Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Although it is already the end of winter, the morning in Steel Castle is still freezing cold.

Except for a few poor vendors who ventured to the middle of the lake to get ice, the rest of the citizens of Steel Castle were hiding in warm indoors, and no one had the leisure to go out for morning exercises.

Therefore, at a glance, there are only two people and two dogs on the open lake shore.

"So..." Winters stroked the fur between the wolfhound's ears, and the big dog hummed flatteringly as he was stroked. He looked up and asked Carman: "Why do they obey me?"

Kaman hesitated for a moment: "Because of witchcraft?"

Winters raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked, "I'm not a Hed shaman. How can I use shamanic magic?"

There were too many quarrels on weekdays, so when Kaman saw Winters' smile, he instinctively wanted to choke back a few words.

But now he has something to ask for, so the priest can only suppress the urge to quarrel and follow the other person's words to ask: "Are you really not? Then why did the barbarians call you [Herstas] when we were in Qingqiu?" ], and there are barbarians who worship you?"

"you caught me……"

Kaman snorted: "It's not like I don't have eyes."

"But." Winters changed the topic and said solemnly: "I really don't know shamanic magic."

Kaman laughed angrily and pointed at the two wolfdogs whose tails were wagging like windmills: "You don't know barbarian witchcraft? Then how did you make them behave like dogs? A miracle? You don't want to say that. ——You rely on love to influence the big wolf dog?!"

Hearing Carman's question, Winters coughed a few times shyly. He hugged the two wolfdogs and defended: "They are dogs to begin with!"

…

After the bloody battle in Qingqiu came to an end, the Red River tribe's men searched the corpses and finally identified the identity of the wolf-controlling assassin as the Beast Spirit Whisperer [White Sturgeon].

The Red River Department detained the body of the paddlefish and firmly refused to agree to Winters' request to inspect and take away the body of the paddlefish.

The reason is: Although Paddlefish attempts to assassinate the White Lion, he is still an out-and-out shaman and the Chosen One, and the Chihe tribe will never hand over his body to outsiders for insult.

Winters also grabbed the White Lion's horse [Changfeng] to retaliate, and the two sides were barely even.

So all Winters got from the paddlefish was the peculiar bone flute.

However, as the warrior who killed the paddlefish, Winters also had the right to first select a trophy from the paddlefish's legacy.

Paddlefish brought a total of six wolf dogs to Qingqiu, "consuming" four of them, and the remaining two were locked in cages and were discovered when cleaning the battlefield.

The Chihe tribe regarded the two dogs, which looked the same as wolves, as evil creatures and originally planned to kill them. The little hunter Bell couldn't sit idly by, so he begged Winters to save the two spiritual beasts.

After Winters learned about this, he couldn't bear it, so he asked the Red River Department for the white sturgeon spirit beast as a trophy.

The Akagawa tribe was happy to have someone take over the troublesome thing between these two "spiritual beasts" and "evil things", and happily sent the iron cage containing the wolf dog to Winters' camp.

The story should have come to an end here.

Because the two wolf dogs were too ferocious to approach, they had to be kept in iron cages. Winters couldn't figure out for a while how the paddlefish controlled the wolfdog like an arm.

However, there is another guy in Winters' camp who is more ferocious than the wolfdog.

The "little guy" was so noisy by the barking wolf dogs that he couldn't sleep. Once, while Bell was away, he quietly sneaked to the carriage transporting the wolf dogs and gave the two wolf dogs an "induction training" through the iron cage. .

From then on, the two wolfdogs quickly corrected themselves. They no longer bark or attack people. It will also wag its tail as a sign of goodwill when feeding, and can even be led around.

But...the little guy never gave up the idea of ​​eating dog meat.

It is always sneaky and lurking behind the wolf dogs, and it has not changed despite repeated admonitions, and has almost succeeded on several occasions. Winters was forced to put the wolfdog in the iron cage again.

In order to save the dog's life and avoid a tragedy. When the Tiefeng County delegation gathered their gold depositors and reorganized, Winters asked Bell to take the little guy along the south road and follow Lieutenant Colonel Moritz to escort the gold bars back to Tiefeng County.

He himself took the two wolfhounds along the northern route, first back to Jiangbei Province, and then into the mountains.

This was the beginning and end of the appearance of the two wolfdogs in the Steel Castle. It was only after Winters arrived in the Monta Republic that he got the inspiration for the "Beast Spirit Whisperer Magic".

…

[Time returns to the present]

After hearing Winters say, "They are actually dogs," Carman immediately asked, "Do you want someone to ask?"

Winters fell silent.

During Monta's trip, the two wolfdogs had several misunderstandings.

The Monta Republic has many mountains and little land, so it needs to purchase food from the Van Republic all year round. In addition to tending the few acres of farmland at home, the most important livelihood of Monta farmers is grazing. They hate wolves that poach livestock the most.

So along the way, almost everyone yelled and beat the two wolf dogs.

Anna tried to sew a pair of particularly conspicuous collars to tie around the wolfdogs' necks, proving that they had owners. The result only made it easier for the Monta people to notice them, but it did not weaken the hostility in the Monta people's hearts at all.

Winters had to explain over and over again that "these are dogs, not wolves."

Even so, the stubborn Monta mountain people were still skeptical. Many Monta farmers turned around and whispered, "What's wrong? Raising wolves as dogs? Ha, Veneta people!"

So if anyone else were to judge, the winner would definitely be Kaman.

Winters touched the wolfdog's neck and explained seriously: "If I guess correctly, they should be a hybrid of wolf and dog. Although they look like wolves, their loyalty is no less than that of dogs."

"A hybrid between a wolf and a dog is not a wolf?" Kaman crossed his arms.

Winters was silent for a moment, then thought and replied: "Probably, it depends on who they are loyal to. If they associate with wolves, then they are undoubtedly wolves. If they loyally protect humans, then they are dogs."

"Born cannot be erased so easily." Kaman frowned slightly: "They have wolf blood, so in the eyes of many people, they are wolves."

"Maybe so." Winters stroked the wolfdog's smooth fur and sighed with emotion: "But don't you think they are sad? Their loyalty is unquestionable, but their former owner took advantage of this loyalty despicably. He strapped fragmentation grenades on them and sent them on suicide missions. They didn't know they were destined to die, and it's likely that the moment before they were shattered into pieces, their minds were still filled with unreserved loyalty."

After Kaman listened silently, he asked curiously: "[Foxes will feel sad when they see rabbits being killed by hunters]; [beasts will shed tears when they see the same kind of misfortune]... Shouldn't you see two Wolfdog, do you remember what happened to you?"

Winters was choked to the point of speechlessness and coughed violently.

After a while, he asked Kaman mockingly: "When did you become so aggressive?"

"Who taught the teacher well?" Kaman bowed and saluted solemnly.

This time, Kaman won a big victory. Winters waved his hand: "There is no need to continue arguing about whether they are wolves or dogs..."

"It's up to you." Kaman smiled.

Winters reiterated: "I don't know shamanic magic."

"I don't believe it." Kaman smiled.

Winters quickly cut through the mess: "Do you think that being able to control animals is equivalent to mastering shamanic magic?"

"To be precise, driving animals is one of the abilities of barbarian shamans. Documents record that other pagan magic has similar spells... This is something we have confirmed a long time ago."

Winters shook his head slightly and asked a digression: "On our way here, did you see how the Monta herders herd sheep?"

"I've seen it."

"What about the Hed people herding sheep? Have you seen them?"

"I haven't seen it before." Kaman was puzzled: "What is the relationship between sheep herding and witchcraft? Could it be that you learned the barbarian witchcraft from watching sheep herding?"

Winters did not answer directly, explaining: "Heder herdsmen herd sheep on horseback because the grassland is flat and the pasture is vast. But the Munta herdsmen can't. Have you seen the Munta herdsmen riding horses? Firstly, they can't raise horses. Secondly, they can't raise horses. The terrain in the mountains changes drastically, and people and horses can't help but run back and forth up and down the mountain..."

"So?" Kaman tilted his head.

"So the Monta herdsmen use dogs to herd their sheep." Winters spread his hands: "Of course, the Herders also raise dogs, but the cooperation between the Herders and the sheepdogs is the same as the cooperation between the Monta herdsmen and the sheepdogs. In comparison, it’s like putting a child who is learning to sword on his first day in front of a sword master.”

Kaman frowned again.

"You say I can drive wild animals, but my ability to drive these two stupid dogs is nothing compared to the ability of the Monta herdsmen to drive their sheepdogs." Winters pointed to the mountains around the lake and talked eloquently. :

"As long as Monta Shepherd blows a whistle, the sheepdog immediately knows what to do. Even the herder does not need to give orders, the sheepdog itself knows how to drive away wolves and leopards, gather sheep, and stop rams from fighting. And me? I It took a lot of effort to get these two stupid dogs to learn to pick up sticks."

As he said that, Winters picked up two pieces of driftwood and threw them into the distance, and the two wolfhounds jumped out with a "whoosh".

After a while, two big dogs ran back happily with a branch in their mouths.

"If this counts as driving animals, if driving animals counts as magic." Winters asked with a smile: "Doesn't that mean that every Monta herdsman is a Hed shaman?"

Kaman's thinking was a little confused: "It's still... different..."

"What's the difference?" Winters asked, "Aren't the results the same?"

"The paths are different." Kaman gradually clarified the logical relationship: "The shepherd goes through training, and you, you go through witchcraft."

Winters asked confidently: "Since the results are the same, why do you conclude that I used Hurd's magic instead of teaching them to pick up sticks through repeated training?"

"I have no intention of having a philosophical debate with you." Kaman's eyebrows became tighter and tighter: "If you like metaphysical arguments, I will find you some real debaters when I have the opportunity. How long do you want to debate? Just argue for as long as you want.”

"Don't the seminaries teach philosophy?" Winters wondered: "We all learn a little bit of it in the military academy."

Kaman said angrily: "Scholasticism is not holy... it is not the main subject of the order to which I belong. We do not need to learn content that may cause controversy, let alone dialectics!"

Winters commented with great interest: "Abandoning reason? Skepticism? Why does the thought of your order sound a bit heretical?"

"Shut up!" Kaman was furious: "What heresy do you know?!"

"Who taught the teacher well?" Winters came back and bowed down to salute: "Thanks to you, I have read all your books."

Kaman seemed to have been drained of all his strength: "You still want to talk about the barbarian witchcraft? If you don't tell me, I will go back."

"Okay, let's get down to business." Winters put away his smile and said seriously: "What I'm going to say below is not something I learned from books or exams, but my thoughts on the records left by a sage. …and a little bit of my personal experience.”

Kaman noticed the change in Winters' tone and listened with a formal attitude.

Winters cleared his throat: "We, the spellcasters of our alliance school - if there is such a school - believe that magic is not a wish-making machine, it is not 'from A to B' across all paths.

If you compare using spells to 'musket shooting', then the spells of the Alliance School do not directly give you a high-speed flying lead bullet. The spell of the Alliance school is a matchlock gun with a butt, a barrel, and gunpowder. The role of magic in it is like the faint spark at the tip of the matchlock.

Every structure of the entire musket should be researched, understood and improved, because it follows objective laws that we don't know yet. As for the method of exploring the rules, the only way is repeated experiments and demonstrations.

Since your Catholic Church has scholastic philosophy, I would simply call the Alliance school of thought [Experimental Philosophy] - if the Alliance casters really have a school of thought and a philosophy. "

Kaman nodded expressionlessly.

"Spellcasters like me who are destined to enter the army are only used as tools to cultivate and train by the Magic Warfare Bureau - I only gradually understood this after getting to know you." Winters sighed, with some regret. Said: "I have never taken any speculative courses, and no one has told me what kind of logic and ethics the alliance's spell caster system is based on. Anyway, as long as we can use spells..."

Winters paused for a moment, glanced at Kaman, and added: "This is a bit like you."

Kaman was slightly startled, narrowed his eyes and asked: "You mean, the magic of the 'Alliance School' you call is not a 'wish machine', but a 'key driving force' similar to flint and steel. Through 'push a Make magic happen in an existing system?"

"That's what I think at the moment." Winters replied rigorously: "The specific details need to be proven through experiments."

"Okay, I understand, please continue." An imperceptible mockery appeared on Kaman's expression, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

But Winters caught it, and he asked Carman sensitively: "What are you laughing at?"

"I didn't laugh." Carman denied.

"Lies will go to hell!"

"I think of something happy, can't I?"

"You are laughing because you think you have found the fatal loophole that can defeat what I said before, and you have evidence to prove that the loophole exists." Winters stared at Kaman and spoke his speculation quickly: "But you don't want to Tell me, so I can only declare victory with a snicker."

Kaman turned his head to look at the lake without making eye contact with Winters: "Okay, okay, you'd better talk about barbarian witchcraft."

Carman refused to let go, and Winters couldn't force him to reveal the truth.

So Winters asked Carman with some disappointment: "Did you know that there are actually two types of beast spirit speakers in the Hurd tribes?"

"What two categories?"

"The chosen ones and the non-chosen ones." Winters stated succinctly: "In the Hed tribes, beast whisperers refer to people who can communicate with wild beasts, and are not directly related to the identity of the chosen ones. I am in Qing The one Qiu solved was the Chosen One. Bell was not the Chosen One, but he got along with the little guy - that lazy lion - day and night, and was able to communicate with the little guy. So in the eyes of the Hud people , Bell is also a beast spirit whisperer."

Kaman nodded and responded with "hmm" and "hmm".

"Of course, this is my way of distinguishing as a bystander. The Hed people themselves will not distinguish this way." Winters picked up the wolfdog and put it in front of Kaman: "Going back to the original question, why do you think they do it?" Obey me?"

Kaman asked tentatively: "Because... you also live with them day and night?"

"Because they regard me as the alpha wolf, the leader, and a member of the family." Winters answered bluntly: "Hed shamans believe that wild beasts also have spirituality, and they have the concept of family and group just like humans. Just like the guard dog association They risk their lives to protect their masters, not because they are afraid of their masters, but out of a kind of love for family members. Therefore, most of those beast whisperers who are not the chosen ones raise their spirit beasts from childhood to adulthood. Nature is considered family by spirit beasts – just like Belle.”

Kaman doesn’t care about the unchosen: “What about the chosen?”

"The Chosen One?" Winters touched the wolf dog's head: "The Chosen One's Beast Spirit Whisperer is another path. Have you ever seen cavalry training horses?"

"No." Kaman shook his head.

"Horses are very timid animals. They are afraid of flames, loud noises, and pungent smoke. When they encounter these things, they instinctively want to run away." Winters shrugged: "But on the current battlefield, There are fires, gunshots and smoke everywhere, so cavalry horses have to overcome their instincts. So how do you think horses can be trained to overcome their instincts?"

"Put a gun next to them and let them get used to it?"

"Yes, but it's more than that." Winters took out a small bag from his arms and opened it to show Carman.

The pocket contained dried meat.

"While firing guns and cannons next to the war horse, feed the war horse candy." Winters took out a few pieces of dried meat and fed them to the wolfdog beside him, and explained to Carman: "In this way, Gradually, I can associate 'eating sweets' with 'guns'. As time goes by, the war horses will not only not be afraid of the sound of fire and gunfire, but will even get excited by the sound of fire and gunfire."

After that, Winters gave several commands to the wolf dog, and the ferocious-looking wolf dog obediently followed the instructions to sit up, lie down, and roll.

After completing a set of actions, Winters spread his hands and the wolfdog couldn't wait to lick away the meat.

"You want to say..." Kaman asked suspiciously: "Hed shaman also uses this method to drive wild beasts?"

"I want to tell you that the Hed shaman also has similar experiences and methods. The underlying principle is like the pillars of the temple, although the Hed people have decorated the outside of the pillars with layers and layers called 'rituals' and 'traditions' and 'rules' curtains, but the pillars that support the temple are still stone pillars after all. The underlying principle of the Hedian shaman driving wild beasts is essentially the same as the way the Palatine cavalry trains their horses."

"Is it that simple?" Kaman felt incredible: "Candy cubes? Dry meat?"

"Of course it's more than that." Winters shouted sharply: "Now that the underlying principle has been understood, does the Hud Shaman still need to feed dried meat? Feeding sugar cubes? Feeding dried meat and sugar cubes is the only choice. Or? They have a more direct way!"

Before he finished speaking, Winters had already taken out the strange-shaped bone flute.

He patted the two wolfhounds on their foreheads, took a deep breath, and then blew the bone flute.

The range and timbre of the bone whistle are different from ordinary whistles. It is not loud, but it has stronger penetrating power. Kaman also vaguely heard a sound similar to tinnitus.

What shocked Carman even more was the wolfdog's reaction.

As the bone flute played, the two wolf dogs became extremely excited, happy, and satisfied. They trembled and prostrated on the ground. There was even a light yellow warm liquid flowing out from under one wolf dog.

"Understood?" Winters threw the bone flute to Kaman: "The Platuan people don't feed sugar to the war horses every time. How can they afford it? So they have a special clicker. Every time they feed sugar, , just press the clicker once. Over time, even if the Platoans do not feed the horses any sweets, they will still salivate just by pressing the clicker."

Kaman stood still, making no move.

"So when I heard Bell describing the ritual of the Beast Spirit Whisperer, the first thing I thought of was the trick of the Palatine cavalry in training their horses. I tried the bone flute, and sure enough, this bone flute was the sound of the shaman assassin. piece'."

Winters sighed helplessly:

"If you ask me, the assassin is the monster who can truly 'penetrate the surface and touch the essence'. Using spiritual beasts like objects and letting spiritual beasts carry out suicide attacks is considered treason by the shamans. A blasphemous act. The assassin trampled all the ethics and morals of the Beast Whisperer, but he was also the Beast Whisperer who made the most efficient use of [Beast Taming Technique]... What an irony."

"Wait a minute." Carman held the bone flute, suddenly pulled Winters, and asked eagerly: "You haven't said yet how the barbarian shaman can 'make the beast feel happy and excited'?"

Winters slowly showed a smile and replied calmly: "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Kaman's voice rose unconsciously.

"Yes, I don't know." Winters paused, looked at Carman, and said word by word: "But you know."

"How come I know?" Kaman was simply baffled.

"Of course you know." Winters looked directly into Kaman's eyes: "Because within the Catholic Church, there are also magical spells that can achieve similar effects, but the target of the spell is a human being - me, as proof!"

"What you want to say." Kaman felt extremely humiliated, and he laughed angrily: "The [Blessing of Radiance] our Lord bestowed upon the One Most Holy Church is the same as the witchcraft used by barbarian shamans to stimulate wild beasts. Something?! Please say it again in front of me."

"Don't get excited, I didn't say they were the same thing." Winters reassured Kaman urgently: "As you said, although the results are the same, the paths may be different. And your [blessing technique] is obviously not as good as Hedesa Many of the local methods are very effective, and the Hed Shaman's spells may not be used on people... And according to my observation, you like to secretly use blessing spells during sermons. Although the believers are happy when they leave the church , but it’s really unethical for you to do this…”

"Fart!" Carman cursed for the first time, grabbing Winters' shoulders and yelling: "When did I use the Radiant Blessing during a sermon? Why do you taint my innocence? How long do I have to prepare in advance for each sermon? , do you know? Do you know?"

The emotional Kaman almost had a fight with Winters on the spot. Fortunately, there was no one else at the lake in the morning, otherwise it would have been another strange news.

After Kaman was a little more stable, Winters considered his words and cautiously suggested: "If you feel that I am humiliating the Catholic Church, I can provide you with an opportunity to prove the divine magic of the only Catholic and Holy Church and Hedesa Full of… witchcraft is not a thing.”

"How do you want to prove it?" Kaman sneered.

"If you want to prove it, you can only do it through controlled experiments." Winters said in as calm a tone as possible: "For example, let's find two more dogs..."

Kaman stood up and left without saying a word.

Winters hurriedly grabbed Kaman: "Wait a minute and listen to me."

"I don't want to hear anything from you!" Kaman said resolutely: "[Do not tempt your Lord]! Mr. Montagne, don't try to pry into the mysteries of creation, that is not an area you can touch!"

"[Faith and then understanding, reason is just the echo of faith. Without faith, you cannot understand the world; if you only know devotion, you cannot get close to the Lord]." Winters recited an original text that he had forgotten where he saw. He sincerely He said to Kaman:

"If there really is a Creator, then all the laws of the operation of all things are manifestations of great power. And exploring the laws and understanding the laws does not push you away from the Creator, but is a way for you to get closer to the Creator. If you really have you You are so pious, you shouldn’t be so resistant! [Thou shalt not tempt your Lord]? That’s fart! Unveiling the Lord’s veil is the only way for you to embrace the Lord!”

Kaman felt like he was struck by lightning. He stood frozen for a long time, and finally walked away without looking back.

Winters watched Kaman leave, shook his head, took out the snack bag, and fed all the dried meat to the two big dogs.

"At least a wedge should be driven in, right?" Winters rubbed the wolfhound's jaw and said with a smile, "I've read so many crappy books in vain!"

[Sorry for being late, this chapter is a bit difficult to write, but it is a big chapter, and it makes up for the debts from Monday and Tuesday]

[The author doesn’t know much about scholasticism (face covering), and dare not “use one’s own ignorance to make others enlightened”, so I will briefly mention the background of the times without going into too much detail]

[Also, since I saw a book friend saying that it would be great if Carman was a nun, I suddenly found that I couldn’t look directly at Carman anymore...]

[Furthermore, every time I get a valuable recommendation opportunity, Orz will be updated for various reasons. I felt numb all over my body when I saw the letter on the site saying "Please be sure to keep updated on unfinished works" (this sentence should be a fixed sentence pattern, but it still feels numb)]

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