Heart of the Castle

Chapter 910 Belief in Forging Divine Fire, Continent Gathering Soldiers
Babrupa opened his eyes from the cold bed, the sky was still early and the sky was full of stars, but there was already a pale gray morning light in the east, the room was frighteningly cold, and the charcoal in the fireplace had already burned out, leaving only a few pieces Dark red embers billowed with white smoke.

This is the third day since he came to the free city of Tatarchuk as the special envoy of the Regent of the Kingdom of Arthur. Although he has protested as harshly as possible, for two days in a row, Babrupa was placed under house arrest in a posthouse. Among the treatment, apart from a diplomat with a slick face, it is a group of soldiers whose faces are colder than the armor on their bodies.

Babrupa gritted his teeth tightly, and let out a series of vicious curses in his stomach.He wasn't about to bluster, because Tatarchuk's consuls were clearly waiting for his offensive words to give Arthur's envoy a humiliating expulsion from the country, which would mean the failure of his diplomatic mission.By gods, if Babrupa can't subdue this group of vulgar mercenaries with his tongue, then what face is there to claim to be a close comrade in arms of the regent Liveston?
Thinking of this, Babrupa jumped off the bed, walked to the short table in the corner, grabbed the brass jug full of cold water, took a few swigs, and then wiped his face with the cold water.The biting coldness made him shiver several times in a row, and also drove away the last trace of drowsiness without a trace.

"It's today, I must meet the city governor of Tatarchuk!" Babrupa said to himself through gritted teeth, and then his gloomy eyes fell on the huge bark box beside the bed, "If these guys continue to If you evade, then don't blame me for having to resort to some extreme measures!"

I am afraid that no one but him knows exactly how many things are contained in Babrupa's bark box. Just as the special envoy was about to open the box with a fierce look in his eyes, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Master Babrupa, Special Envoy?" The person who knocked on the door said in a polite voice, "The three consuls from the free city of Tatarchuk have come to pay a visit to you."

Babrupa's expression changed several times in a row. He didn't expect that the indifferent attitude of Liberty City would take a sharp 180-degree turn. Yesterday, he asked for an audience but couldn't get it, but today...he actually came to visit him in person?
If it weren't for the life of a liar who talked to people and talked to people, Babrupa would definitely not be able to open the door with a calm face, and then took half a step back as expected, " Lord Aozu, Grand Magister Kendia, and Commander Romney, it is really a joyful thing that you all took time out of your busy schedules to meet with them."

The lord of Tatarchuk, the city of mercenaries, is getting old, his hair and beard are already grey, but no one dares to regard him as an old man, his movements are very neat, and his hair is shaved into a very short "mercenary" "Head of the Soldier," with the piercing light of a battle-hardened knight in his eyes, and even on diplomatic visits, a heavy sword still hung from his waist, blackened from its simple scabbard and hilt. Judging from the wrapped cowhide, this is definitely not the kind of ceremonial saber that is put on.

"Master Babrupa, don't talk about unnecessary greetings. We have already understood the purpose of your visit very clearly. I must tell you that I am a lobbyist for that Li Weiston, and I want Tatarchuk to submit to you. Under his command, your qualifications are not enough."

When City Lord Aozu spoke, the heavy and indifferent tone made Babrupa shiver uncontrollably, and the next few words of cynicism were immediately choked in his throat.

"Respected Lord Aozu, are you questioning my qualifications?" Babrupa puffed up his chest angrily, "With all due respect, the special envoy of Li Weiston, the guardian of the entire Kingdom of Arthur and the head of the important minister, This qualification is more than enough to meet a king, at least it doesn't humiliate your identity, right?"

The former liar was not very courageous, but his ability to observe words and demeanor has been well practiced. The stern words of the Lord Aozu revealed some problems. After all, he only questioned Babrupa's qualifications, not a flat rejection.

"Plenipotentiary envoy of the Kingdom of Arthur? Mr. Babrupa, I'm afraid you are putting too much money on your face." Captain Romney said in a soft voice, "If I remember correctly, you will be at the two Years ago, you were an unknown commoner in the Kingdom of Arthur, cheating food and drink by selling fake sacred relics and treasures, if you didn’t curry favor with Levi Stone’s thigh, you wouldn’t be eligible to be interviewed by us at all.”

A sly smile appeared on Babrupa's face. The young man in front of him had just inherited the authority of the head of the Thorn Mercenary Group, which was famous for spying on the mainland a few months ago. He was very eager to show his ability, even at the expense of Offensive. "Master Romney, I don't deny the information you have, but please allow me to point out a little difference. Two years may not be too long in normal times, but it is a long time in the era of heroes with turbulent winds and stars. It didn’t even take two years. The Kingdom of Arthur, which could only be ranked as a second-rate kingdom, now dominates all the countries in the mainland, while the once-prominent Glorious Alliance has been eclipsed. The old legendary powerhouses have fallen one after another, and new legends continue to emerge... Captain Romney, you are now the leader of the Thorns Mercenary Group, but what were you doing two years ago?"

The smile on the corner of Captain Romney's mouth disappeared, and a trace of anger flashed quickly in his eyes, but before he could react, the Great Magister Kendia, who had never spoken, coughed suddenly, and paused for a while to hold the magic master in his hand. stick.

"There is no need to engage in unnecessary verbal disputes here, Captain Romney, you should understand our purpose today." The middle-aged man spoke with a warning, then turned to Babrupa with blue eyes There is a taste of scrutiny in it. "Master Babrupa, I apologize to you for the inappropriate remarks of Commander Romney, but this is exactly what we are worried about. You are the envoy appointed by His Excellency Levi Ston, there is no doubt about it, definitely There are authorization documents or other things that can prove your identity, but as far as I know, you are not among the core subordinates of His Excellency Leviston. He entrusted you with the full power of negotiation because he didn't care about Tatarchuk's power ?"

Babrupa shook his head, hiding the relaxed smile in his eyes, "Wise Grand Magister Kendia, you must know something about the core subordinates of our Lord Regent, right? I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I am worried that if If His Majesty the Regent sends His Majesty the Emerald Dragon King Zhanqing Augustus, the Fire Wizard Juno Ameriste, or the Fire Diamond Dragon King Dariga, Tatarchuk will probably feel like he is facing an enemy, and even panic. ?”

The three consuls exchanged glances with each other, and they all saw embarrassment and uneasiness in each other's eyes.As Babrupa said, although Tatarchuk is not weak because all the people are soldiers, it is only a free city after all, not a principality with a vast territory, and the space for strategic maneuvering is extremely narrow.If a legendary strongman led an elite troop, it would indeed make them feel uneasy, and even make irrational hostile actions because of this.

"Your words are sharper than the blades in the hands of our warriors." City Lord Aozu applauded in a deep voice, "Master Babrupa, we are discussing in detail the proposal of Lord Regent of Arthur Kingdom, His Excellency Lee Viston. After that, it was agreed that it was very correct, but Tatarchuk couldn't accept it."

"This makes me feel confused." Babrupa made an exaggerated expression of frowning, "Master Aozu, since you think His Excellency Li Weiston's proposal is correct, why can't you be straightforward? accept it?"

"Master Babrupa, to be honest, Tatarchuk has been attacked by unknown monsters several times in the past two days, and several manors and settlements with weak defenses have been destroyed and massacred. Currently, we have to Let the vast majority of the people enter the city and rely on the city walls for defense." City Lord Aozu sighed and tapped his fingers on the table, "Although Tatarchuk is known as the city of mercenaries, the number of truly elite fighters is only three thousand , The defense of the city alone is already stretched, and it is really incapable of responding to His Excellency Leviston's call."

City Lord Aozu originally thought he would hear some righteous rebuttals, but he didn't expect Babrupa to nod repeatedly, "Master City Lord Aozu, you are right. Of course Tatarchuk couldn't mobilize extra troops, In fact, under the ravages of the evil army, which country can mobilize troops?" Babrupa sighed deeply, twisting his ten fingers together, his expression looked very tangled, "but forgive me I'm ignorant, so I don't know if Tatarchuk's city walls are stronger than the city walls of King Sigis's capital? Are Tatarchuk's three world-famous mercenary regiments more elite than the Silver Raven Knights? What about the regiment?"

City Lord Aozu's face suddenly changed, and his voice became even deeper, "Master Babrupat, are you threatening Tatarchuk with the example of the Sigis Kingdom?"

"No, I'm reminding you with an unfortunate fact." Babrupa's voice became softer. This was originally the style of speaking of Bamilyan, the court chief, but Babrupa, who came from a grassroots background, didn't like this kind of gentleness. I am very interested in the threat method, and spent time studying it. "In the face of the doomsday crisis, if the human kingdoms cannot unite as one, but each calculates a little self-interest that is not worth mentioning, then sooner or later they will be defeated by the army of gods and evils. And I can guarantee one thing, with the Griffin Knights With Lord Liviston's protection, the Kingdom of Arthur will definitely be the last one to survive, but Tatarchuk..."

"Tatarchuk is not afraid of any threats or challenges!" Romney said loudly, "Tatarchuk is not afraid of anything!"

Although this guy yelled loudly, Babrupa only gave him a hypocritical smile, but instead focused on the Lord Aozu and the Great Magister of Kendia.Although Tatarchuk's three consuls claim to be of equal status, it is obvious that these two are the ones who can really make decisions.

"Sorry, we can't ignore the imminent danger for a certain possibility in the future." After pondering for a full minute, the Lord Aozu came to a conclusion in a heavy tone, "Tatarchuk is not a kingdom, but a kingdom made up of numbers. The loose self-government formed by ten mercenary regiments and their families, under the premise that the lives of relatives are threatened, even if I give an order, I can’t force Tatarchuk’s mercenary regiment to give up guarding the homeland.”

Babrupa couldn't help showing a big smile, "What if this threat is no longer a threat?" He said in a voice not much higher than a whisper, "If Tatarchuk can be under the protection of a great power, How about making it impossible for those gods to cross the threshold?"

"Could it be that Your Excellency Levi Ston will send the Griffin Knights to help defend Tatarchuk?" Captain Romney cocked his mouth.

"No, His Excellency the Prince Regent sent an asylum that is more powerful than thousands of elite fighters!" Babrupa ran to the bed as he spoke, and lifted the lid of his bark box. "Have you heard of the legends of Behemoth, Lord of the Earth, and Pasarian, Lord of Storms? With the protection of these two gods, Tatarchuk will be safe and sound even in the face of a large-scale attack by gods! "

Looking at the dubious eyes of the three consuls, Babrupa felt a wave of heartfelt excitement. He knew very well that as long as he showed a small-scale miracle, his mission would be perfectly accomplished.

Babrupa was just one of hundreds of special envoys sent by the Kingdom of Arthur, and the negotiation that took place in Tatarchuk, the city of mercenaries, was just one of hundreds of negotiations.With the prestige of the Griffon Knights and the miraculous display of the sacred altar, most of these negotiations have achieved the most ideal results. Weston's proposal showed an indifferent and repulsive attitude.

The special envoys of the Kingdom of Arthur didn't insist too much, because with the popularization of sacred altars in the continental countries, it became more and more difficult for the gods to launch surprise attacks.Especially low-level gods with low intelligence have an instinctive fear and disgust for divine power. As long as they are protected by the Earth Altar, Storm Altar, and Twilight Altar, they will subconsciously stay away.The desire for flesh and soul forced them to constantly seek out unprotected lands, and they soon turned their attention to those remote small principalities.

As for those high-level gods with legendary power, of course they will not be afraid of the blessing of a little divine power attached to the altar.However, the divine power transmission network throughout the mainland also has early warning capabilities.Li Wei has sent six legendary powerhouses, including the emerald dragon king Augustus and the fire wizard Merister, to patrol the mainland on an alchemy flying ship, ready to strike at any time.

However, what puzzled many people was that, except for a hideous appearance when King Sigis fell, those high-level gods never appeared in the place where the divine power transmission network was laid.If it wasn't for the news that a small principality affiliated to the Shining Alliance but refused to accept the joint proposal was slaughtered a few days later, everyone would even think that those high-ranking gods would have been stared at after breaking through the capital of the Sigis Kingdom. Lord Thomas Jansen is back in prison for eternity.

On the fifth day after the great battle that took place over the Pass of Death, and two days before the seven-day deadline mentioned by Mr. Disch, an army of unprecedented scale was assembled behind the high walls of Fort Tarlon. At present, the fortress that can accommodate [-] troops was overcrowded, and the later troops had to rely on the city wall to set up camp. Thousands of flags and tents stretched for more than ten kilometers. The gray-white smoke rising from the campfire was like countless slender His fingers touched the sky, and it seemed to be one of the sources of the dense haze in the sky.

Her Majesty Queen Fleischer and Regent of the Kingdom of Arthur were able to meet with the kings, grand dukes, city lords and generals of the countries who came with their troops at first, but soon they had to make the separate meetings public. The meeting place was also changed from the conference hall of the main building of the fortress to the square, and then to the camp outside the city wall.The crown of swords flag representing the Arthurian family and the golden griffin flag representing the regent fluttered side by side on the highest flagpole. Ten fully armed holy griffin knights guarded the flagpole day and night. The fighting spirit and Tianhua breath became an amazing landscape in the camp of the coalition forces.

Many generals who were dissatisfied with Li Weiston's dominance changed their minds after witnessing the holy griffin knights standing like statues, and even took the initiative to persuade the king and grand duke on their own side to give up the idea of ​​provocation.Because in their view, these titled knights with the blessing of gods can absolutely surrender, if that young man is not deeply favored by the gods, there is no other explanation at all.And in the place protected by the sacred altar, the army of gods and evils raging everywhere disappeared immediately, which proved this point from another aspect.

It is not that no one speculated the young regent with the greatest malice, thinking that those abominations were his subordinates, but this speculation was quickly dispelled by deeper fear.If Li Weiston can even control the army of gods and evils, then even the countries on the mainland can unite and cooperate sincerely-this possibility is even more inconceivable than they responded to Li Wei's proposal and gathered under the banner of the Griffin ——I'm afraid it can't stop the simultaneous attack of the Griffin Knights and the army of gods and evils.

Hundreds of thousands of troops from dozens of different countries gather together, and it is conceivable that it will not be very quiet, especially when several countries with old enemies meet each other, and only rely on the patrol team organized by the Griffin Knights It was only because of the restraint that there was no fight.But soon all these noises subsided, because two figures walked out of the gate of Tallon Fortress surrounded by many Griffin Knights, one of them was wearing a silver-white armor and a rough steel crown on his head. The crown, with the famous sword of oath and victory of the Kingdom of Arthur hanging from his waist; while the other is wearing an iron blue light armor, with a tuft of griffin feathers fluttering in the wind on his helmet, and another sword on his waist , this sword does not have a long history, but it is the youngest regent in the history of the human kingdoms - the sword of Levi Stone, the legendary sword known as the Griffin's Peck!
(End of this chapter)