Not a Witch

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"May I take the liberty to ask if you are married?"

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"Actually, I have a nephew who has just graduated from Emenas, who is about the same age as you."

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"The empire is not stable now. If Miss Mesia lacks guards and the like, we can provide some help."

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"The Baska family? This topic still needs to be treated with caution. In fact, the rise of our Blue Shirt Province was even earlier than the country of Oz, and we have always kept a respectful distance from the Baska family that replaced the country of Oz." After drinking some wine, the businessmen were a little drunk and began to talk about some past events.

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"Because of the exquisite clothing, we can always deal with those noble families, so we also maintain a certain degree of independence at the foot of the red dragon, so that we will not be annexed."

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"In the eyes of some great nobles, the Baskar family is actually very young."

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"The Salius family in the western border, the Griffin Principality even competed with the Cangyue Kingdom for the fertile Gaodan Plain."

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"The unicorn family, that is, the ancestor of the Landsworth family is really a poet. His moving voice and appearance moved the beautiful elves and won the favor of the unicorns in the forest. Then, with the help of a group of friends, He was the luckiest of the four dukes to support him and establish the initial territory."

"In ancient fairy tales, unicorns are synonymous with luck."

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"We don't know much about the Trey family. These northern jackdaws are naturally indifferent and indifferent. They are the kind of existence that will be absent from the banquet, and they seldom participate in the court communication of the empire."

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"Lurna Kingdom? I am familiar with this, because in the southern border, in the past, if you want to attack, you must fight with Luerna, but later the Frost Alliance was shattered, and many mages were recruited. Now some spinning machines are improved by them. "

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"Actually, we don't hate new technology, because it can greatly reduce costs, and we also like those mages who have created new industries that can lay golden eggs."

"It's just that, because of the empire's system, we are doomed to be a worthless existence. If we develop too prosperously, I'm afraid we will become fat in the eyes of some big nobles."

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"You can make some small boutiques, such as luxury goods, to serve those big people and the like. But if it is popular, it is best not to try this kind of thing."

"It puts you in a very dangerous situation."

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"Ahaha, you don't have to worry so much about Miss Mesia... You are such a high-quality supplier, and everyone likes it."

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"If you encounter minor troubles, we can accommodate you a little bit."

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After chatting, Lorraine Hill also slowly sketched out the general ideas and pursuits of these businessmen in his mind.

People's pursuit is to be promoted slowly. After owning a certain amount of assets, they will inevitably seek a certain social status and the right to speak politically, but it is a pity that the structure designed by the empire does not make room for such a position for businessmen.

It's no wonder that they would hold together to keep warm, otherwise the Chamber of Commerce with a lot of wealth would become any cash machine for nobles.

So, can such groups be partners?

As the oppressed of the current imperial system, they do have the need and intention to resist, and temporarily share a common purpose.

But as businessmen, they are inherently unstable and easily influenced and swayed.

However, just like a sword, whether it is good or bad depends on whose hands it is held in. In the future world, commerce and trade will be an indispensable thing, which is also the inevitable demand of the development of the times.

Winning is still necessary, but various preparations must be made in advance, such as a sound system, as well as corresponding state agencies, organizations, etc., to resist the infinite expansion of such groups.

Chapter 160 Seven

Central Empire, Zi Shan Province

This is a province about 800 kilometers away from the imperial capital Titania. Although it seems far away, it is already very close compared to the vast empire, and therefore such a region is particularly valued by the empire.

Kuwen County, a remote area in Zishan Province, is covered with mountains everywhere, so it is very barren, and there are only two baron fiefs here.

The formerly quiet and sparsely populated territory is now full of boiling voices and the sound of weapons clashing.

The dark red meteorite slanted across the sky, bringing up billowing smoke trails, twirling flames, smashing into the ground, splashing and spreading hot flames.

The air is full of scorching hot air, mixed with the sparks and crackling of burning grass and trees, spreading in all directions.

"Continue! Let the flames burn the entire mountain." On a hill, a commander in military uniform swung his sword and roared.

Behind him stood a team of more than 200 mages. These red-robed mages jointly cast spells, causing burning meteorites to fall one after another, shaking and shattering the world in front of them.

At the foot of the mountain, new-style legions armed with muskets and bayonets scattered into a network, walking on the burnt-out scorched land, searching and checking for possible victims, and making up for them from time to time.

Although this is within the empire, war is still inevitable, and the two sides are the army loyal to the emperor and the rebel army who set off the rebellion.

Years ago, due to the ineffectiveness of the local nobles in suppressing the rebel army, the rebel army in Zishan Province spread to several surrounding provinces, gradually triggering a chain reaction, which finally attracted the attention of those big figures in the imperial capital.

Under the strict orders of the regent and many great nobles, armies from all sides mobilized and began to suppress the rebellion led by Zishan province.

These local rebels are very familiar with the terrain and have sufficient intelligence. They rely on various tactics and conspiracies to fight against the conquering army in the mountains, causing a lot of casualties to the enemy.

Since the commanding general was unable to complete the task in a short time, the new commander was replaced by a confidant of the regent.This is a decisive and ruthless general. Under his cold-blooded methods, Zishan Province was turned into a sea of ​​flames. Relying on the covering strike of the mage team, the geographical advantages that the rebels had before no longer exist, and the local residents who originally relied on Also died in large numbers.

The advantages are disappearing step by step, their number is gradually decreasing, and now it is the last moment.

In the mountains in the boundless sea of ​​flames, in a hidden huge cave, more than 1000 people gathered here.

Their faces were covered with ashes, their bodies were covered with wounds and dust, and some were seriously injured, so they had to make hoarse voices of pain.

In a corner of the cave, a dozen leaders of the rebel army gathered here, almost all of them were wounded, their bodies and clothes stained with blood and dust.

"Tuo Kelin, we can't last long." A strong man who was blind in one eye leaned against the mountain wall of the loess, covered his wound, and said slowly, his thick wrist was like a giant, but now he looked tired And gray.

"The legion of the empire is determined to kill us this time."

"Hehe, this battle is even bigger than dealing with the Baska family. You really think highly of us." Several voices sounded in this small and stuffy environment.

"There were more than 3 people at the time of the uprising, and more than 20 people at the peak, and now there are only less than [-] people left...I am sorry for those who entrusted their lives to me." A man full of scars Whispering in a low voice, he still had a machete full of rust in his hand, and the copper-colored mottled handle was severely worn.

"I can't escape, there are fires all around, and there are sharp-eyed monsters patrolling in the sky, they are chasing everyone who walks out of the sea of ​​​​fire alive."

"Let's fight with them." The rest of the people looked at the man in the middle who closed his eyes and was breathing.

His name is Tuo Kelin, and he is the core leader of this rebel army, but compared to another character similar to him on the mainland, this one is not so lucky.

The Empire is not West Wind, it has a stronger background, and those who want to shake it are doomed to be broken and suffer.

After a short silence, Tokolin slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes swept over the people present one by one. The familiar faces were still hot, and even in the face of desperation, he did not sigh or regret.

Suddenly, he smiled, for no reason, which was unexpected.

"Hahaha...hahaha..." This laughter puzzled the people present, but they looked at Tokolin quietly, they believed that this man could always give a satisfactory explanation .

"Yes, that's right, we're all going to die, we're all going to be burned to death by this fire, to be provoked by those soldiers with the tip of their guns, and to be their trophies for showing off."

His voice was extremely slow.

"However, I am not desperate and sad. I expected such a day to come a long time ago, and sometimes I was even surprised that I lived another day."

"Compared to those stubborn and numb people, our existence is so puzzling and not accepted by those civilians."

"Is it bad to live?"

"Of course it's good to be alive, but some things always attract me and make me want to try it. It's an obsession that if I don't do it, I will regret it for life."

"I originally thought that this was just my own wishful thinking. But fortunately, I met you, and there are so many companions."

"Those who protest and provoke the elephant will eventually be trampled by the giant elephant. Our behavior is indeed slim, and I myself have doubted its meaning countless times, but today, I finally have the answer to all this."

"Your expressions and beliefs let me know that this path is not alone."

"Don't worry, we are all going to die, but I also believe that more people will slowly wake up and take the same path as us, because it is correct and it is what people yearn for."

The man spoke slowly in the dim light, and the pair of eyes around him looked at him with piercing eyes, listening to the familiar voice.

Is Tokolin great? Maybe not. He is just a down-and-out aristocrat, a young man who failed to get into Emenas, and a soldier who retired from the army after the Western Expedition.

Before that, he had not had any achievements and achievements that made people admire and admire him, and his voice was also slightly hoarse, not eloquent.

If you listen to him for the first time, you can still notice that crappy accent, which is not comparable to the standard and elegant tone of the imperial capital.

Such a man, in a battered army uniform, stands before you, in a field, on a hunting road in the mountains, accosts you, makes you laugh out loud and funny jokes, and then the two chat about the latest weather and life.

Gradually, you know that he built a small house on the mountain by himself, and he would go fishing by the small river every Thursday to eat, and occasionally pick some shrub fruits as seasonings to increase the umami taste of the fish soup.

With ordinary ingredients in his hands, he can always come up with some new tricks, and then invite you to his house to have some fish soup, eat some fatty fish, and then drink some wine mixed with water, and talk about your own while slightly drunk. Glory' past.

You lament the richness and ups and downs of this man's experience, and you can't help but start talking about the stupid things you did in your early years.

As you came and went, you gradually became familiar with him, and he finally began to talk about some of his experience in the Western Expedition. You can feel that he is very yearning for that strange country.

"Why don't you go over there? With your skills, it's easy to pass through the border blockade. The long mountains and fields will not be guarded everywhere."

"Of course, my past will not be difficult."

"However, after all, I grew up in the Empire, where I still have my friends, childhood, memories, and the past."

"I don't want to lose these, and I don't want to cowardly escape."

"Oh, so, what are you going to do?"

"I want to do something big." The man leaned on the back of the chair, propped his chin with one hand, and stared at the flames with condensed eyes, as if there was a strange look in him.

"Haha, really, are you kidding me? It is said that this will be hanged, but for the sake of my friends, I will not expose you."

"Of course, you know, I don't make jokes about some key things."

Listening to these steady words and breathing, you suddenly realize that this man is serious, and he is really thinking about these things.

"Hey, old man, tell me about your plan, maybe I can give you some advice." You asked maliciously, trying to pierce this wishful thinking.

"Well, then I have to introduce it to you..."