Heart of the Castle

Chapter 550
The old blacksmith's tone was obviously a little rash, and it could even be said to be disrespectful to the Arthur royal family. Li Wei glanced at the knights around him with some concern, but found that not only the few griffin knights were indifferent, but even the noble knights of the royal capital were indifferent. There is no special expression on the face.

It seems that the prestige of Arthur's royal family has dropped to a freezing point due to the fall of the royal capital. Even those nobles in the royal capital are considering their own way out, completely forgetting that the royal family still has the last blood.There was a burst of worry in Li Wei's heart, and then he took a deep breath to suppress all these unstable emotions in his heart.

"You're right, the capital has indeed fallen into the hands of the devil, but we can't give up hope." Li Wei said to the villagers with a serious face, his tone was stern and forceful, as if there was a faint thunder in his throat storm. "Don't let the devil occupy this land forever, Arthur's kingdom will eventually be revived in our hands!"

"You're right, my lord." The old blacksmith replied uncertainly. Among the villagers behind him, a few young people responded sparingly, but most of the villagers whispered suspiciously. Whispering.

The corner of Li Wei's mouth twitched, but he could also understand that the current situation was indeed too severe - the capital fell, the south and the west were at war, and the blood of Arthur's royal family was severely damaged and almost cut off.Now even the nobles of the royal capital feel confused and helpless about the future, let alone these hungry and cold villagers.

He had no choice but to shake his head with a wry smile, and then said to a crusader swordsman who was following him: "Gather the rations in the saddlebags, distribute some to the villagers here, and use the rest for breakfast."

"Yes, my lord." The crusader swordsman replied in a muffled voice, and then turned around to execute the order.

"Also, inform all the lords of the northern border, the nobles of the royal capital above the title of viscount, and the knights above the title of Grand Knight Commander to gather in the council hall of the village after breakfast." Li Wei stopped him and added his own words. the order said.

Duncan Village—this unnamed village is temporarily named after its past owner—the house architecture has a distinctive feature of a wealthy manor near the capital, and the village is protected by fences nailed with thin wooden strips. A drainage ditch about one meter wide.Dozens of villager huts made of logs and stucco are arranged in an orderly manner, surrounding the most central meeting hall. This hall is also the residence of the manor steward, so it looks quite spacious and bright, and its comfort level is better than that of the villagers' houses. many.

There are compartments on both sides of the meeting hall, one of which is the kitchen, and the other is the bedroom of the steward of the manor, but the master steward also died in the south along with Lord Duncan, and now he is jointly elected by the villagers as the leader The old blacksmith lived in it.

In order to drive away the winter chill, a huge firepit was dug on the clay-tamped ground in the middle of the meeting hall. Many newly cut firewood were crackling and burning in the firepit, spewing out smoke mixed with sparks.A smoky and blackened log beam spanned about two meters above the firepit, with many iron hooks nailed to it.It used to be filled with smoked pork shanks, ribs, sausages and veal, but it is now empty.

Dozens of heavily armed knights and nobles sat casually in the chamber.Although the space here is not small, there are only three or five hand-made rough oak seats, and most people can only squeeze on the benches without backrests.This is obviously a matter of demeaning, but even the most picky royal nobles did not complain. For those who have gone through a whole night of fierce fighting and arduous marching, a bite of hot food is enough. Make them very satisfied.

Including Li Wei, a large wooden plate was placed in front of everyone, and there was exactly the same breakfast in terms of quantity and type: half-cut black bread, the side that was baked by the fire was slightly burnt; A bowl of hot soup made of minced bacon and turnips and a small piece of sausage cooked on the stone, with a strong aroma of lard, make these hungry people swallow their saliva .

After Li Wei signaled that everyone can eat, all the noise in the meeting hall disappeared, replaced by the sound of chewing vigorously, those breakfasts were quickly swept away by greedy mouths, more than one person was eating When he finished the share in front of him, he showed an expression that was still unfinished.

This breakfast seemed very simple, and the quantity was not enough. Although the various materials produced by the Heart of the Castle were enough to fill everyone's stomachs, doing so would definitely make many people suspicious.In fact, when Li Wei ordered the food to be taken out, many nobles in the royal capital were surprised, because they did not expect that the Griffon Lord would be so generous and distributed the precious rations to the villagers including Duncan Village. everyone inside.

More than one nobleman approached Li Wei in private and expressed his objections in euphemistic terms.In their minds, these precious foods should be reserved for people who are more important than lowly villagers, such as loyal knights, sturdy soldiers, and...these noble children of nobles.

Li Wei needed to restrain himself as much as possible so that he didn't beat the faces with flattering smiles to pieces with his fists. "Now the Kingdom of Arthur needs to unite every ounce of strength, and these nobles of the kingdom can also be united." He told himself, and then showed a very impatient look.

The nobles who can survive in the royal capital may be corrupt and incompetent, or greedy and shameless, but they are all very good at observing words and expressions. Li Wei's impatient expression is just right to become an unspoken order to expel guests, making these guys immediately change the topic, and then they are disheartened. Shut up and left.

At the end of this modest but definitely invigorating breakfast, the attendants took away the plates in front of everyone and brought in some mulled grape spirits mixed with some lemon juice and other spices, emitting Aromas of fruit and oak.Many people swallowed involuntarily, with expectant expressions on their faces.Li Wei watched the attendants put such a drink in front of everyone in the chamber, and then raised the horn cup filled with hot water in front of him.

"My lords." He said with a heavy tone, "Please let us raise our wine glasses to respect the souls who have passed away in the capital. After this glass of wine, I would like to ask my lords to express their opinions on the current situation. Everyone in this room has that power, and I want everyone to be able to speak up."

"Respect the lost souls!" No matter what thoughts these people have in their hearts, at least at this moment, all voices are sending out sincere responses.No matter whether it was the nobles of the royal capital, the lords of the northern border, or the knights in strong clothes, they all held the wine glasses in front of them with both hands and held them high above their heads.

Then drink it up.

The grape spirit produced in the heart of the castle has been distilled many times. Although it smells fragrant, it tastes as strong as fire.Many people who tasted this spirit for the first time couldn't help but stare their eyes round, and the expressions on their faces became very ridiculous.Especially Bamilian, the head of the palace, was even more exaggerated. His round and fat face was smothered in purple, and he almost spit out the spirits in his mouth.

Li Wei's eyes quickly flashed a hint of playfulness, but it was fleeting. "My lords, what suggestions do you have for the current severe situation?" He calmly put down his wine glass and scanned all the faces in the meeting hall with piercing eyes.Some nobles with ulterior motives couldn't help looking away. There might still be a little immaturity left in this young man, but no one dared to underestimate him and the powerful power in his hands.

For a while, the meeting hall was shrouded in silence, all the nobles were silent, exchanging opinions with each other's eyes, but no one stood up to speak.It's not that they don't want to express their opinions, but because they can't figure out the temper of the Griffin Lord, and they don't know what is going on in the heart of this powerful young man.

For example... Has he ever thought about replacing Arthur's royal family and establishing a new human kingdom in the north?
After a series of events, even the nobles of the royal capital who were blinded by the illusion at the beginning have touched the truth.Whether it is the Dragon King or the Strong Duke, the two rulers of the Arthurian royal family owe a lot to the Griffin Lord. If the royal power is still stable, perhaps Levi Stone can only swallow the bitter fruit silently and return to the Northern Territory to protect himself.However, now that the king's capital has fallen into the hands of the devil, and there is only one royal blood left, will the Griffin Lord maintain his unchanging loyalty?
No one dared to draw conclusions.

Therefore, these rich and nobles who have become accustomed to the unpredictable power game in the capital all kept their mouths shut, fearing that if they were the first to speak, they would become a wayfinding stone for others.If he didn't make it right, he would be charged with a crime and be eliminated early from the power game where the center had been shifted to the side of the Griffin Lord.

No nobleman wanted to lose the power in his hands, even if it was just a power built on a sandy tower with no foundation, they flocked to it.

The royal nobles were silent.All the Griffin Knights followed Li Wei's lead, including Flame Wheel Knight Wilps, as long as Li Wei didn't ask them, they would not take the initiative to express their opinions.The leader of the prison guards of Dreadfort Five and Sir Haihua of the Death Knights had just joined Levi's command, and they didn't make any comments.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the chamber became a little awkward due to no one speaking, Lord White Wolf Cedric stood up from his seat and nodded to Li Wei. "My lords, as the Griffon Lord said just now, the situation we are facing is extremely serious. The fall of the capital of Fermeyer not only made us lose the symbol of royal power, but more importantly, the kingdom has not yet The connection between the occupied territories was severed, and they could only fight on their own."

Lord Cedric paused when he said this, and gestured to the attendant standing by the door. The attendant ran out immediately, and ran back with a cowhide map in a blink of an eye, and another attendant Let's unfold the map in the air together.

"My lords, please see that the four southern counties were the first to fall, and only the Holy White Rock Castle, which guards the southern gate of the capital, is still in the hands of the kingdom. According to Sir Haihua of the Death Knights, the current defenders of the Holy White Rock Castle should have left. The fortress that has lost its strategic significance, only some ascetics remain there, ready to live and die with the fortress."

Lord Cedric pointed to the other side of the map, "Western Wind County in the Kingdom was also attacked by demons, and the county town quickly fell. Fortunately, the demon army and the orc Gulun tribe who lived on the Moon Whisper Plain After a series of fierce battles, the orc tribe was defeated, losing nearly [-]% of their strength, and the remaining forces were forced to flee into the hinterland of Xifeng County and reach Iron Rock City."

"That's right, when I was collecting evidence of treason against the Earl of Magic Mountain in Westwind County, I had dealt with those orcs and signed a mutual aid contract with them." Li Wei added, "The orcs agreed to fight side by side with us." The invasion of demons, until they are completely driven out of the kingdom's land."

Li Weiston is not the lord of Westwind County, nor is he the guardian of the entire kingdom. If it was replaced by Arthur's royal family, the mutual assistance contract he signed with the orcs could only be an off-the-spot transaction.Although no one would hold the griffin lord accountable for this incident when the catastrophe struck, there were suspicions of exceeding his authority after all.

It was different now, even the most demanding nobles of the kingdom did not speak out against it, instead they were very pleased that the western border of the kingdom had such a powerful ally.There are even a few nobles who have already looked longingly at the west of the map—compared with the bitter cold and barren northern border county, the kingdom's Westwind County has much richer products, as long as it can ensure safety there...

"Next is the east of the kingdom." Lord Cedric walked to the other side of the map and pointed with his finger. "There are two counties in the east of the Kingdom. The border of Great Serre County is adjacent to the Principality of Speyhof and the Principality of Machiko. The border of Little Serre County is Tatarchuk, a free city known as the country of mercenaries. These two counties It is the only place in the kingdom that is not contaminated by war, and most of the Death Knights went there under the leadership of their acting leader Tomad Jansen."

"Lord Cedric." A royal nobleman stood up, wearing a silver and purple light chest armor, with a puzzled expression on his young face. "Since the Great and Small Sairet Counties have not suffered from war, why don't we go there? Although I have never set foot on the land of the two eastern counties, I have read from the records of the Star Academy that the climate and products of the Great and Small Serre Counties are very different. It is far better than Northern County, rich in minerals, and its population is several times that of Northern County, which is enough for us to form a larger army."

"Although the northern county is barren and cold, the harsh natural environment has sharpened the perseverance and tenacity of the people in the northern border. One soldier in the northern border can deal with five soldiers from the four southern counties, and his discipline and patience are far away. Stronger than people from other places." Lord Cedric grinned, barely showing a smile. "What's more, most of the people here have their homes there."

"Sir Maxim, it's better to settle such a bad suggestion in your head, at least it will give you something under your skull." A royal nobleman who was not a few years older said He said in a sarcasm, "Let's not talk about whether the lords of the Northern Allied Forces are willing to leave their hometowns. Is the Daxie County a good place? The products there are indeed rich, but they don't belong to us, but the local lords. Yes, don't you want to suggest that we confiscate the land from the local lord?"

The nobleman's sarcasm immediately caused the former to retort, and then an extremely heated discussion atmosphere was set off in the meeting hall. Every participant had the right to speak, and they naturally seized this opportunity to express themselves. One by one, they were either impassioned, or Oddly, or loudly cursing, or sneering, one unrealistic idea after another was put forward, and then interrupted by even more whimsical methods.Several stubborn nobles even pressed their sword hilts to threaten each other, and then they were drowned out by the sound of violently beating the table.

Due to his youth and inexperience, Levy usually kept silent in the deliberations, listened to the opinions of every speaker, and carefully judged whether these opinions were really reasonable.He rarely expresses impulsive opinions, but even when he does, his silence is somewhat unusual.When another aristocrat from the royal capital who spoke sat down with a smile on his face, Sir Grace, a tall and thin sniper archer, suddenly stood up and looked at Levi in ​​surprise. "Master Li Wei, do you...do you feel unwell?"

This sentence immediately made everyone turn their attention to the griffin lord sitting in the middle of the meeting hall. Li Wei's young face was expressionless, as if he was indifferent to these gazes, but sharp-eyed people had already seen a bruise on his forehead. A fine layer of sweat beads glistened in the light of the fire.

"Lord Li Wei, what happened? Your face looks terrible!" This seemed to be the voice of the young knight Grun Worm who was serving as a close attendant.

"How do you feel, can you hear my voice?" Another voice was a bit dull, it should be Donald the Roaring Bear.

"I can hear..." Li Wei wanted to answer him this way, but no matter how hard he tried, the young Griffin Lord could only make a frighteningly soft moan, and then his feet suddenly lost the strength to support his body, a Staggered and fell backwards.

Flame wheel knight Wilps rushed to Li Wei's side, holding his crumbling body with his hands.Due to the fast and violent movements, he even knocked out several northern lords who were sitting next to Li Wei.

"Lord Li Wei!"

"what's going on?"

"Gods above!"

Everyone present screamed in shock, but Li Wei felt that those voices were covered under the thick cowhide, so blurred that he couldn't hear them clearly.He tried his best to take a deep breath, trying to restrain his beating heart, but he felt an indescribable suffocation.The griffin lord found that everything in front of him suddenly started to rotate, and the earth seemed to rush towards him like a wall...

Then the surroundings became very dark, and all thoughts completely disappeared from Levi Stone's mind.

(End of this chapter)