Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Before dawn, everyone had already started to prepare.

There are no more scattered horses near the hunting circle, and the horses are all immersed in chewing and adding food; the hunters check the bows and arrows one by one, and sharpen the arrows again and again.

When the first ray of sunlight fell on Qingqiu, hunters from various tribes poured out of the camp and spontaneously gathered towards the hunting ground.

The sound of hooves thundered, smoke blocked the sun, hounds barked and horses neighed.

"Ms. Navarre, please don't make dangerous moves." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz politely expressed concern: "You are not frightened, are you?"

"Don't worry." Anna replied with a smile. She didn't feel scared, just pity.

Just listening to the sound of rolling hooves, Anna seemed to be able to see the spectacular sight of thousands of horses galloping like huge waves.

However, as part of the huge wave, Anna could only see a dozen flaps of the horse's butt when she stood on the horse's back, and it also ate a lot of ashes.

Unfortunately, the only place nearby that can overlook all living beings is Qingqiu, and not everyone can go up to Qingqiu.

The members of the mission had all put on herdsman attire at this time, and it was almost impossible to tell the difference from the Hed people without speaking.

Because the Tiefeng County mission was acquainted with the Badlands, Little Lion arranged for Badlands hunters to accompany Tiefeng County in the hunting.

Everyone rode with the Badlands and finally stopped outside the felt wall of the hunting circle, waiting for orders.

More than a hundred large and small tribes and nearly 30,000 hunters were diluted by a hunting circle with a diameter of [two eyes] in the blink of an eye.

[Note: The two destinations are approximately ten kilometers]

The hunting circle drawn by the Akahawa tribe is so huge that even if all the hunters stand next to the felt wall, they will have to walk at least two steps on average before meeting the next person. Therefore, no one in Tiefeng County felt crowded at all.

The sun has fully risen, and the palace tents above Qingqiu have become clearly visible, as well as the groups of prey.

The members of the mission who signed up for the shooting hunt were both nervous and eager to try.

Except for Father Carman, blacksmith Balian and a few people who like to be quiet, all the other members signed up, and no one wanted to miss this rare event.

Old Sergey consciously assumed the responsibility of a sergeant. While helping others check their equipment, he repeatedly warned: "Listen up, little pups! This is the barbarian's territory! You must not conflict with the barbarians! You are also not allowed to reveal your identity..."

"When does it start?" Vashika kept mumbling with a dry mouth, "When will it be our turn?"

Koshhaqi led the horse and walked by. Hearing Vashika's words, he replied in a muffled voice: "Start, very quickly. It's your turn and my turn, very slowly. Dismount first and rest."

"Ah?" Vashika's eyes widened.

Koshhaqi frowned, took out an arrow, and drew a row of circles on the ground from large to small.

He pointed first to the largest circle: "King Khan." Then he pointed to the middle circle and the small circle in turn: "Chief, you and me."

Koshhachi looked directly into Vashika's eyes and said in a deep voice: "One by one, don't mess around. If the little one is in front of the big one, it will bleed."

"What do you mean?" Vashika seemed to understand.

"What he means is that hunting should take turns, with those with higher status entering first. Then it should be our turn very late." Pierre came to everyone and ordered loudly: "Everyone! Dismount and take a break!"

Vashika immediately got off the horse obediently, and the others also obeyed Pierre's order.

Although in theory, the person with the highest status present was Lieutenant Colonel Moritz. But in the days since his return, Pierre has regained his status as the "Blood Wolf Deputy" - through taking on a lot of work and subtle indoctrination.

Moritz didn't care how Mr. Mitchell Jr. established his authority. Someone was willing to give orders, but the lieutenant colonel was happy to be at ease.

He dismounted slowly and looked around - there wasn't even a stone to rest his legs on.

Moritz was not picky, so he sat on the floor next to the felt wall and took out a pocket kettle from his arms.

As soon as the plug was removed, Ms. Navarre's soft voice came from in front of him: "Don't you want to participate in hunting?"

Anna held the horse and looked at the Lieutenant Colonel curiously.

Moritz took a sip of the kumiss and replied without raising his eyelids: "Because Winters asked me to protect you."

"You can take turns protecting me, but you can only experience a big hunt once. Are you really not going to participate?"

"I don't like hunting."

"Why?" Anna refused to give up.

Moritz answered the question calmly: "Why do you ask?"

"Because Mr. Montagne doesn't like hunting either, but he refuses to say why." Anna requested sincerely: "He respects you very much, so I want to know your answer."

Moritz sighed: "I only know my own thoughts."

"Please tell me."

"Well, Ms. Navarre, tell me first what hunting is."

"I do not understand……"

"Suppose, hunting is physical labor." Moritz spread his hands: "Then the reason why I don't like hunting is very simple - I am too lazy to move."

Anna was sensitively aware that the Lieutenant Colonel had not finished what he said: "Are there any other hypotheses?"

Moritz smiled and sat up slightly: "Yes. And assuming that hunting is a recreational activity, then my answer is simpler."

Anna waited quietly for the answer.

Moritz said softly: "Killing beasts brings me no pleasure."

Anna was speechless for a moment, and Moritz didn't say anything more.

Anna pondered for a moment and suddenly smiled: "I don't quite understand what you mean, but I understand one thing - you are a very gentle person."

Moritz, who was sipping kumiss, coughed violently as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke.

At this moment, twelve long horns sounded simultaneously in Qingqiu.

The penetrating horn sound spread outward from Qingqiu, reaching everyone's ears continuously and clearly.

The attention of everyone in Tiefeng County was instantly focused, because the message conveyed by the horn sound was unmistakable - the hunting was about to begin!

"Are you here?!" Vashika ran to the felt wall excitedly, stretched her neck and looked out: "Where is it?"

Others also came closer, holding on to the felt wall and waiting anxiously.

Akagawa did not keep the "audience" waiting for too long.

Suddenly, several clouds of white smoke spurted out from the top of Qingqiu. The trumpet sound suddenly stopped, and loud thunder followed one after another:

"Long!!!"

Inside the hunting circle, herds of deer, sheep, donkeys and other wild animals were frightened by the thunder and began to run away blindly.

Old Sergey's hair suddenly stood up: "Cannon?"

"Of course." Pierre said expressionlessly, "We have learned this a long time ago."

Vashika clenched her fists and said angrily: "Didn't I hide it very tightly before? Now I don't hide it very much anymore!"

"The past was the past, and the present is the present." Pierre also clenched his fists: "It is no longer enough for the Chihe tribe to have artillery. They must also let others know that they are talented."

"Hey!" Vashika kicked the felt wall hard: "What kind of big hunt? It's just a show!"

The Tiefeng County crowd, who were also reminded of bad memories, echoed with a chorus of agreement.

Only Lieutenant Colonel Moritz calmly defended the Akahe tribe: "All rituals are essentially performances."

Pierre wanted to say something in reply. But when he turned around, he saw only envy, admiration and jealousy in the eyes of the hunters from the Badlands.

In his heart, Pierre had to admit that the Lieutenant Colonel was right - no matter how outsiders like them viewed it, for Akagawa, this opening performance had been a great success.

As he was talking, someone exclaimed: "What is that?"

Everyone looked around, and a gap suddenly opened in the northwest felt wall.

More than ten riders rode their horses from the gap into the hunting ground.

All the riders were wearing white armor and riding white horses. Only the one at the front, wearing a red armor and a red horse, was extremely eye-catching surrounded by white armor and white horses.

A large blue banner with nine horse tails followed closely behind the red-armored rider.

"Is that the Barbarian Chief?" Old Sergei asked in a low voice.

The thundering cheers answered Old Dusak's question.

Wherever everyone in the mission could see, the Hud hunters, regardless of tribe, were all shouting and cheering: "Yasin! Yasin! Yasin..."

Pierre also noticed that the shock and panic expressed by several leader-looking Hud people nearby were no less than those of the people in Tiefeng County.

After the red-armored rider entered the hunting circle, he immediately began to chase the prey. I saw him drawing his bow and setting an arrow, riding his horse and shooting without stopping even if he killed his prey.

The white-armored riders who follow closely behind will pick up the corpse of the prey with a long pole and display it to the hunters without reservation.

At the same time, every time a prey is picked up on the pole, Qingqiu will fire a salute, and the hunters from all tribes who have witnessed the white lion's vigorous posture will also cheer.

While others watched the red-armored riders galloping and hunting with full attention or disdain, Anna took out her drawing board and asked expectantly and a little anxiously: "When can we see Mr. Montagne?"

"Winters?" Lieutenant Colonel Moritz said casually: "Isn't he with the White Lion's brother?"

"Then when can we see the lion cubs?"

"Immediately." Koshihaqi knew the relationship between the man-dressed woman in front of him and Batu, and explained flatteringly: "First the Khan King, then the Khan King's brother, then the Na Yan of the tribes, then the nobles of the tribes, and then the tribes Hunter…”

"But the white lion has appeared, why hasn't the little lion appeared yet?"

"this……"

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz sighed and came to the rescue of Koshhachi: "Ms. Navarre, have you ever seen a group of wolves sharing meat?"

"sorry, we do not have that."

"Where's the dog?"

"……nor."

"Then I say, just listen. The hierarchy of the wolf pack is very strict. When the big wolf eats meat, the little wolf can only watch. The little wolf can only eat when the big wolf has eaten and drank enough." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz Talking eloquently: "The same should be true for the Hede tribes. The white lion has not finished hunting, and the little lion will not be able to show up."

Anna looked at Koshhaqi inquiringly, and Koshhaqi nodded heavily.

"Don't be impatient, we'll see Winters soon." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz seemed to be in a good mood and joked in a rare way: "But as far as I know, our respectable captain is not good at bows and arrows. You should Pray he won’t do it in public…”

Without any warning, Lieutenant Colonel Moritz's voice stopped abruptly. In an instant, he seemed to have become another person, and the faint smile on his lips was completely gone.

Everyone who was listening noticed the change in the lieutenant colonel and looked at each other in confusion.

"What's wrong? Lieutenant Colonel." Anna asked carefully.

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz narrowed his eyes slightly.

Everyone followed the lieutenant colonel's line of sight and saw that the red-armored rider was riding his horse to chase the prey, and could not see anything wrong.

"Give me your quiver." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz said coldly to Koshhachi.

Koshhaqi didn't hesitate at all and immediately held up the quiver with both hands.

"The barbarian chieftain is not chasing the prey now." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz took out all the arrows and broke off the arrows one by one in the eyes of everyone's surprise. However, his tone was unusually calm: "It is the prey chasing the barbarian." Chief."

Before he finished speaking, there was another thunder.

This time the thunder was different from the celebratory salute. It was closer, clearer and more deafening.

"Oh my God!" Someone from Tiefeng County exclaimed.

The screams and shouts of the Hud people also gathered into a huge wave, beating everyone's heart.

Severed limbs and dirt flew into the sky, and the extremely frightened beasts rushed in all directions. The original location of the red-armored rider had been swallowed up by smoke and blood mist.

Old Sergei's eyes were as big as cowbells: "Beacon smoke!"

Behind the horizon, several beams of beacon smoke were piercing the sky.

In an instant, everyone realized what was happening.

The next moment, like water flowing into boiling oil, the leaders of each family shouted at the top of their lungs for their disciples, and the Hed people rushed towards the war horses. Some people mounted their horses and left without hesitation, while others rushed into the hunting circle regardless of everything.

"What should we do?" Vashika asked in horror.

"Wait." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz replied calmly.

In the hunting ground, a white-armored rider rode into the smoke and blood mist, and pulled out the red-armored rider from under the body of the red horse.

"Still alive?" the white-armored rider asked.

"Not... not dead..." The little lion pulled off his helmet, and blood dripped from his left ear. Because he was wearing red armor and the blood and mud were mixed together, it was impossible to tell where his torso was injured.

The little lion coughed violently, and every time his chest rose and fell, there would be blood stains: "What... what should I do..."

Winters picked up the little lion and said, "Qingqiu."

[Why did I write "seven"...]

[Thanks to the leader of the book friend "Qianhuan\