as asking why people who are about to starve to death don't eat minced meat.A noble young master who knows nothing about the world.Gran thought.He had encountered such a person before, a rebel among the children of aristocratic families, who liked to pretend to be a commoner to show that he was different. "The Sea People don't have the money to hire knights," he said matter-of-factly, "but thank you for your suggestion." There was no mockery in his tone.Stupid though the young man was, at least he was not like those knights who deluded themselves.At least he's trying to figure out how to help them.
"I don't ask much," he heard the young man go on unexpectedly. "I only want two guineas. On credit."
Alright, so this odd young man really wants to help.Gran thought in amazement.Regardless of whether the young man's purpose of standing up at such a time was to impress others - more likely to attract the attention of a certain girl - Gran noticed the look he had exchanged with the Fijia girl earlier.This kind of thing is very common. In any case, he admired the young man's courage, but he still shook his head, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but you can't deal with a group of sea ladies alone." He said.The Sea People need help, but not vain and foolish young men dying for it.
"As much as you can handle." Mu Yun said, "And I'm not a lord, I'm just a commoner, but I'm a knight."
He saw the bewildered look in Gran's eyes.But he didn't want to explain anything to him.He turned to King Teng, "Although I promised you to fight for Teng Jiaxing in the spring hunt, I have not pledged my allegiance to you, and I am not a knight of Teng Jiaxing. I am going out of the city at this moment, and Habayashi should not stop me."
"If you go out of the city now, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up with the Chinese banquet." Xiao Teng Wang reminded.
Yes.Mu Yun thought to himself.This is a stupid decision.If he wants to find the King's Seal before Li Jing, if he wants to master the power enough to compete with Li Jing, he should stay in Yongjiang City, and he can't take the risk of missing the banquet.The voice told him.But he just couldn't stand in this hall any longer, couldn't listen anymore.He knew that those knights' defenses to Gran's questioning were just self-deceiving excuses, but he didn't know how to refute them—except to stand up at this moment.
If he hasn't stepped forward, what's the difference between him and those noble knights?
But deep down he knew it was a stupid decision.
"I'll be back as soon as possible," he replied curtly.
At least, he comforted himself in his heart, he didn't have to face Li Jing immediately.He wondered if Li Jing was standing in front of him now, could he pretend that he didn't know anything, that nothing happened, that everything was the same as before.
Even just thinking of this name made him clenched his fists involuntarily.
"What should I call you, knight?" asked the young but shrewd Sea Folk.
"White Horse City, Mu Yun." He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."
He felt that he could no longer stay in this hall any longer.
"Wait a minute," came a loud voice from the back of the hall, "I'll give you the pound, and I'll go with you."
Gran blinked in surprise.He saw a mass of pink standing up from a table somewhere in the back of the hall, stretching.A huge man in a pink knight's cloak, even taller than Black Fang.The knights in the hall rushed to make way for him like the plague.As he approached, yawning, Gran could smell a strong smell of alcohol on him.
"You want to grab me for a gold pound?" Mu Yun said dissatisfiedly, but for some reason, he wanted to smile a little.
"You can't let me do it for nothing, right? I, Lao Zhang, is a man of value!" Lao Zhang scratched his disheveled hair, and patted Grann on the shoulder vigorously, "You're lucky today, a gold pound can Invite the leader of the Knights of the Rose to fight in person, do you know how much that guy paid for me to take a shot for him in Spring Hunting?" He pointed to King Teng and shook his hand, "This number , sixty battle armors!"
Your slap is only five fingers, what does it have to do with sixty!Mu Yun couldn't help but spit in his heart, but he couldn't help showing a smile on his face.
At this moment, he heard another voice from beside him, "I'll share the gold pound too, and I'll go with you."
Mu Yun's smile froze on his face, he turned his head and saw Zheng Quan standing beside him at some point, and said to the young master of the Li family with a smile: "I am no longer a knight of the Li family. , go with them, it shouldn't make you too embarrassed, right?"
Li Shan shook his head, "It would be great if you were willing to make a move, but your battle armor Gale..."
"It's fixed, it's fixed, it was fixed overnight last night." Before Zheng Quan could answer, he saw Su Sheng trotting up, "I'll take care of you if you have a young master, you can use it safely and be satisfied with the custodian!"
You are the Prince of the North!Why do you act like a boy in a mechanic shop!While complaining in his heart, Mu Yun glared at Su Sheng viciously.Although he could probably guess that Su Sheng couldn't help dismantling and repairing Zheng Quan's Gale Armor because he was curious about the construction materials of Zheng Quan's Gale Armor, but when he thought that Zheng Quan was going to follow him on the road, and when he thought of that smiling face, Mu Yun felt unhappy all over his body as if he was being watched by Smiling Mianhu.He knew very well that Zheng Quan definitely didn't stand up for Haimin at this time, his real purpose was probably related to himself.
"Speaking of which," Zheng Quan looked at Mu Yun and said with a smile, "Why is your asking price two gold pounds?"
Because I still owe Li Jing two gold pounds.Mu Yun thought to himself.Before taking revenge, I hope to owe him nothing.
But he strode forward without saying anything.
(End of this chapter)
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