Iron Powder and Spellcaster

In the living room of Mitchell's house, Winters put on his tattered lumberjack uniform and asked seriously: "How is it? Does it look like a refugee fleeing from famine?"

Anna smiled and shook her head.

"How long has it been since you washed your clothes?" Catherine commented as she leaned on the recliner and wrinkled her nose.

Mrs. Mitchell came to the living room carrying a set of crystal clear tea cups.

When Catherine saw Mrs. Mitchell approaching, she immediately put away her casual attitude, sat upright and politely took the tea cup - just like a mouse seeing a big cat.

The same goes for Lieutenant Juan.

Juan took the tea cup with both hands and sneered at the younger brother: "Come on! If the refugees who are fleeing the famine have a body like yours, then I will pack up and flee the famine."

Senior Juan's mouth was vicious and cunning. Anna and Catherine both covered their lips and chuckled. Even Mrs. Mitchell couldn't help showing a smile.

Winters is neither fat nor thin. Long-term physical labor has made his body well-proportioned and strong. He does not look like a hungry refugee.

"Then I pretend to be a mercenary? A guard? A bodyguard?" Winters frowned slightly: "Kaman said that the interrogation in Gevaudan is very strict. There are only soldiers there who are victims of the disaster, and other identities are easily suspected."

"You are you." Anna reminded softly.

Winters mused.

"Yeah, what else are you thinking about?" Senior Huan said in an ironic tone: "You are an officer, why are you pretending to be a refugee? Just wear a uniform, ride a tall horse, and enter the city openly. Who dares to doubt you?"

Winters has used this method before. He once walked into the King's Castle from the main entrance in uniform.

But it's a bit dangerous to use this trick in Gévaudin. There are many officers coming and going from the Castle of Kings, but Gévaudin only has a few real officers, all of whom are familiar faces.

"But let's adapt to the situation when the time comes." Winters thought of this, and his frowned eyebrows relaxed: "Then I'll bring my uniform."

The Gévaudin garrison would not have known where their gendarmes were going.

From the moment the Wolf Town militia intercepted the gendarmerie reconnaissance cavalry, it was only a matter of time before they were exposed to Gévaudan's gaze.

So he must go to Gévaudin as soon as possible.

The time they get together is always short. Winters only meets Anna in the morning and leaves again in the afternoon.

When seeing him off, Juan sighed and asked, "Do you want me to accompany you?"

"Don't worry, I brought a guard." Winters smiled and shook his head.

"That's right." Juan snorted softly: "You are so powerful, why do you need me?"

Winters was exhausted: "Senior...that's not what I meant."

Juan patted Winters' horse and said seriously: "Listen, be careful. Don't capsize in the gutter and die in Gevaudan. I spent a lot of effort to find a living person like you. I don't want to take him with me." A body returns to Hailan.”

"Do not worry."

"Go away, don't waste time."

Winters looked at Anna, Pierre, Mrs. Mitchell and all the others who had come to see him off...and Scarlett came too, her eyes red and swollen.

He nodded in greeting, then lightly whipped his mount and rode away.

His figure became smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared over a hillside.

…

For the Navarre sisters, the novelty of their first visit to Wolf Town dissipated in less than three days - this was similar to Winters.

The vast and majestic scenery soon becomes boring, leaving only the endless horizon and the monotony of daily life.

Rural life is hard and busy. Women in farmers' families have to work like men, while underage girls also have to collect firewood, fetch water, pull weeds, and do whatever they can.

The life of the manor owner's family was equally boring, because all the employees were separated, and the women of the Mitchell family had to work in the fields like the men.

So now there are only two entertainment activities at Mitchell Manor: one is called housework, and the other is called maiden.

Even in the "good times" in the past, life on the new land plantations was far different from the colorful sea blue.

For the manor owners of Wolf Town, the only adjustment to daily life is banquets.

In the past, each manor would take turns hosting parties, with food, drinks, gossip exchanges and dancing.

This is also the only opportunity for the ladies and ladies to leave the manor except for church services.

At other times, the manor's wife and daughter should stay at home.

But now, no one holds banquets anymore because everyone is having a hard time.

The manor owner with connections in Gevaudin had already fled Wolf Town and went to seek refuge with relatives and friends.

Several manor houses were empty and occupied by wild foxes and birds.

The manor owners who remained in Wolf Town were either because they had nowhere to go or because they were deeply attached to the land and did not want to leave their homes.

In comparison, the lives of ordinary yeoman families may be easier than those of manor owners - but that is only in comparison.

Despite this, Ellen did not hesitate to use the best things in the house to entertain the two Miss Navarre.

But it was still too rough for two pampered ladies.

"How do you eat these things?" Catherine complained to her sister every night in bed: "I can't swallow it anyway. I know it's not at home, and there is no dedicated chef. But at least I have to sift the flour. Straw husks, right?”

In contrast to Scarlett, who scrapes the plate clean every day, Catherine leaves a lot of food at every meal.

It can be said that Miss Catherine Navarre now lives entirely on the milk candies and biscuits brought from Hailan.

Although Anna also ate very little, she always hugged her sister tenderly and tried to comfort her: "Mrs. Mitchell is already very good and generous. They are living a very hard life now. You are a well-educated lady. You should be more considerate.”

In fact, Miss Navarre was also very uncomfortable with it, but she was naturally unwilling to complain and always suffered in silence.

Coupled with the fact that Catherine has already shown her immaturity first, Anna naturally falls into the role of the "more mature sister".

Catherine grabbed her sister's hand and said coquettishly: "I'm not complaining about Mrs. Mitchell. Mrs. Mitchell is very good, and Hailan can't find a few ladies who are more charming than her. But... you also know, that is I can’t swallow it.”

"Just bear with it."

"By the way, there's also the little girl from the Mitchell family." Catherine changed her tune at the last moment, because Anna now strictly forbids her sister from saying the words "little coquettish hoof" and "little bitch": "Every meal. He almost ate all the food on the plate, and he doesn’t understand any ladies’ etiquette. How can an unmarried lady eat all the food on the plate? That is the prerogative of a married lady!”

Anna's cheek rested on her sister's shoulder: "I think little Ms. Mitchell is very casual, very real and not artificial, which is very good."

Hearing this, Catherine pushed her sister away angrily: "Go away, don't hug me, go find that little slut to be your sister!"

"Okay! Don't say the word "little." Anna had to show off her sister's airs: "And you're not much older than others, are you?"

Although Catherine always puts the crown on Scarlett's head, she is actually only one year older than Scarlett.

Catherine was sixteen, Scarlett fifteen, and Anna was still four months shy of turning nineteen.

In Hailan, ladies become hostesses at the age of sixteen, and Miss Navarre is about to step into the ranks of old maids.

Gossips spread quietly in the drawing rooms, banquet halls and small gardens, where Madame Navarre's old rivals - ladies too - gleefully waited to hear the joke.

This was also the reason why Mrs. Navarre had been sighing every day for two years, had no sleep at night, and hated Winters so much that her teeth itched.

"Mr. M walked happily. He rode his horse to the city and left us two here." Catherine pointed the finger at the man again.

She bit her sister's finger and said, "It doesn't matter if I don't eat well. The bed board is as hard as a rock and my bones hurt from sleeping, but I can hold on. But it's so boring here, even more boring than the monastery. It's really killing me." Die. I will count the leaves on the big tree outside today, and I will count them for a whole day."

Even Anna had nothing to say at this time, she sighed softly, because she was the same way.

Compared with material deprivation, spiritual emptiness is more unbearable.

Of course, Mrs. Mitchell would not let the two "Ladies of Sea Blue" go to the fields to do farm work, nor would she arrange for guests to do housework.

Under these circumstances, Anna and Catherine had little to do while staying at Mitchell Manor, while everyone else was busy.

Scarlett had to go out every day to herd cattle and sheep, and to cut grass for the horses.

There is no fine feed for the horses now, so we can only let them exercise less and try to feed them only boiled hay - because they have not yet fully adapted to coarse feed.

Catherine was curious and refused to admit defeat, so she also followed Scarlett for a day.

When she returned that night, little Ms. Navarre collapsed on the bed and refused to get out of bed the next day without saying anything.

In order to pass the time, Anna tried to learn embroidery from Mrs. Mitchell.

At the end of the day, Anna's fingers were pricked with blood spots. Even Ellen couldn't bear to let her continue learning, but she still persisted.

As for Catherine? Growing up, Catherine wanted whatever her sister had, so she naturally wanted to learn embroidery.

But after pricking her finger twice, Catherine started cheating. She still held the sewing basket and circled around her sister, not using the needle, just chatting to distract her sister.

Watching the performance of the Navarre sisters, in the mouth of the remaining maid in the Mitchell family, the meaning of the word "Ms. Hailan" is rapidly changing from "a beautiful young lady from a well-born family" to "a slut who looks like she doesn't know anything." ".

Nvhong is a compulsory course for all ladies, no matter how respected their status is, even princes and noble women must learn it.

However, Mrs. Navarre never forced her daughters to learn needlework because she had higher expectations for her daughters.

When she arrived at Mrs. Mitchell's place, Anna began to "make up lessons" again.

Compared to the Navarre sisters who couldn't even leave the manor, Don Juan's life was quite comfortable.

After all, he is a man and can easily go anywhere.

So Lieutenant Juan spent most of the time in the military camp. Really exhausted, he took his men out to hunt.

The new land has vast forests and rich natural resources. Don Juan only had a handful of hunting opportunities every year in Veneta, so he had a great time in the new land.

Rabbits, deer, gazelle, horned deer... Lieutenant Juan's prey is getting bigger and bigger. He has only been in Wolf Town for a few days, and he has already begun to think about hunting bears.

Seeing the remains of giant bears and lions in the basement of Mitchell Manor, Don Juan was also aroused his desire to win.

Lieutenant Juan was obsessed with hunting, which saved Pierre a lot of things.

Lieutenant Juan brought twelve light cavalry. The men and horses added a heavier burden to the militia's already insufficient food reserves.

Now Don Juan went out hunting every day before dawn and came back at night. He was participating in production in disguise, which made the sweat on Pierre's forehead lessen.

Until August 11th, the second Sunday in August.

The Navarre sisters can finally leave Mitchell Manor to relax.

Because the church in Wolf Town has been repaired, Father Carman will resume weekly mass ceremonies, and attending services is one of the only reasons why ladies should leave the manor at the moment.

Early in the morning, Ellen led everyone to drive the carriage to the center of the town.

As soon as she left Mitchell Manor, Catherine felt her breathing became easier. She was like a cheerful bird, chattering and laughing while holding Mrs. Mitchell and her sister on her arm.

All the old believers from Wolf Town came, and people came from Dussa Village, Hedong Village and Hexi Village to attend mass.

This was the first time so many people had gathered in the center of the town since the church was destroyed.

Everyone greeted each other happily, and the two streets that were usually deserted seemed lively.

The church only has four wooden walls and a wooden shed. It is much simpler than the Wolf Town church in the past.

But the people who came here were very proud because they also helped to rebuild the church.

Father Carman visited every old Christian household in Wolf Town and persuaded them to provide some food to fund the reconstruction of the church.

This is what Kaman meant when he said to Winters, "Your labor will not be in vain."

The persuasion process is very similar to the process of selling "indulgences", both of which use the benefits after death to persuade believers to pay while they are still alive.

No one wanted to have their food confiscated, but in order to rebuild the church, the old believers happily dug out the food buried in the cellar.

The food collected by Father Carman greatly alleviated the militia's immediate needs.

What Gévaudin didn't do, what Winters didn't do, Kaman did.

Fortunately, Winters wasn't in Wolf Town right now, otherwise I don't know what harsh comments he would have made.

The Wolf Town Church has changed a lot. Father Anthony is no longer there, and the gold and silver sacrificial vessels are no longer there, but Father Carman is still there.

Under the auspices of Father Carman, the ceremony was carried out step by step.

In the past, Father Anthony preached, but this time Father Carman stood in front of the pulpit.

The content of Kaman's sermon was quite simple. He encouraged everyone not to give up hope or faith in difficult days. "Persevere and you will be saved."

Catherine, who was sitting in the front row of the church, was a little disappointed. She quietly asked Anna, "Is that it?"

Anna listened carefully, prayed silently, and ignored her sister.

Catherine looked around with growing disappointment.

Compared with the majestic cathedral, the magnificent temple, the exquisite stained glass windows and murals, the clergy in exquisite costumes, the choir and the organ, the grand and solemn mass ceremony.

This small church in Wolf Town is really shabby, pathetically shabby.

After the ceremony, everyone gradually dispersed.

In the past, every Sunday was considered a small gathering in Wolf Town, and the men would line up to practice bow and arrow.

But no one is doing anything about it now, and the town official in Montagne is not here either.

Everyone received the Holy Communion, chatted for a while outside the church, and then went home.

"Let's go, Kate." Anna took her sister's hand.

Catherine sighed: "I thought it would be fun to go to town, but it turns out it's not that interesting."

"I thought of a fun game that is also suitable for ladies." Ellen smiled and took Catherine's arm: "Miss Navarre, can you play cards?"

Anna and Catherine looked at each other and shook their heads vigorously: "Mom said dice and cards are things that only the rudest soldiers play, and mom doesn't let us gamble."

A look of nostalgia appeared in Ellen's eyes, and she said with a smile: "Not really. My husband taught me some card rules suitable for ladies. Do you want to try it? And since we don't press the chips, it doesn't count. gamble."

"Okay, please teach us." Catherine immediately let go of her sister's hand and stuck it on Mrs. Mitchell's arm. The intimacy made Scarlett feel a little jealous.

The ladies of Mitchell Manor got back into the carriage and started on their way back.

Not far after leaving Wolf Town, the surrounding area turned into deserted wilderness again.

Only at this time can you truly feel the desolation and loneliness of the newly cultivated land.

People lived in settlements far apart and there was nothing else.

Catherine was still pestering Mrs. Mitchell about the rules of cards, and Anna listened carefully.

Suddenly, everyone heard a "boom" from underneath the carriage.

Then there were several "bangs", and the car shook violently and quickly tilted to a corner.

The ladies in the carriage were frightened, and Catherine and Scarlett screamed.

Mrs. Mitchell calmly comforted the two screaming people, while Anna pursed her lips and held her sister's hand tightly. Her face was pale, but she didn't say a word.

Panwitch—Ellen's old servant brought from her parents' home—jumped out of the driver's seat and quickly helped the ladies out of the carriage.

Old Panwitch lay on the ground and watched for a while, then stood up and explained to Mrs. Mitchell: "Miss, the shaft should be broken."

"Uncle, please untie the horse." Ellen had only one solution at the moment: "Ride home first, and then drive a carriage."

Although there was a master-servant relationship, Ellen always called Panviche "little uncle", and Panviche rarely called her madam. Ellen always called her "Miss" as she did when she was a child.

"Then what will you do if you stay here? Miss."

"Don't worry, it's very safe around here." Ellen replied with a smile: "Don't worry about us."

Panweiche nodded, although he was still a little worried, but rode away.

After old Panwitch left, there were only four women left on the roadside: Ellen, Scarlett, Anna and Catherine.

Left alone in the uninhabited wilderness, with only the vast horizon as far as the eye could see, Catherine suddenly felt a sense of fear.

"Isn't it dangerous here?" Catherine grabbed her sister's arm and asked timidly: "Are there wolves? Or robbers and bad guys?"

"Wolf? No, wolves rarely appear here. Mr. Montagne led his men to fight them cleanly." Ellen comforted Catherine softly.

Scarlett was not afraid at all. With a sense of victory, she proudly told Catherine: "There are no bandits and robbers, because the bandits and robbers were also completely eliminated by Mr. Montagne."

"That means there are wolves, and there were bad people before, right?" Catherine was even more frightened.

"Yes, but it was all cleaned up by Mr. Montagne." Scarlett replied matter-of-factly.

"I don't want to stay here, sister." Catherine hugged her sister and cried, "Let's go back to Hailan, it's so dangerous here."

Anna hugged her sister helplessly, smiled apologetically at Mrs. Mitchell and Ms. Mitchell, and looked at the sky thoughtfully.

"What are you afraid of?" Scarlett felt incredible. She pointed to the hillside not far away and said, "Look, isn't there someone there?"

"where?"

"Right there."

Following the direction indicated by Scarlett, Anna and Catherine saw a strange scene.

Five shirtless men and a very thin cow moved slowly on the sunny side of the hillside.

"Oh my god!" Catherine turned her head sharply: "Why don't they wear clothes?"

Ellen sighed and replied softly: "When clothes are worn out, they need to be repaired, and when flesh and blood are worn out, they can grow back."

"What are they doing?" Anna looked at the five people and asked confused.

"Clearing wasteland, plowing fields."

But the two Navarre ladies didn't even understand what "ploughing" meant, and Scarlett had to explain it carefully.

Ellen simply explained to Anna and Catherine the ins and outs of "the Montagne resident officer distributed wasteland to the refugees for reclamation."

"But today is Sunday." Catherine asked puzzledly: "You shouldn't work on Sunday, don't they also have a day off on Sunday?"

Ellen and Scarlett fell silent.

"Them." Anna said softly, "There should be reasons that you and I don't know and can't understand."

Like I don't understand why he's staying here, Anna thought to herself.

Among the five men plowing the field, one is an old man, one is a middle school student, and three is a young man.

The middle-aged man gasped and said to the old man at the front: "Dad, let's take a rest?"

The gray-haired old man stopped, turned around and took a closer look at the thin cattle dripping with water from their noses, and said, "Have a rest, let the animals rest for a while."

This old man is the same old man who answered Winters in the town square.

When plowing, animals should be in front of the plow and people behind the plow.

But four of the five men were adults and stood in front of the animals, leaving only a young child who was not strong enough to hold the plow behind.

Not because they were stupid, but because they didn't have big enough animals to pull the plows.

The soil in the newly cultivated land is sticky and heavy. In the wasteland that has not been cultivated for thousands of years, the soil has long been hardened into a lump and is as hard as stone.

It took big horses and heavy plows to plow it.

Winters didn't have many large animals on hand, so he gave all he could to the refugees, but it was still not enough.

If there are not enough livestock, people have to come as livestock.

"Look! Grandpa." The young man pointed at the ladies on the roadside: "There are ladies looking at us!"

The old man slapped the young man's arm off: "Don't point at others! Don't stare at them either."

The young man turned around sarcastically.

The four men pulling the plow were all sweaty and sat on the ground panting desperately.

The old man never tired of warning his sons and grandchildren: "Be careful not to fall. A plow can cut off an ankle in one stroke. If you fall, fall to the side, and be sure not to fall on the plow."

"How many times have you said this..." The young man who was beaten just now was a little impatient.

Before he finished speaking, he was slapped by his father again.

The middle-aged man nodded to the old man: "Don't worry, Dad."

Another young man asked: "Today is Sunday. Is it true that we don't go to church to worship?"

"The Lord will not blame us." The old man swallowed: "If we delay the farming season, we will all starve to death next year. At that time, it will be useless no matter how pious we are. The Lord will not blame us. If he blames us... We don’t have to trust him anymore.”

It is now August 11th. Winter wheat will be planted in late September or early October. If you miss the farming season, you will have to wait until next year.

Although there are large areas of wasteland in Wolf Town, the most flat and high-quality land that can be irrigated with water has been purchased and cultivated.

The rest is land with gentle slopes, distant water, and rocks - just like the land that the old man and his children and grandchildren are cultivating.

If the slope of this land were any steeper, it would not even be possible to grow crops.

They had to work hard to remove the stones before turning over the soil with a plow, otherwise the stones in the soil could easily break the plow.

But the old man was satisfied with having such a piece of land.

On the dirt road in the distance, a new carriage drove up.

"Enough rest, let's continue working." The old man held his knees and stood up with difficulty: "But be careful with the plow!"

The carriage picked up the ladies on the roadside and rumbled away.

The rope once again tightened around the old man's sunken shoulders and bony back.

He moved forward bit by bit, slowly but surely.

…

Meanwhile, the military camp of Gévaudin.

Lieutenant Cellini has a visitor.

"Who are you talking about?" Lieutenant Andrea Cellini's eyes widened.

"Sir." The soldier who came to inform him repeated: "It is a lieutenant named Don Juan who wants to see you."

[About the history of playing cards: In 1392, King Charles VI of France ordered Jacquemin Gringonuel to draw a deck of playing cards by hand. The royal treasurer who was responsible for the payment of money accounts at that time spoke of three decks of playing cards, printed "in gold and various colors, and much decorated, for the entertainment of our Majesty the King." 17 of them. The card is currently on display at the National Library of France.

But this does not mean that playing cards originated in France, it only proves that playing cards have appeared at least in the 14th century]

[Today is also a big chapter, with 6587 words]

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