Three carriages hanging with the emblem of the Cecil family were driving on the streets of the royal capital. In the leading carriage, the witch Jipri opened the cover on the window with a hint of curiosity, but remained cautious. Looking at the city.
She was born and raised in the poor and backward southern region. Until she met the "eldest sister" Amber, her whole world consisted of the dark and dirty sewer corners and low-rise and dilapidated slums of the town. It was composed of alleys and rancid garbage dumps, but like most Ansu people, she also had the opportunity to hear stories related to this great royal capital—from the bards who occasionally passed by, to the boastful adventurers. , from the words of a cunning and vigilant businessman, she had sketched out the imaginary appearance of the city. She had imagined the tall and majestic city walls, the magnificent churches, the extraordinary noble mansions, and the plastered building where His Majesty the King lived. The "Silver Castle" with silver foil.
In those days when she was living in the sewers and alleys as a liar and a witch, she knew that it was impossible for her to visit the Royal Capital based on her status and ability. Not to mention visiting the Royal Capital, she would even dare to step into it. Larger cities may be captured by the lords and whipped, but fate is sometimes so strange - this sentence is always used by her to fool adventurers when wearing a hood and a divination deck. , but at this time she wanted to tell herself - under the wonderful arrangement of fate, she became a decent person, a person loyal to the great nobles, and this royal capital that only existed in imagination in the past was now... In front of her eyes.
It is indeed as majestic and magnificent as the bards and adventurers said.
But it looks old and dirty everywhere.
Jipli frowned, seeing filth on both sides of the streets in the royal capital, and there were also dilapidated slum streets inside the tall city walls. Along the way, she still saw poor people in ragged clothes and quilts. The "untouchables" driven away by the soldiers, she felt that her beautiful imagination of the royal capital collapsed a little bit.
This is indeed a magnificent ancient capital. In terms of heritage and scale, it is worthy of being the first in Anzu, but Jipri found that she preferred the clean and orderly streets of Cecil Territory. The city prefers its vibrant people and officials who abide by the law.
But she kept in mind the tasks she had received before leaving, so she hid all her emotional changes well. With an elegant smile, she lowered the cover of the carriage carriage. , turned to look at the young arcanist sitting opposite him: "Mr. Santis, shall we go directly to the Duke's residence?"
Santis was a little confused and hesitated for a moment. After that, he still said: "I want to... go home first."
He then quickly added: "Of course, the Duke's mission is more important. If you think it is inappropriate, we will first Go to No. 4 Crown Street..."
"No need to be so formal, Mr. Thantis," the witch Jiprie smiled, like a real mage apprentice who came from a minor noble or a wealthy merchant family. ,"according toAccording to the Duke's order, you are the leader of this operation. Pierce and I will only provide you with necessary advice and assistance. Just do what you think makes sense. "
"Okay...Okay," Santis nodded a little unaccustomed to it, and looked away with a slight guilt, trying not to be confused with the man opposite him with long flaxen hair and body. The "witch" wearing a long black dress and a charming face looked at each other, "Then let's first... go to the cross street. By the way, the remaining two carriages can go to No. 4 Crown Street first, without having to follow them together - the cross street is very narrow. "
The tall and thin man sitting next to him interrupted when he heard this: "Mr. Santis, if our carriage can enter the cross street, then the other two can definitely do it. I suggest that the two carriages can enter the cross street." A carriage follows you - it's a gesture you should make as high a profile as possible when returning home. "
Santis was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Ah, okay, Mr. Pierce. "
"Fast Legs" Pierce, who served as the escort, knocked on the wooden board at the front of the carriage and shouted to the driving guide sitting outside: "Cross Street! "
The three carriages turned a corner on the street and turned towards the civilian area of the royal capital.
Santis felt that his heart was "floating" in the process. A feeling of nowhere to be found haunted him. He took a few deep breaths, and then a stream of cold air mixed with a strong fishy smell penetrated into his nostrils: the carriage was passing through Sturgeon Street, and the fishy smell here could even overwhelm it. The stench of feces on the street corners
Even now in winter, the rotting stench lingers and is nauseating because it has soaked into every brick on the street. p>
He couldn't help opening the window cover and looking at the street scene outside.
The familiar street scene came into view.
It was low, cluttered and crowded. The houses are piled up under the city wall like layers of moss. Due to the cold weather, there are only a few scattered vendors on the streets, and there are even fewer pedestrians. The few faces I see occasionally are full of numbness. Numb people are swaying on the streets like walking zombies. It seems that the cold winter and malnourished diet have caused these people to lose all expression changes. However, there are also times when they suddenly become "alive" - when the hanging nobles As the carriage with the emblem drove through the streets, these poor people with numb expressions would almost immediately fall to the ground, with their foreheads pressed tightly to the ground. Their reaction was so quick, as if it was their innate instinct. .
Santis frowned slightly, and at this moment the carriage had passed through the short Sturgeon Street and entered the slightly better "Cross Street".
The cross street is the middle level. Where "citizens" live, people with a little status and wealth will live here. Compared with Sturgeon Street, which is a slum neighborhood, the houses here are obviously taller, and those walking on the road are obviously more energetic.
When they see the noble carriage, they do not have to kneel on the ground immediately, but they must also rideThey hid on both sides of the street and bent their waists to a height that was absolutely lower than the carriage windows - civilians had to do this to prevent them from looking dirty at the nobles who might look out of the windows.
Only in neighborhoods where more advanced, baptized wealthy citizens live, those "decent people" who have received the blessings of the church do not need to do this. They only need to stand on both sides of the street and bend down to salute. .
In the royal capital, there are naturally more rules than in the wild lands on the border.
Santis, who was born in Cross Street and was promoted to a second-level arcanist, is the "most promising kid" in this neighborhood. His mage level is also the highest that people living in this area can achieve so far. The highest achievement. In the past, no matter how unsatisfactory Santis was in the Mage Society, no matter how marginalized he was, he would still be proud when he returned to the neighborhood. But now, when he sees those who bow their heads deeply on both sides of the street, He went to visit the neighbors, but he only felt a wave of boredom in his heart.
There is no change here, it is exactly the same as when he left.
The Cross Street was like this last year, the Cross Street was like this ten years ago, and the Cross Street a hundred years ago was still like this!
But in Cecil Territory, one year is enough to build a city, enough for a group of illiterate children to learn to write the names of themselves and their parents and family, and enough to bring those from the wasteland of Gondor to The monster hits back twice!
Santis thought in annoyance, and then suddenly saw a little girl in the corner of the street looking blankly here.
The little girl was wearing a neat but old dress with only one patch on it. She had two neat ponytails, her face was red from the cold wind, and she was holding a bulging bag in her hands. cloth bag.
She seemed to have just walked out of a certain street corner, so she did not have time to bow down and salute the aristocratic carriage, but instead looked here with a little unresponsiveness.
Santis was stunned for a moment, and then shouted: "Pepe!"
However, the little girl suddenly ran away before he spoke, and did not seem to listen. to his next words.
"Who is that?" Jipri sitting opposite asked curiously.
"My sister," Santis said in a strange tone, "Why did she run?"
The little girl ran across the street quickly and ran to a building that looked larger than the surrounding buildings. In front of a slightly newer house, he hurriedly opened the door and ran in. A middle-aged woman wearing an old cotton coat and an old apron, who was grinding herbs in the center of the house, raised her head when she heard the noise and looked at her little baby in surprise. Daughter: "Pepe? Why are you back so soon? Did you give the herbs to Mr. Wayne?"
Then she saw the cloth bag in the little girl's hand, and she couldn't help but frown. But before she opened her mouth to reprimand, the little girl had already stammered out of nervousness: "Mom...Mom! Three very large carriages are coming outside! They belong to nobles! There are... emblems hanging on the carriages, Just like when my brother came back from sending a letter last time, in the letterIt’s the same as what’s on the paper! ”
The middle-aged woman was startled for a moment, and suddenly her hand shook, and the mallet used to grind herbs fell to the ground.
She didn’t care to pick it up, and immediately stood up and stared at He looked into his little daughter's eyes and said, "Did you see clearly? Is it really that emblem? The emblem of the sword and the plow? "
The little girl grabbed the cloth bag in her hand, a little nervous and scared: "See clearly..."
"That is the emblem of the Cecil family...it is Cecil The people sent by Duke Er... did you see anything else on the carriage? Does the coachman have an anthem in his hat or clothes? Are there strips of cloth with white petals hanging on the horses that drive them? ”
The little girl seemed to be frightened by her mother. She was so nervous that she could not speak for a while. At this time, the door to the back room opened, and the man of the house heard the movement. Walked out: "What's wrong? I heard a lot of noise outside. "
"Dear, Duke Cecil's people, three carriages have arrived..." The hostess of the family wrung her hands vigorously, "Is something going to happen to Santis? I have told him long ago that the Dark Mountains is a very dangerous place and asked him to be careful, but he always said in his letters..."
"Calm down," the middle-aged man said, "Sang Tis is only a second-level arcanist, and it is impossible for the Duke to send three carriages to inform..."
At this moment, a knock on the door suddenly came.
The man and woman straightened up almost immediately. They stopped breathing for a moment and stared in the direction of the door. The little girl standing closest to the door almost jumped.
Knock. The door was still ringing, and the little girl was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously walked to the door.
"Wait a minute, I'll open it. "
As the middle-aged man spoke, he passed his wife and daughter and came to the door.
He opened the door, and the cold wind blew in his face, revealing a tall and thin figure. Standing there.
The little girl stood behind her father and shouted happily: "It's my brother!" ”