Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The winch creaked and the cable groaned.

The pagan holy relics buried deep in the ground were lifted inch by inch by a crane. The soil slid away, revealing the true appearance of the treasure. Under the illumination of the torch, the surface of the pagan sacred objects glowed with a dim but breathtaking luster.

Everyone present couldn't help but hold their breath - anyone who saw a pile of gold that was half a head taller than themselves would have this reaction.

Because the density of gold is much greater than that of soil, the Golden Man has been slowly settling.

Charles led people to dig all night to find the golden man, and experienced countless self-doubts in the process. Then it took another whole day to clean out the golden man.

Then just destroy it.

Anna couldn't help but walk towards the golden man offering sacrifices to the sky, and reached out to brush away the wet mud on the golden man's face.

The face made of gold was calm and serene, not caring about the coming end.

"It's beautiful." Winters walked to Anna: "right?"

Anna looked at the golden man offering sacrifices to the sky.

The golden statue in front of me has almost nothing to do with the word "exquisite". The king of Khan who ordered it to be cast seemed to disdain to carve out the details. After the hot gold liquid cooled in the mold cavity, he refused to add or delete a single stroke.

So much so that the outline of the golden man's facial features looks so blurry, and the trachoma and defects left during casting are also faithfully preserved.

But precisely because of this, compared to the gold and silver sacrificial vessels enshrined in the church, compared to the jeweled crowns on the heads of kings and princes, this pagan-style holy object has a unique beauty that is rough, strong, powerful and simple.

It does not require any delicate and complicated processing at all, and its value alone is enough to overwhelm any sacred artifact or crown.

"How long has it... existed?" Anna asked.

"If the records in the Grand Archives are correct." Father Carman, who was invited to preside over the ceremony, replied softly: "It should have been around 240 years ago. It was cast by the first barbarian Khan who conquered the wasteland with gold donated by various tribes. ."

Anna looked at Winters, hesitated to speak, and finally just sighed with regret.

Winters also felt a little regretful. If possible, he would like to preserve the Golden Man as a memorial. Because when he saw this golden man, the days and nights of the Great Wasteland War came to his mind again.

But the future is more important than the past.

"I don't know how many relics were lost in history like this, leaving no sound at all." Winters touched Anna's fingertips: "But at least you witnessed its disappearance."

Anna nodded silently.

Winters finally looked up at the golden man who was offering sacrifices to the sky. The golden man stood quietly, the west wind whistled through the valley, and the crows circled and howled in the night sky.

"Melting it," Winters said.

The final verdict was handed down, and the golden man was dragged all the way to the temporary workshop. Father Carman presided over a simple baptism ceremony, and everyone immediately began to dismember the golden man.

The first drop fell on the neck, and two blacksmiths used special hacksaws to decapitate the golden man bit by bit.

Seeing the hacksaw going back and forth, the accompanying goldsmith felt so distressed that he almost shed tears.

In order to minimize loss, craftsmen usually only use shears when cutting precious metals. However, the size of the Heavenly Golden Man is so astonishing that not to mention pliers, even an ax and chisel are of no use, so a special hacksaw can only be used.

The goldsmith took off his coat and tried to catch the gold dust.

But how can we catch it? When the wind blows, the gold powder floats away. They are the blood flowing from the golden people, returning to the wilderness.

The golden man who worshiped the Heavenly God for two hundred and forty years was finally divided into seventeen pieces. The heavy gold pieces were buried in charcoal fire to preheat, then melted into liquid in the crucible, and finally cast into gold bars. .

When the first ray of light appeared on the horizon, the golden man offering sacrifices to the sky no longer existed, replaced by gold bars neatly laid out at the bottom of four carts.

Winters put down his cane, jumped into the carriage, and picked up a gold bar.

The residual heat of the gold bar has long since dissipated, and it feels cold to the touch. The gold bar, which weighs about one kilogram, is only as thick as a sword hilt and as long as a palm, and can barely hold it in one's hand.

The members of the envoy gradually gathered around the carriage. Some of them had followed Winters since they were recruited from Wolf Town, some were assigned to Winters' command during the Battle of the Great Wilderness, and some were prisoners forcibly taken in after Winters captured Gevaudan.

Everyone's eyes were unconsciously attracted to the gold bars - they didn't think it was anything when they were just working. Once they were free, everyone really began to realize that an immeasurable huge wealth was right in front of them, within reach.

The hearts of everyone present were beating wildly, saliva was secreting from their mouths, and heavy breathing came and went.

Winters glanced at the crowd, and in the eyes of his subordinates, he saw desire, awe, greed, and fear...

"The gold on these four carriages," Winters said calmly, looking directly into the eyes of his men, "is enough for anyone to live like a king anywhere."

No one could meet Winters's gaze, even Pierre lowered his head.

"Here." Winters casually handed the gold bar to Pierre: "Take it and feel it."

Pierre hesitantly took the gold bars, while Winters continued to distribute them.

Soon, all the more than 60 people present received the gold bars, and everyone was a little overwhelmed.

"No one has ever seen the life of an emperor, so I have a more intuitive way of describing it." Winters showed the gold bar in his hand: "Just the small piece you hold in your hand is enough for you to buy in the new land. Next farm, live a prosperous life from now on. And there are a total of..."

Winters paused for a moment: "Two thousand two hundred and seventeen yuan."

"Now, do you know how amazing this wealth is?"

"Now, do you know what you can buy with this gold?"

Winters paused for a moment, looked at everyone, and asked slowly: "Now, do you know why you came here with me?"

"Each of you has proven your courage and ability in the most brutal battles. Each of you has been hand-picked by me. I can call each of you by name, and you can count every scar on my body. . In Jevaudan, in Tiefeng County, and in Plato, you are my most trusted subordinates, you are the subordinates I can most count on, you are the subordinates I can entrust with my life, so I led you here - — and not someone else.”

Everyone under the carriage held gold bars in their hands and listened quietly.

"You have many doubts in your hearts. Why do we have to deal with the Red River Tribe? Aren't the Red River Tribe's hands covered with our blood? Aren't our hands also covered with the blood of the Red River Tribe's members? Why do we Now it’s as if nothing has happened, and you can be a guest of the Akagawa tribe with peace of mind?”

"I'll be honest with you - from this moment on, I'm not going to hide anything from you."

"Because the Red River Department can redeem our comrades who have fallen into the wasteland for us."

"Because the Akahawa Department can ensure that we transport this batch of gold."

"Because the Red River tribe is willing to sell us war horses and wool, and because the Red River tribe is willing to buy our iron tools and minerals."

"In a word, it's because our contacts with the Akahe tribe can help us develop and grow."

Winters scanned the faces of each of his men, not missing any subtle changes.

He took a deep breath, with the rising sun at his back, and for the first time he expressed his true feelings and ambition to the people, his subordinates, and the heaven and earth: "The war will not end. The war is far from over."

"Capturing Tiefeng County is not a victory, and capturing Tiefeng County is far from a victory."

"The New Reclamation Corps, the military government, and the King's Castle will not tolerate our existence. Sooner or later, the encirclement and suppression army will appear again. It's just that next time, they will learn their lessons and they will be more prepared."

"So we must grow stronger, we must grow, we must desperately suck every mouthful of lotion and absorb every drop of nutrients, even if the nutrients and lotion come from our enemies! Even if their hands are stained with our blood!"

Winters punched the carriage hard, causing the carriage to break. He did not use spell amplification, but to everyone's ears, his voice was deafening, like the roar of a strong wind.

Winters calmed down his breathing and suddenly raised his head and asked: "Why are we fighting?"

"Fight for you!" Pierre replied without hesitation.

"I don't want you to fight for me!" Winters shouted sharply. This time he couldn't help but use the amplification technique, and his roar shook the valley: "I, you, we - we are fighting for the right to survive! We are Fight for fairness! We are fighting for justice!”

"We have to fight, because if we don't fight, we will starve to death! We can't surrender either! Because if we surrender, we will be sent to the gallows!"

"The Republic of Plato throws us away like garbage, not caring about the blood and sacrifices we have made for her. We have done our part, but the Republic of Plato has not done her part!"

"Those who have gained power wantonly change the fate of ordinary people for their own selfish desires. Even their lives are treated as consumables and wasted in meaningless, worthless and useless places!"

"This is trampling on all fairness and justice in the world! It violates every promise made when this republic and this alliance were established! It fails every martyr who paid their blood for this republic and this alliance!"

"I stay in Plato just because I can't stand it! Just because I can't bear it! Just because I can't swallow it! Just because the country established by the old marshal shouldn't be like this!"

"I don't know what fairness and justice will look like when it truly comes to the world, but it is definitely not what Plato looks like today. So Tiefeng County is not the end, Baishan County, Warnie County, Maple Stone City, New Reclamation... we have to continue Expand, continue to conquer, continue to seize power, until the old world is destroyed, until a new world is born.”

The valley fell silent again.

After an unknown amount of time, Pierre asked: "What about after the new land is cleared?"

"Then Jiangbei Province and Xilin Province." Winters raised his head and replied: "Then Plato!"

The scene was silent. For many people around the carriage, the newly cultivated land was already very large, and Plato was even bigger than imagined. Many people have never even left their hometown before.

Pierre was silent for a moment, stared at Winters closely, and asked in a deep voice: "What about after Plato?"

Winters smiled, and the next goal was too far away for Winters, so far away that there was little hope, but his answer was as firm as an oath: "Then Veneta! Federal Province! Monta! Varn! Then It’s the republics!”

Winters didn't know what his men were thinking at this moment. For him, this was also a magical moment.

Because of the blazing fire in his chest, he shared for the first time his deepest desires, ambitions, visions, ambitions... whatever you want to describe.

That was an unrealistic, vague, and unattainable goal—at least Winters himself believed so.

He shared this wish with his most trusted subordinates, not expecting everyone to accept it.

"I'm not going to force you to fight with me," Winters said. "Anyone who wants to leave can leave with the gold bars."

No one spoke. Pierre took a few steps forward and put the gold bar back into the carriage. The others followed Pierre, putting the gold bars back into the carriage one by one.

Two thousand two hundred and seventeen gold bars lay quietly at the bottom of the carriage, one not too much and one not too little.

…

[Oashika and Pierre's tent]

During the break, Vashika was still in a daze. He asked Pierre in confusion: "What is the new world like?"

"I don't know." Pierre fell down on the blanket and closed his eyes to sleep: "It's better than the old one."

…

[Winters and Carman's tent]

"No one can save the world, Mr. Montagne." Carman fiddled with the campfire: "That is the authority of the Lord."

"Do I want to save the world?" Winters sipped mare's milk: "Maybe I'm better at destroying the world."

…

[Anna's tent]

Anna stared at the drawing board for a long time without writing.

…

…

While Winters and his men were busy melting the golden men into gold bars, a convoy arrived on the west bank of the Bighorn River.

The morning light is shining, and the outline of the iron peak gradually appears.

"[Herd] Wake up the slaves and send envoys." Hong Lingyu, who was escorting the convoy, told the guard. He squinted and looked at the lonely peak in the distance: "[Herd] The other side is 'Tiefeng County'."

The captives of the expeditionary force who had become slaves of the Hedians finally returned to Plato.

[This is probably the first time Winters openly recruited "comrades", but his subordinates are actually still following him...]

[Actually, this is yesterday’s update. I was too sleepy, so I went to bed at 12 o’clock and set an early alarm clock]

[I took leave because I was worried that the alarm clock wouldn’t work, huh]

[However...since I have taken leave, is this chapter considered an additional update? ]

[Thanks to the new leader [only waiting for someone], thank you]

[Thank you book friends for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]