Rock Fortress, Pastor Wright has a very deep memory of this fortress - not because of the unique geographical location and historical stories of this fortress, but because his childhood was in a town not far north of this fortress. spent in.
At that time, he was just a fatherless orphan, a little handyman adopted by the abbot of the monastery. The few years he spent in the small monastery in the north of the fortress were the most peaceful and comfortable in his life. In those days, although he had not yet awakened his Holy Light talent and had not yet become an "extraordinary person" respected by ordinary people, at that time, the old dean of the monastery was still alive.
The Rock Fortress itself is a huge city, but it is not self-sufficient. Many of the expenses in the fortress depend on the surrounding towns and villages, and the monastery where Wright lived at the time was responsible for providing services for the fortress. Knights offered holy water, holy oils and talismans. At the end of every month, Wright would follow the old dean and rush to the fortress from the town in a creaky old carriage to deliver the new sacred objects to the fortress commander.
This huge military facility is full of fierce knights and aggressive soldiers, but they are still very polite to people from the monastery. On delivery days, Wright will be there. Under the eyes of those soldiers, they were wandering between the walls in the lower area of the fortress. The dark walls inlaid with shiny copper bars and the trebuchets placed on the walls were the things that fascinated Wright the most at that time. .
But these days lasted for just a few years, and the old dean was assigned to the central area of the Holy Spirit Plain, and Wright followed him to the central area. After a few years, the old dean passed away. , the new dean took over the monastery, Wright became a priest, and was incorporated into the priesthood of the central diocese... More than ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
The last time he saw the Rock Fortress was two years ago. As a missionary priest, he was kicked out of the church by the bishop of the central diocese. Then he went south along the bank of the Dorgon River and left Here the handyman became a missionary and returned to the place wearing clerical robes.
That time, Wright did not stay in Rock Fortress for too long - although there were many places worth remembering in this city, almost all the familiar faces in the fortress were invisible, even The strong, fierce and formidable fortress commander at that time also left his post a few years ago due to old injuries, so he only stopped in a hurry, replenished dry food and water, and then left here, stepping into the desolate and barbaric land of the southern border. .
He did not expect that after just two years of missionary time, he would return to this place.
In front of the checkpoint that must be passed before entering the city, he saw two long teams of civilians. One was walking towards the city and queuing up for inspection, and the other was coming out of the city. The main members of these teams are business travelers driving carts, while others are mercenaries and adventurers wearing armor and carrying swords. There are only a few ordinary people mixed in the team, and most of them are civilians living in nearby towns. ——In this era, it is not easy for civilians to obtain passes issued by nobles.Apart from Cecil's large and steady stream of immigrants, few ordinary people would make "long-distance journeys."
Wright waited in line honestly and waited for a long time before it was his turn. He stopped in front of the table where names were registered and documents were checked, and he took out the supporting documents from his arms. While saying to the lazy soldier behind the table: "May the Holy Light protect you."
Feeling a huge shadow coming over him, the sleepy soldier behind the table suddenly opened his eyes wide. Then he heard the deep voice saying "May the Holy Light protect you". He raised his head and saw a man stronger than his superior standing in front of him. The man was wearing an old priest's robe, and he took something out of his robe. Two certification documents were produced - one with the seal of the Holy Light Church, obviously proving the identity of the priest, and the other should be a popular document signed by a noble. < /p>
Although it is strange that the robes worn by the priest in front of me are slightly old, but the priest is a priest, a transcendent, a superior person, and this is the priest of the Holy Light Church, which is currently strong. Of course I don't dare to neglect.
"Everyone is queuing up," Wright smiled gently and said casually, "There are a lot of people - I don't remember there usually being so many people here."
"Ahem, that was last year, but this year is different," the soldier shook his head and said, "A large number of merchants have started a potion business between the Holy Spirit Plains and the southern border, and there are also many bankrupt farmers who don't know where they heard it. Nonsense, you have to go to the south to find a way to survive - many merchants carry the documents issued by the Grand Duke and are responsible for transporting these people south. Did you see those caravans with three bunches of straw hanging on them? Those are them? We went to the White Water River Pier..."
Wright blinked and felt a little emotional: Even here, does what the lord does have such a big impact?
While he was talking, the soldier had already checked Wright’s priest certificate and saw the imprint on the popular document below. The soldier stopped mid-sentence, and his expression was a little strange: "It's plugged again. Duke Seal's certification documents..."
Wright asked curiously: "What, is there a problem?"
"...Oh, of course there is no problem, this is the Duke. There can be no problem with the imprint of Cecil," the soldier said hurriedly, and then explained a little awkwardly, "It's just that half of the popular documents I see every day these days bear Cecil's emblem..."
< p>"The pioneering collar always needs people and materials," Wright said slowly, "It's just that no new pioneering collar has appeared in so many years, and everyone may have forgotten this.""It has nothing to do with us anyway," the soldier muttered, returning the inspected certification documents to Wright. "You can enter the city now.Mr. Pastor. ”
Wright took the document, put it away close to his body, turned and walked towards the heavy door covered with black steel and copper bars that was familiar in his memory.
Passed through. The deep city gate passes through the strong first and second walls of the fortress, which is the inner city area of the Rock Fortress.
As a huge fortress, the Rock Fortress is not just a military building. It is the most important customs barrier between the southern border and the Holy Spirit Plain. It is also a place for business travelers to stop and gather. In order to realize these functions and ensure the lives of nearly 10,000 soldiers, knights, and mages in the fortress, the interior of the fortress is actually a facility. A well-equipped, prosperous and lively city.
This city has not changed much.
Wright walked on the streets of Rock Fortress, and the somewhat blurry images in his memory gradually faded away in front of these familiar street scenes. With clarity again, he saw his favorite pastry shop when he was a child - on the days when he came here to deliver "goods" every month, he had eight copper coins as pocket money, which could just be enough to buy a cheap cake or something in the shop. Cookies, he also saw the greasy "Slaughter Square" and the tall wooden racks erected on the edge of the square. He remembered that the wooden racks were used to whip thieves and deserters - but due to the long history of the southern border There is no war, and being a soldier in the fortress is a good and comfortable job, so its main function is to whip thieves.
Basically, every month, thieves will be hung with their hands tied on a wooden frame. The skin was ripped open by the whipping, and the biggest pastime of the residents and many soldiers in the Rock Fortress City was to come to the "Slaughter Square" to enjoy this whipping scene. Moreover, Wright still remembered that on the second rest day of the Fire Moon every year, the Rock Fortress City There will also be a celebration to celebrate the completion of the city, the most important part of which is to tie the first thief caught by Huoyue to it and whip it for an hour.
If no thief is caught that month, he will be beaten for an hour. The slaves drawn by lot will be replaced.
Slave owners are very happy to send their slaves here to be whipped. This seems to be a very honorable thing for them, and more importantly, the fortress commander will do it. There is monetary compensation for this - even if the slave is accidentally beaten to death during the whipping process, the compensation money is enough for the slave owner to buy two new healthy slaves, so people with slaves in the city will even give Fire Moon's The festival was treated as a lottery, and the soldiers responsible for whipping were bribed for it...
These memories came to Wright's mind, and he couldn't help but frown.
He had. He felt it was barbaric and cruel, but he had never felt it was full of sin like today.
In Cecil Territory, he saw so many serfs, slaves, and slave laborers earning their freedom after hard work. , had his own house and property, even went to school and learned to read, and became a "Cecil citizen" like everyone else. He saw with his own eyes that those who were regarded as "stupid and inferior" can also be as full of energy as ordinary people. Living with dignity, he found it difficult to accept the so-called "elegant entertainment of civilized society" in the central region.
Moreover.And there’s this city that hasn’t changed…a city that hasn’t changed in decades, maybe even a hundred years.
There wasn't even a newly built house in sight.
Wright shook his head and turned to leave Slaughter Square, no longer interested in staying or resting in this city.
He just replenished some dry food, clean water and beer for easy storage, and then quickly left the Rock Fortress, passed through the gate in the north of the fortress, and officially set foot on the land of the Holy Spirit Plain.
He walked for a long time in the wilderness outside the city, walking all day long, and finally saw a small village before the sun set.
After taking a look at the sky, Wright decided to rest in the village - his travel expenses were not much, but the villagers usually would not refuse a priest's accommodation, and he could also help others chop wood in exchange for a dinner. , which is much cheaper than staying overnight in the city.
He walked into the village and walked on the bumpy mud road. Next to him were low and dilapidated thatched huts and wooden houses. He found out the location of the village manager and walked in that direction. go.
But a sudden commotion came from behind, causing Wright to stop.
He turned around and saw people on the dirt road dispersing behind him, while two soldiers in armor dragged a man by his arms and hair, dragging him from a nearby house. Out, a woman in a shabby skirt ran out of the house, crying and kneeling at the feet of the two soldiers. Behind the two soldiers, a woman wearing a priest's robe and a white gold-rimmed scarf came out. Cap's Holy Light Priest.
Obviously, the Holy Light Priest, who is an extraordinary person, is the one who controls the situation.
Wright immediately walked over.
"What happened?" He came to the holy light priest wearing a robe, frowned and asked, "What crime has this man committed?"
That man The woman who was kneeling on the ground saw another priest appeared, and immediately cried louder: "Sir! We really don't believe in evil gods! That's just an old account book——"
The woman's The crying stopped suddenly, because a magical law of silence fell on her. She could only open her mouth wide and stare, grabbing her throat hard, while the Holy Light priest who released the magic retracted his hand. , glanced at Wright in front of him with a little curiosity - after confirming that he was a fellow member of the church, he spoke: "Brother, this is none of your business - I suspect that this family has an affair with the evil priest."
The man who was dragged to the ground by the two soldiers muttered in a low voice: "Really not... really not..."
Wright frowned at this scene and said with a smile He looked at the pastor in front of him patiently: "What evidence is there?"
"A book was found in his home." The pastor raised an old booklet in his hand, "This is Contact Evidence of blasphemy of knowledge!"
The man who fell to the ground cried: "That's just an old ledger... I just want to teach.How many words does my mother-in-law know..."
Before he could finish his words, the soldiers next to him kicked him with iron boots, making him swallow the rest of his words with bloody foam. , the soldier stepped on his head and said in a stern tone: "Don't deceive people! What words do civilians recognize? How can ordinary people have books in their homes? ”
“The presence of books in civilian homes is a dangerous sign. These books may have been placed by the devil in their homes. Even if the books contain seemingly normal words, blasphemous knowledge will be hidden in them. Between the lines, illiterate civilians looked at these books and read not the words on them, but the words of the devil." The priest drew a symbol of the Lord of Holy Light on his chest and said with a serious face, "This is Mei. A warning given by Bishop Gower. ”