Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The temperature difference between day and night in the wilderness is huge, but it is warm inside the felt tent.

Brother Rhett pointed at Charles: "This guy is going to collect the body for you!"

Then he pointed at the little hunter Bell: "This kid also wants to collect the corpse for you!"

In the end, the old man stroked his beard triumphantly: "Ahem. God is kind of good at life. I was afraid that they would die on the way, so I escorted them all the way. Fortunately, you have fulfilled your mission! Since you are not dead, just take the three of me. Let’s settle the monthly salary.”

"You can do it!" Charles was furious: "We were not driving the carriage? What else did you do besides sleeping in the carriage?"

Although Ciel was angry, his eyes were smiling. He held Winters' arm and refused to let go.

Winters went straight to the point: "How did you find me?"

"It's a long story. Let's follow the army back to Plato first." Brother Red said with a smile: "As soon as Hurd's pursuers retreat, they will come to collect your body."

Winters nodded slightly.

Bell spoke softly: "We originally wanted to dig up the corpses by the Styx River, and happened to meet the Dajie Shaman who was soothing the souls of the dead. Brother Rhett talked with the Dajie Shaman, and the Dajie Shaman took us to the big river. The shaman is here."

"The heads of the shamans of the various tribes are also wise, and I can talk to him." Brother Reid smiled and said: "I heard from him that the Red River tribe has a Plato champion. When I heard it, that was not the case. You? Just follow him to find you."

The little lion mentioned before that the great shaman wanted to see Winters, but he never came.

According to Brother Red, the great shaman is probably nearby.

"Have you seen the white lion?" Winters asked.

"Yes, I saw it. When I came here with the Great Shaman, I met the white lion who came back from conquering the Lord's Service Department." Brother Rhett changed to a comfortable half-lying position: "The majestic white lion wanted to bow to me when he saw me. It's not like you, kid, who is always at odds with me. Seeing that he has a good attitude, I just gave him a few casual words."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Don't worry about it."

Now that Brother Red is here, Winters discusses with him the matter of offering sacrifices to the Golden Man.

White Lion did not agree to his deal, nor did he refuse.

When he learned about Winters' reckless behavior, the old monk's beard was so angry that he became angry.

He hated Iron and Steel and scolded him: "What on earth do you think? What qualifications do you have to negotiate a deal with White Lion? If you are not a cultivator, White Lion has the means to make you speak! If White Lion has any evil thoughts, you... …Do you know what will happen to you?”

In order not to irritate Winters, the little lion and Erlen have been very careful not to let any "trophies" appear around him.

But Winters knew that the captured Platoans had been reduced to slaves, and among them were probably his warriors.

Winters lowered his eyes and whispered, "I just want to feel better."

"Want to make yourself feel better? There is a way! The simplest way is to be evil-minded and deny your relatives." Brother Rhett puffed his beard and glared: "What kind of prisoner? It's none of your business? As long as you don't care! Just pat your butt and leave. .As long as you can do this, you will definitely be able to achieve great things in the future.”

Ciel and the little hunter looked at the old magic stick in horror, their eyes changed.

Winters said nothing.

Brother Rhett followed suit and said: "Don't worry about so much, go home quickly. Return to Veneta and accumulate strength under the wings of your elders. If the world remains unchanged, you will be an official step by step. If the world changes drastically, you will soar up. You can advance and attack. , You can retreat and defend. This is the easiest and easiest way. I have already pointed it out to you, why are you still hesitating?"

Winters sat there like a stone, still silent.

Brother Rhett sighed, smiled and shook his head: "Let me tell you why the white lion neither agreed nor refused."

Winters' head jerked up.

Brother Rhett pointed in all directions: "There are mountains to the south of the Great Wasteland, and mountains to the north. To the west is the tundra, and behind the tundra are mountains; only the east is the exit, but it is blocked by the Platoans. You say, you are free. What's the use of lion gold? What can he buy?"

"This is an important sacrificial vessel..."

"Sacrificial weapon?" Brother Rhett looked at it dismissively and said carelessly: "How many soldiers is the sacrificial weapon worth? As for the great shaman, is he noble? But how many soldiers does he have? Is he talking enough? The white lion is Boya, according to the rules, cannot sweat, and you cannot give him a gold statue. Generally speaking, you have to ask the golden man to come down to earth and beat the white lion's mother to death. Can you do it?"

"But he can negotiate with the Firekeeper..."

"Negotiation?" Brother Rhett stared: "When the White Lion got the Heavenly Sacrifice Golden Man, he completely lost the Fire Roaster as an ally! The Chihe Tribe and the Terdun Tribe now both rely on each other and are wary of each other. . For the White Lion, the Teldun tribe that has lost the Tianjin people is the best Teldun tribe. He can take advantage of its power without having to worry about being annexed."

"I...I don't know these things..."

"Alas. You kid is trapped in this small felt tent. What do you know?" Brother Rhett sighed: "What you gave to the White Lion is a volcano that may erupt at any time. What you want to take away, But it’s a labor force of thousands. The captives of Plato are scattered among the Hed tribes. Does White Lion still have to exchange them for you tribe by tribe?"

Winters' expression turned gloomy: "What should we do?"

Brother Rhett asked back: "Why doesn't White Lion reject you, or simply kill you? Once you die, the Golden Man of Sacrificing Heaven will disappear from now on, and it will be over."

The wood crackled in the hearth.

"Is there any chance of improvement?" Winters' pupils widened.

"Two tons of gold is equivalent to two tons of stone in the Great Wasteland. In Plato, it is two tons of hard currency." Brother Rhett sneered: "If you can bring materials worth two tons of gold, the White Lion will be happy. Xing will hand over the prisoner to you. Do you understand?"

"Isn't Plato blocking the Hed tribes?" Winters frowned: "He wants me to smuggle?"

Brother Rhett did not answer, but changed the topic: "Remember what I said once, no matter whether you win or lose this battle, it will not affect Plato's absolute suppression of the Hed tribes?"

Winters nodded slightly.

"At that time, I felt that although the nomads often said nonsense like 'someone is invincible if he is less than ten thousand people,' but as long as the settled country stabilizes its position, it will definitely beat the nomads to howl." Brother Rhett smiled with eyes. into a crack: "But now... things have changed."

Winters waited for the old magician to say the most important thing.

The old monk smiled and said: "The Platuan people started fighting among themselves!"

When the trio of corpse collectors set off, the coup in the King's Castle had just ended.

Arpad, who returned to the Shuangqiao Camp, immediately sent his troops eastward to attack the King's Castle. As for who wins and who loses, they don't know.

Winters listened to Plato's changes with an expressionless face, seemingly unmoved.

"Father!" Charles asked the old magician dissatisfiedly: "Why do you feel that you are not worried about the civil strife in Plato at all, but are instead very happy?"

"Of course I'm not in a hurry. The soul is the guest of the body, the body is the guest of heaven and earth, and I am your guest." Brother Rhett clapped his hands and laughed: "Of course it is not a big deal to watch the fun."

Charles was speechless. He wanted to rebut but didn't know where to start.

"Why the fight?" Winters asked.

Brother Rhett twisted his beard and smiled: "This matter is simple to say. It is like a man and woman with completely different personalities getting married. One party is called the Noble Republic, and the other party is called the Citizen Republic. When they are newlyweds, both parties can still respect each other as guests and raise eyebrows, but as time goes by, they are stumbling. When there are more, it becomes increasingly difficult to tolerate each other. Then there are endless quarrels and even violence.

It is the child named "Victory" who maintains the existence of this family. Now the child is dead and both parties claim ownership of the family property. If we can't reach an agreement, let's fight? "

"Oh, is that so?" Charles asked in surprise.

"Of course not!" Brother Rhett gave Charles a shudder in the forehead: "How can politics be such a simple thing? History, grievances, deep-seated conflicts, and the personalities of those involved, every link will affect the direction of politics. Put politics into perspective. It is a big mistake to simplify the struggle and reduce it to the metaphor of separation of men and women.”

"Just say it." Charles covered his head: "Why are you beating someone?"

Bell grinned beside him and also received a violent shudder.

"But there is also good news for the Platoans." Brother Rhett sighed and said slightly sadly: "The White Lion... is a hero."

Ciel and the little hunter were both stunned.

The white lion is a hero. How is this good news?

Winters' eyebrows raised slightly and his lips pursed.

The old monk sighed with emotion: "If the White Lion was a ruthless, evil-faced hero, he would be much more difficult for the Plato people to deal with than he is now. Unfortunately... he is a compassionate person."

After saying this, the old monk looked at Winters lovingly.

Winters looked back at the old monk calmly, and the two looked at each other wordlessly for several seconds.

"Some people think that people with low moral standards are more capable of making meritorious deeds." The old monk suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, with a rare hint of sadness in his laughter: "I don't want to believe this is true. If someone can prove them wrong, then it will be How good is that?"

…

Although the immobilization has been removed, Winters still walks with a limp. Moreover, he couldn't even walk a few steps without being unbearably sore. His left leg muscles needed time.

Charles, Bell and the old monk stayed in the camp until he fully recovered.

Ciel spent most of his time with Winters.

Bell quickly became acquainted with the little lion, and the two were almost inseparable.

As for Brother Rhett?

He kept seeing the dragon all day long, chatting with the white lion, lecturing with the great shaman, or eating and drinking in the camp.

The old guy has a special ability to take good care of himself no matter where he is.

The white lions respected him extremely, and the Hed people also respectfully called him De Xue Chan [the Great Wise One].

There is also a real "little white lion", which has grown as big as a calf and has a mane.

The "little guy" doesn't have a name yet - Bell remembers that Winters wouldn't let him have a name, so he still calls him little guy.

The little one still remembers Winters and the smell of the person who peed for him.

But that night, when he took the initiative to get close to Winters, he was slapped and became sulky for several days.

The people of the Chihe tribe regarded it as a god and sacrificed cattle and sheep to feed it. The little guy doesn't have to worry about food and drink, and the big cat's lazy personality takes over.

It eats and sleeps all day long, and when it has nothing to do, it lies in the sun at the door of the felt tent.

You must know that Brother Rhett and the three of them traveled all the way through no man's land, relying on the little guy to guard the carriage and drive away the wolves.

At that time, the little guy caught rabbits, marmots and even antelopes by himself, and never asked anyone to feed him.

Bell originally thought that he could take the opportunity to train the little guy to survive in the wild, but he never thought that after arriving at the Red River Department, it would become even more lazy.

…

Winters also met the Great Shaman.

Perhaps the closer you get, the more the sanctity and majesty will disintegrate.

After being disenchanted, through the complicated decorations and ornaments, Winters saw that the shaman leader of the Hed tribes was just an old man who had gone through many vicissitudes of life.

Erlun acted as the translator, and the two briefly talked.

"Good luck, Hestas." The great shaman saluted Winters kindly.

"Have you seen Hestace?"

"I have seen it, but I have not seen it." The words of the great shaman seemed to indicate something: "Since the first syllable sung by the singer, this is the first time that someone outside the grassland has inherited the responsibility of communicating with all spirits. What about you? Can you see it?"

"No, why would Hestace choose me?"

"I don't know, our inheritance is an inspiration. Just like when spring comes and autumn passes, it will happen naturally. Or the other way around, it was not Hestas who chose you, but you helped Hestas.

If you had not appeared at that moment, the spirit carried by the name Hestas would have been lost. And you are the chosen one, the one chosen by the spirit of all things. "

Winters thought for a moment and said, "Perform that ceremony again and I will give Hestace's name back to you."

"Don't worry." The great shaman smiled and shook his head: "If you are really Hestas, you will know when that moment comes. Just like Hestas chose you. If you are not, then you will There is no need to worry, there is no point in your ceremony.”

The other party's logic was rigorous, and Winters was silent for a long time.

"Your Hehaer is a rare animal spirit speaker." The great shaman suddenly asked: "I want to borrow him for a while, do you agree?"

"Hehar?" Winters frowned: "Bell?"

"Yes, the child named [Bear]."

"What do you want him to do?"

"Don't do anything. He is your Hehar, I will not take him away."

"What does animal spirit whisperer mean? Talking to lions?"

"Of course not." The great shaman laughed heartily: "Can hunters talk to mastiffs? But hunters can communicate with mastiffs and command them. Mastiffs are willing to do many things for hunters, not because they are afraid of hunters, but because they are afraid of hunters. Because they treat hunters as family.

The same is true for the relationship between spirit beasts and beast spirit speakers. It's not about being chained or whipped with a whip, it's about the spirit beast treating the spirit whisperer as a relative. Once a spiritual beast like a giant lion reaches adulthood, it is difficult to get close to it. But when the giant lion was very young, the boy named Bear was inseparable from it. This kind of animal spirit speaker who is twinned with a giant lion is also very rare in the history of various tribes. At least only one singer is recorded in the song. "

Winters asked coldly: "You just want to bring the White Lion to the White Lion, right?"

"Yes, and that's not all. Let him stay here, and I will teach him and help him master the power of the Beast Spirit Speaker. He is your Hehar, and I will not force him to stay."

Winters thought for a moment and solemnly said to the great shaman: "Bell is a free man. He can decide whether to stay or go. If he decides to leave, I will take him away. If you exploit him, I will come to you again." .”

The great shaman nodded and saluted, and the two of them said goodbye.

…

…

When Winters met with the great shaman, another banquet was being held in the banquet hall of the Great Council Hall of the Castle of Kings.

The banquet was to declare victory—the victory of the Second Republic.

In the past two months, Winters had lived a peaceful life in the wasteland, but Plato was experiencing one drama after another.

First, there was the "April Coup". The Blue Blood Faction and the King's Fort Faction attacked each other in the city, and the streets were filled with blood.

Then came the May Siege, when Arpad led all the troops he could find and launched a storming attack on the castles of the kings.

The storm quickly turned into a siege, because the fortifications of the Kings' Castle were too strong - otherwise, why would it be called a "castle".

As the fighting dragged on, Arpad's troops fled.

In the end, even people like Arpad who refused to admit defeat had to admit that the siege of the Kings Castle had completely failed.

The shield finally defeated the hammer.

Szekely relied on the city guard and the levied municipal militia to secure the castles of the kings, while Arpad retreated to [Jiangbei Province] with the last troops loyal to him.

Jiangbei Province is Arpad's hometown and the place where the old aristocratic power has the deepest roots.

Now, the Second Republic of Plato urgently needs to tell everyone: only they can represent this country.

They declared victory through celebrations and banquets and branded Arpad's side as rebels.

…

Some sarcastic literati commented: The Platuan people always live in poverty, so once they have something, they will overdo it.

The style of the Grand Assembly Hall Banquet Hall is like this:

Gleaming white walls, vaulted ceilings, gold hammered door and window leaves...

Under the painted ceiling, intelligence activities were going on.

While drinking and drinking, people exchanged all kinds of information.

The Platoans knew this but did not stop it because they were part of it.

There are three main categories of attendees:

The first category is the members of the Second Republic of Plato.

It's easy to tell the difference between congressmen - their bright eyes, smug faces, and excited chatter while holding a glass of wine.

They dominate here now, and they know it.

The congressmen all wear a red rose on their collars - in direct opposition to the "blue" rose. This is their stance to draw a clear line between them and their enemies.

The second category is soldiers.

Most of the soldiers were wearing uniforms and stood in groups according to their affiliation, branch of service or seniority. Scanning the whole room coldly, as if searching for some hidden murderous intention.

The third category is diplomatic envoys.

Envoys are representatives of various forces outside Plato. They have a dignified posture, maintain a mechanical smile at all times, and use careful words.

The envoys traveled thousands of miles to the King's Castle in order to confirm the victory or defeat and collect information. Therefore, they spend more time listening and less time speaking.

Everyone has their own place in this banquet, but there is only one figure who seems out of place.

He wore an officer's uniform, but he did not spend time with his colleagues or talk to anyone else.

Just sitting at the table, drinking glass after glass of wine.

Turano - Veneta's top diplomatic representative in Plato - walked up to the man, with a smile that almost froze on his face: "Lieutenant Colonel Moritz, what on earth are you doing?!"

"What are you doing? Drinking." Moritz still looked thin and handsome. He poured himself a cup, one cup after another: "Isn't it necessary to drink here? With the wine of the Platoans, I am remembering a Friends. Alas, they are all gone."

"I really don't understand why you were stuffed into the military attache watching the battle."

Moritz suddenly laughed: "General Serb sent me to get his son back, but what? Even the body couldn't be found. But here we are drinking with the Platts. Szekely won the battle, this Can the matter be settled like this?"

[Note: Moritz only knew that Winters was Antonio’s adopted son. Not only Moritz, most people think so]

Turano sighed: "I know what happened to those children, and I am also very sad. Of course it won't just end like this, but you don't understand."

He sat next to Moritz and poured himself a glass: "Sackler hasn't won everything yet, and Arpad hasn't lost everything yet. The war between the Red Rose and the Blue Rose is not over yet. We have to find a way to save the country." Netta fights for the best interests.”

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz didn't speak. He raised his neck and poured another glass of wine down his throat.

The servant outside the door suddenly announced loudly: "Emperor's special envoy! Count Narzia has arrived!"

All eyes were on the hall door.

The gilded oak door slowly opened, and a handsome man walked into the banquet hall with an entourage.

The host of the banquet, the Palato Councilors, greeted them one after another, and envoys from all parties also stepped forward.

Only the soldiers stood there without moving a step, watching Count Narzia greet everyone with cold eyes.

After a while, the banquet hall returned to its previous appearance, with congressmen, soldiers and envoys chatting in groups.

Count Narzia, however, calmly came to the drunken Moritz with a glass of wine in his hand.

"Good evening, Count Van Nasu." Narzia greeted cordially: "Maybe I should call you, Major Nasu."

Moritz snorted lightly, not looking at the other party at all: "It's time to update your files, you are already a lieutenant colonel."

Count Narzia was no longer angry, but greeted him more cordially: "Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel Nasu."

"Why does the false emperor want you to come here? To watch the fun?" Moritz asked with a sneer: "It's fun to see the rebels fighting each other, right? In the civil war in Plato, isn't the false emperor the happiest?"

"Why do you say that? You think so badly of us." Count Narzia shook the wine glass gently and smiled playfully: "Your Majesty just sent me to protect his property. After all, he is also Plato's One of the creditors."

…

At the same time, on the north bank of Jinliu River, there was a mountain depression.

Arpad stood on the cliff, and a thunderous roar spread across the wilderness: "They said, I lost!"

"They're coming and taking everything from us!"

"Their troops are camped five miles away!"

"Tell me! Did I lose?"

A roar that reached into the sky erupted from the mountain col: "No!"

"Follow me!" Arpad put on his helmet and rushed out of the col.

Thousands of "freemen" followed.

Today’s update is a 6,000-word chapter.

There should be two more chapters of 4,000 words to end this volume...

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]