Civilization Guardian Front

Chapter 850 Three? I won’t watch the Oscars without you

"A duke has a standing army of two to four thousand men..."

In the woods, Chios raised his hand instead of a measuring stick, and estimated the distance from the ground to the sun in the sky, so as to show that he was recognizing the direction of time. At the same time, he did not forget to ask the female knight beside him:

"Why do border lords have so many soldiers?"

Seeing that Chios was familiar with his movements and finding his way with ease, Alice replied with confidence:

"The curse of the undead that broke out 40 years ago caused many villages to be deserted. People who were afraid of the ring of darkness appeared in their bodies hurriedly fled their homes and poured into large towns or churches with campfires. The local gentry and barons were unable to prevent the spread of panic, and they They were also afraid that the curse would come to them, and then they left the castle one after another, seeking refuge with the nobles closest to them, and exchanged their allegiance for the protection of fire."

Hearing this, Chios smiled.

"More importantly, ensure that they continue to live a superior life. Otherwise, if they are crowded with refugees in slums or muddy ditch, the lord and gentry may feel that life is worse than death."

"...Indeed, they may still have this consideration at the moment." Alice admitted that she was not thinking well.

She went on:

"After three years of surviving the ravages of the curse, the refugees who left their hometowns finally returned to their hometowns. However, everything has never returned to the way it was before."

"I understand what you mean. That disaster severely weakened the independence of small and medium-sized lords and caused the power of the big nobles to expand rapidly. Is that right?"

"yes..."

With the soft words mixed with a sigh, Alice nodded.

"The lords who used to be under the jurisdiction of the church joined the banner of the great nobles, allowing them to form a powerful faction and become rebellious. They forgot that it was the church priesthood and the devout prayers of the believers that brought tears to God's mercy and led them out. Dilemmas, and even the other way round...sorry, I shouldn't be telling you about that."

Realizing that she inadvertently talked about the political game involving the upper echelon of Theocracy, she stopped immediately.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Chios already got the information he wanted to know.

Compared with the rumors of exaggerated speculation and reverie among street peddlers and pawns about the power struggle among the upper class, the words spoken by the Golden Osmanthus Knight are undoubtedly more credible.

As the chief knight and head of the Knights Templar under the archbishop, Alice has a lofty status comparable to that of the archbishop, and belongs to the top of the church.

Because of this, whether Alice is interested or not, she is unlikely to be completely free from politics.

Fortunately, it doesn't take much effort to trick the other party.

The young, upright knight has little understanding of the art of intertwining lies and truth, and playing with words. Even if he wants to hide it, it is difficult to shift the focus naturally. He can only talk about him bluntly, or simply avoid it with embarrassing silence.

When a corner of the curtain covering the truth was gently lifted, the subconscious felt that it could not continue to hide.

And the desire to tell and share the human nature makes people involuntarily reveal more.

Along the way, Chios started with the establishment, history, honor, and beliefs of the Knights Templar... Gradually, the focus changed without a trace, and finally talked about the lords and nobles in Aureas and the archbishop.

Now, he has a general understanding of the power structure and political situation of the Theocracy of Aureas.

It has to be said that the reality is more interesting than he originally expected.

In this country where the Church, which believes in the Goddess of Weeping Tears, holds the highest authority and is regarded as a holy land by countless believers in the southern border, the undercurrent of the power game under the table is no less than that of other monarchs, republics, and federal countries.

Judging from the current integrated information, the archbishop, who seems to be high and unshakable, has not actually sat firmly on the throne of the Black Iron Palace Church.

The many attempts to restore the Church's former authority have created many political enemies for the archbishop.

Among them are the three lords who are second only to her in strength in the Theocracy: Grand Duke Olunada, Duke Taft, and Duke Miche.

Although Alice didn't say it clearly, according to the analysis of the dignified look on the girl's face when she mentioned this matter, the combined military strength of these three has surpassed that of the archbishop's direct line.

If it weren't for the fact that the identity of the Patriarch of the Southern Territory has a special meaning in the hearts of believers, his own strength is also unfathomable, and there are paladins leading the army, opposing the noble factions, they might have summoned an army long ago, and the soldiers came to the capital city to force the archbishop to negotiate. .

really interesting...

Chios thought.

The two things he is best at, one is winning women's hearts, and the other happens to be politics.

The more complicated and treacherous the situation, the more conducive to the latter's performance.

That's why I like the job of executor...

At this moment, Chios seemed to be a predator who smelled blood.

Thinking that he could play a role in controlling the situation, he subconsciously licked his lips.

The blue nightingale perched on the treetop tilted its head, watching this scene with great interest.

"..."

Alice frowned her beautiful eyebrows.

She couldn't tell the reason, but she always felt that Chios was very dangerous now.

Just like the trembling she experienced physically and mentally when she met the archbishop in the past and saw the cold light flashing across the eyes of Yan Xia reflected on the French window.

She called out to the youth:

"Chios?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, please forgive me..." Hearing the voice come back to his senses, Chios instantly rejected the idea of ​​changing his face immediately.

"Because we are not far from the kobold's lair, I couldn't restrain my emotions for a while."

He controlled the facial muscles extremely skillfully, and slowly faded away the frightening coldness.

The hand on the hilt of the sword on the left waist was tightly clenched, as if trying to suppress his emotions from erupting.

He stretched out his right hand and pointed to the mountains made of dark gray rocks outside the woodland.

Celine Mine.

Clang!

Pulling out the long sword, he couldn't help but become excited:

"The sight of those beasts cannibalizing people yesterday when I went out of the city is still vivid in my mind, and it has become a nightmare that I can't get rid of at night. Just killing two is not enough to wash away the anger and grief in my heart. Today, and from now on, countless Day and night, I will water every land they have set foot on with blood, and purify the homes they have lived in with fire! Until the souls of my compatriots rest in peace!"

Looking at the young man whose eyes were about to burst out with flames of hatred.

Alice finally understood why Chios lost his usual composure and took on the Bronze-level commission alone, going deep into the Kobold's sphere of influence.

yes...

The young man in front of him, from the first time he met, was always trying to protect the people who fled south with him.

He has always been like this.

Therefore, after witnessing that cruel scene and knowing that the victim was a trainee volunteer soldier, he was so furious.

It's just that it doesn't show when the companion is around.

At this moment, the cold image reflected in the girl's eyes melted away, turning into a figure wrapped in the holy flames of heaven.

squeak~

On the branches, the blue nightingale sang sweetly.

Perhaps in Alice's ears, it was an echo of agreeing with her thoughts.

but...

Chios knew very well that it was just the witch's heartfelt laughter.

Chapter 850 Four? Rain's Little Padded Jacket

"You want to help the volunteers?"

"Yes."

The blond girl grasped her staff tightly and nodded in response.

Although she was a little nervous, she felt that her reaction was from the heart, not any other suspicious secrets.

"Excuse me, is there a reason why you did this?"

"You know, even if the few of us novices deal with not very strong enemies, various accidents may still happen in the process. I almost died yesterday because of hesitation."

"Well, Ryan can imagine that the life of copying books, eating, and praying every day in churches and seminaries is very boring, but at least those jobs are much safer, so why not think about it? Don't you think that adventure is very romantic?"

"No..." Facing the questions cast by the three of them one after another, the girl dressed in priesthood replied earnestly:

"I know that the outside of the city is very dangerous now. In the church hospital, we often see people injured by monsters. Some of them come too late and die before they can be treated. But if they were treated earlier, many of the injured would not have died. ."

"There are too many clergy in this city, and the hospital is not short of manpower. The place that needs us the most is actually the world outside the city walls. At least, I think so. That's why I want to join the Volunteer Army ."

After hearing this, Asuna briefly made eye contact with Lyfa and Ren.

Adding a healer to the team is certainly not a bad thing.

The question is whether they have the ability to protect each other in battle. If they can't, not only will the team's combat power not improve, but it will become more vulnerable.

Yesterday's first battle made Asuna and Lyfa understand the importance of caution.

Only Ryan thought differently.

With her strength, it is not difficult to take care of one more novice.

As an executor who knows more information, she understands that the priestess in front of her is a potential stock.

In video game terms, this is a rare hero unit.

Although there is only Lv.1 at the moment, the level can be cultivated with time.

Anyway, no matter how bad it is, it can still be used to please Big Brother Chios...

A beautiful girl team with a full range of professional arms must be a man's dream.

After careful consideration, Ryan nodded to the two hesitating companions.

"There are not many priests in the church who are willing to walk with the volunteers. I think she is worth a little risk for us. Moreover, we are also recruits who fought for the first time yesterday. There is no reason to put on senior airs and make irresponsible remarks about other people's choices. In short , let’s go out on missions together first, and then decide whether to officially let her join the team, so it’s okay, right?”

...

The road that has been abandoned for a long time is covered with gravel, and weeds with tenacious vitality can occasionally be seen between the cracks of the hard rocks. However, the sparse greenery is too insignificant in the rolling gray mountains, and it is better to splash a few drops on the canvas. The pigments come boldly.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Chios raised his left hand in front of his eyebrows to block the sun, and looked up.

He then shook his head.

"The field of vision is wide, and there are not a single tree. Not to mention the army, even a slightly larger group can easily be spotted when approaching. The steep terrain is not conducive to marching. The slow climbing process must bear the baptism of falling rocks and arrow rain. No matter who leads Bing want to regain here, the end will be very miserable."

"That's right, the kobolds occupy an absolute advantage in the mine. In addition to the ones you just mentioned, they can also use tunnels to ambush our army from different positions. The Theocracy has sent troops several times to retake this place, but the result is always loss of troops. As On the battlefield, the Celine Mine is simply a nightmare for the attacker."

Alice couldn't help sighing after she finished speaking.

"What confuses me is that..."

rustle...

The soles of the boots made a slight sound of grinding gravel, Chios stared at the barren land under his feet, and asked:

"This place obviously can't provide enough food for the kobolds. How did they survive in such a harsh environment? I don't think they have the ability to bypass the guards' eyes and plunder the village. If they are so threatening, Not many people now settle more than ten kilometers away from the city."

"When the researchers dissected the kobold corpse, they found cave mushrooms, minced meat, and some undigested carapace fragments that seemed to come from large insects in the stomach. It can be determined that there is food inside the mountain. Otherwise, the kobolds did not It may have thrived in the depths of the mine. As for whether the food is obtained through farming, breeding, or through gathering and hunting, we still don't know."

"From what you said, the Theocracy's agents have never investigated the mine?"

"No, their lives are precious and should not be sacrificed in vain to investigate a mine that cannot be recovered in a short period of time."

"Indeed, the noble faction is a real threat compared to the kobolds that patrols can easily wipe out in the fields."

"Maybe you're right, but that's not what we're supposed to be talking about."

A simple sentence puts an end to this dangerous topic.

Alice does not want Chios to be involved in the power struggle between the church and the nobles.

It's not that Chios is not qualified, on the contrary, just because the young people around him have demonstrated extraordinary abilities, once they participate in politics, they will soon attract the attention of the two major forces.

Being in the spotlight of those in power is not a good thing.

In particular, the two factions are hostile positions.

Joining either side means fighting against the other.

At that time, life will completely change.

Walking on the street, you can feel the eyes of surveillance. When dining in an unfamiliar restaurant, you must use silverware to test the poison first. It is best to carry the extract of purple moss balls for detoxification with you. You must beware of every person who approaches rashly, so as not to Being caught by spies and spies for important information...like a hedgehog, erecting its spikes for defense.