Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 211 Embers

  Click, click.

  The sound of the scythe hitting the flint.

   The fireless ashes burned again, and Winters awoke from his coma.

   His body was dizzy and painful. He tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurred.

   His vision was blurred, his consciousness was equally blurred, and he could smell a good smell of milk.

   Winters fluttered his nose and thought in a daze: "Could it be that heaven really exists? Or does it taste like milk?"

   His vision gradually recovered, and a strange thing became clear in his eyes: it was a wheel, made up of dozens of thin spokes, covered with cloth, and faintly emitting light.

   is really weird.

   Soon, Winters' thinking ability gradually recovered, and he began to be able to think.

  He decided this wasn't heaven—unless God lived in tents too!

  Where is the wheel, it is clearly the dome of the tent, and he is lying in a felt tent.

  Winterston was alert, moving his body to look around.

  Suddenly, a tear-like pain came from his left calf, and the pain made his forehead sweat.

   Winters gritted his teeth, not making a sound.

   He was certain that he was in the hands of the Hurds, and instinct made him want to hide.

   But it really hurts! It hurts so much as if the left leg is no longer growing on him!

   Dirty infirmary... mud of blood and dirt... mounds of sawed-off arms and legs... "Don't let them saw my arms!" Andre was crying and begging: "Winters!"...

  These scenes suddenly appeared in his mind, and a great sense of fear tightly restrained his heart: "Am I..."

   Winters had never been so frightened. He desperately reached out to touch his left leg and foot.

   Luckily they were all there, Winters breathed a long sigh of relief and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

   Someone outside seemed to hear the movement inside the tent, and the curtain was lifted.

   "Crap," thought Winters.

   came in a young girl in a narrow robe with embroidered Heard.

   Seeing Winters with her eyes open, Miss Heard smiled, her eyes curved: "Are you awake?"

   She smiled, and the felt tents became bright—really bright, because someone had removed the skylight cover.

   Winters thought he was waiting for a fully armed guard, but he never thought it was such a girl.

   He froze in place, not knowing how to react.

   "Are you thirsty? Is it cold? Want something to eat?" The strange girl approached Winters and took another blanket to support Winters' back so that he could sit on it.

   Winters' body was tense and his spirit was on high alert. He didn't know the other party, and in his opinion, the other party was acting on his own.

   He stared at the strange girl's eyes, like a wounded beast falling into a pit.

   But the strange girl seemed familiar and natural to take care of Winters.

   Taking advantage of the opportunity of the other party to turn around, Winters carefully checked the felt tent with his eyes.

  The wooden skeleton is covered with leather—a typical felt tent structure, but it is much smaller than the felt tent he has seen.

The floor of the    felt tent was covered with a thick blanket, and he was lying on the blanket at this moment, and the Hurd seemed not to sleep on the bed.

   An iron stove stood in the center of the felt tent, and Winters couldn't believe his eyes.

   There was an iron furnace in the center, and Winters couldn't believe his eyes - it turned out to be a "Sawyer furnace" built by Berion.

   Not new, but old, with traces of Winters' use on it.

   He and his friends used to cook noodles and pass a bottle of spirits around this iron stove.

  There is a copper pot on the iron stove, and the "gulugulu" is cooking in it, and the aroma of milk comes from there.

  Miss Heard picked up the copper pot, poured a bowl of hot milk, and brought it to the small table beside Winters' pillow: "Don't drink it, it's hot."

   There is also a gold plate on the small table.

  In the golden plate is a cooked lamb loin, a small dish of salt, and a silver-handled gem-set knife for cutting the meat.

Knife!

  Miss Heard turned around and walked to the stove, put up a few pieces of dry cow dung and put it into the hearth, and stoked the fire even more.

   Winters wanted to get the knife, but his limbs were too stiff.

   Before he could reach out, Miss Heard turned around abruptly.

  Miss Heard brought a small stool and sat beside Winters. She held the milk bowl and blew softly.

   "Do you like milk skin?" She smiled warmly.

   "You...you speak Common?" Winters asked hoarsely.

  Girl Heard speaks common language and has no accent.

   Girl Heard nodded lightly.

   "Where did you learn it?" Winters asked again. He hadn't spoken for so long, his vocal cords seemed to be stuck.

   Miss Heard was about to speak when a rough male voice from outside the tent interrupted her.

   "[Herde] Qing'er, is that kid dead?"

  A strong man with a red face broke into the felt tent, and a cold wind was drawn in.

   The red-faced strong man and Winters met their eyes, and the pupils of both sides suddenly dilated.

   "Monkey **** face." Winters thought like electricity: "Have I fallen into the hands of Teltown?"

   The fire roaster's face turned even redder, as if it could drip blood.

   Because he saw that "Paratuba Bald" not only did not die, but also woke up from a coma.

   Because he saw "Qing'er" sitting beside him holding a bowl of hot milk.

   The fire roaster reaches for the handle of the knife.

"[Hedde] Grandma! Grandma! Go and call the little lion!" the stranger shouted outside the tent, she stretched her arms to protect Winters: "[Hedde] you are bullying him at this time. , what's the matter?"

   Winters tried to enter a spellcasting state, and the intense phantom pain prevented him from concentrating.

   He was not surprised by this situation. He was mentally prepared when he pushed himself to the limit time and time again.

  Can't use magic, it doesn't mean he will be dead.

   Taking advantage of the distraction of the fire roaster, Winters quietly took the knife from the plate and hid it in the palm of his hand.

   Considering the condition of the left leg, it is impossible to dodge the opponent's attack.

   Winters was ready. While the fire roaster pierced his abdominal cavity, he would grab the opponent's arm, stab him into the opponent's neck, and cut open.

   He was only worried that the muscles would be too stiff to fight back in bed. So he moved his wrist gently and slowly regained his strength.

   Winters himself did not realize: his mentality has undergone a great change.

   His body left the battlefield, but his spirit remained there. He has regarded himself as a dead person, and he can make money if he can replace one.

  The fire roaster and the strange girl are arguing fiercely.

   Winters listened carefully, he couldn't understand what the two were saying, but he could see that the strange girl was protecting him.

   He also heard the word "Yahach" uttered from the girl's mouth.

   "Little lion?" He simply analyzed the situation and concluded, "This is the territory of the Chihe Department."

   The fire roaster lost in the quarrel. Holding the handle of the knife, he kicked open the curtain and left in a huff.

  Miss Heard sat back on the small bench again, picked up the milk bowl, and blew softly.

   Blowing and blowing, but she started to cry.

   "Why are you crying?" Winters didn't know what to say.

   "It's nothing." Miss Heard wiped away her tears and brought the milk to Winters' lips: "It's ready to drink, you can drink a little."

   Winters raised his stiff arms and took the milk bowl in panic: "I'll just do it myself."

   "Okay, you come by yourself."

  I don't know how long he had been in bed, but Winters' muscles were particularly stiff and sore. I didn't drink a bowl of milk into my mouth, but spilled half of it.

  Miss Heard brought a handkerchief to wipe him again.

   Just then, another person walked into the felt tent.

The   comers speak the common language, but the accent is much stiffer.

  The visitor asked with a smile, "Are you busy?"

   Winters saw the face of the visitor clearly, his expression gradually subsided and became calm: "Is it you?"

   "It's me." The visitor nodded.

   Winters wouldn't admit it, how could he forget someone who almost killed him?

   Although the other party is taller, stronger, and wearing better robes, the stubbornness in his bones has not been reduced by a single point compared to the past.

   As if a transparent glass door had been knocked in his mind, Winters was awakened: the slave boy in the dark longhouse on the red sulfur island, that is, the little lion, the younger brother of the white lion.

   "What shall I call you?" Winters simply lay flat.

  The little lion sat cross-legged beside Winters: "Whatever you want, hello, you, kid."

   "Then I call you little lion?"

  The little lion scratched the back of his head: "I feel ashamed every time I hear this name, I don't deserve to be a lion."

   Winters desperately wants to know the outside world: "Where am I?"

   "Where else? The prairie."

   "How many days have I been in a coma?"

   "Six days." The little lion added: "From the time I found you."

   Winters thought: Six days? The Chihe Department didn't cross the river to pursue it?

   These questions were too sensitive, and he was careful not to speak.

  The little lion pointed at Winters' belly and said, "You got a shot here. It turned out that the sewing thread was torn apart, and we sewed it up for you again."

   He pointed to the back of Winters' head again, and said, "I got a blow to the back of the head too, knocking you out, but the bones are fine."

   Hit the back of the head? Winters was not impressed.

   He tried to remember, but his memory was only until he reunited with Colonel Bode.

   After that, there are scattered fragments, and the context is not clear.

The little lion patted Winters' left calf: "The bone is broken, and the horse's hoof can step on it. I have hired the best doctor for this kind of injury. Don't walk around, take care of it. Hey, take care of the injury first. Say it again."

   "First heal the wounds and then talk about it", this sentence is very ambiguous.

   Winters nodded.

   No matter what others think, Winters doesn't intend to stay in the wasteland for long. But he only needs to know this for himself, there is no need to say it to stimulate others.

   "The most powerful thing is here." The little lion pointed at Winters' chest with interest: "You were also shot in the heart, shot at close range, and the armor was completely penetrated."

   "Then why am I still alive?" Winters raised his eyebrows.

  The little lion took out something from his arms, laughed and said, "Because of this!"

   The thing that saved Winters' life was the jug that Arpad gave him.

   The thumb-sized buckshot was broken in half, and the remaining half was embedded in the jug. The jug was completely deformed and leaked.

   Winters covered his face: "What a vulgar plot!"

   The corner of the little lion's mouth curled into a smile: "Don't worry about it so much, it'll save your life anyway."

   "Where did you get this iron stove?" Winters asked, pointing to the Sawyer stove.

"This iron stove is a good thing, it was specially brought here for you to use." The little lion was indescribably excited: "It saves fuel, has no open flame, and is easy to carry. It took twenty sheep to replace it, but unfortunately there is only one. ."

  As a Veneta, Winters subconsciously calculated the profit of the business. He knew exactly how much iron material Bel Ang used, even ten sheep could make a profit—but the point was the labor cost.

   He looked at the little lion and told the other party with his eyes: "You have lost money."

   Without saying a few words, the two suddenly fell silent.

   He was a life-and-death enemy one second ago, how could he be chatting happily the next second.

   Both sides are trying to maintain the atmosphere of the conversation.

   As soon as the topic is exhausted, the air becomes solemn.

  The little lion restrained his smile, solemnly took out a small tin box from his arms and placed it beside Winters' pillow.

  In the tin box is a bunch of gray manes.

   Winters was expressionless, as if not at all sad: "Thank you."

"According to our custom, nothing is wasted, and everything that can be eaten is eaten and used." The little lion said seriously: "But he is your close friend, so I buried him well. Buried so deep that crows and vultures can't pick them up, and wolves can't pick them up. When you heal your wounds, I'll take you there."

   Winters still had no emotion: "Thank you."

   The little lion was a little sad: "He... protects you until the end. If it wasn't for it, I wouldn't be able to find you. He left after fulfilling his wish. I'll tell you about him in detail later."

He pointed to the girl Heard and said, "This is my sister. You are in a coma. She is taking care of you these days. She washes your wounds, wipes your body, and feeds you. If you need anything, just do it. Tell her. I'm leaving, you rest well."

After   , he nodded, got up and left.

   Winters buttoned up the tin box containing the forcing mane and placed it on his heart. The tin box is ice cold.

   He had no tears, all the tears had turned into blood and flowed out.

   He couldn't tell how he felt, because part of his emotions seemed to be paralyzed.

  Miss Heard took the sewing basket and said, "My name is Erlun. You can also call me Miriam if you find it difficult to speak."

   "Eerlun, what do you mean?"

   "means 'green'."

"There are two more pieces of jewelry, which are also yours." Erlun took out a gold locket and a delicate statue of Athena, and gently placed it on the side of Winters' pillow: "It is very safe here, no one will ever again hurt you."

"thanks."

   "But this is mine." Erlen took the silver-handled knife from under Winters' blanket: "You can't take the girl's saber indiscriminately."

  …

At the same time that    Winters woke up, the remnants of the Palatine expedition finally arrived at the border.

   Just seeing the Jiehe, many people fell to their knees and cried and prayed.

  …

   When the Palatine Expeditionary Force crossed the Boundary River more than three months ago, there were:

   three generals;

   The standing army infantry of the Fifth and Sixth Corps, with a total of 10,734 officers and men;

   An independent engineering auxiliary force with a total of 1175 officers and soldiers;

   Fifty cavalry squadrons, 6172 light and heavy cavalry.

   A total of 18,084 people - just soldiers.

   The conscripted militia that entered the wasteland consisted of 103 centenarians, with a total of 8,563 officers and soldiers.

  The conscripted militiamen plus the civilian husbands and merchants who cannot be counted in detail, the total number of auxiliary soldiers is more than 10,000.

The total number of    soldiers plus auxiliary soldiers exceeds 28,000.

   This is an army that frightened the barbarians of Hurd, and its combat power is the best of the republics.

   It has the strongest cavalry of Cenas, two standing legions full of men, an indestructible warhammer and an indestructible shield.

   In fact, it is a bit too large for the Republic of Palatu.

  This should have been an ordinary short-term war: the army went to the wasteland to sweep away the Hurds, demarcate new boundaries with the tribes, and then drive the herds over. You're done, get promoted and get rich.

There may be sporadic skirmishes after   , but that's not a big deal, and the Paratus have a well-established set of countermeasures.

   The strong demand from the Union Provinces and the Veneta wool textile industry meant that no matter how much wool was produced in Palato, it would be swept away.

   A large number of immigrants from Monta, Vine, the provinces and even the Empire enabled Plato to develop the wilderness at an astonishing speed.

   Following the general strategy of “cutting sausages”, Palatu only cuts a small piece at a time. Thirty years have passed, and I have never lost.

  If someone told them, they would be banged in the head this time. The Platonic would laugh and walk away shaking their heads.

  …

  Seven days ago, more than a thousand Dussac light cavalry recruited from the newly reclaimed land secretly arrived on the east bank of the Styx.

   There were nearly 6,000 looters who crossed the River Styx. On the day they set foot in Palatu, the Army Headquarters issued a large call-up order.

   Long before the militias from all over the country were assembled, the barbarian army had already left with a full of spoils.

   In addition, there are still more than 1,000 wild horses stranded in the territory of Palatu - perhaps not enough.

   They chased after the troops in Palatu like cats and mice, involving a large number of troops.

  The savage invading pirates for the first time in 30 years also made all kinds of rumors spread like wildfire.

   The "local councils" of the cities, towns, and towns tried their best to keep the troops in their localities for self-preservation.

  The two regiments of more than a thousand Dussac light cavalry were all the mobile troops that the Parato Army Headquarters could send out for a while.

  One thousand light cavalry is also considered a force.

  If the native land of Paratus sent 100,000 troops in one breath, without the need for barbarians, everyone would have to starve to death in the wasteland.

  When the Praetian army on the west bank crossed the Styx by force that night, the Dussac light cavalry also launched a surprise attack on the more than 4,000 Heard looters on the east bank.

   But crossing the Styx does not mean escaping from life. In addition to the more than 2,000 sheepskin sacks that bound the giant raft that hit the bridge, the barbarians also had more than 1,000 sheepskin sacks in their hands.

   Relying on these sheepskins, the tribes of Hurd each pursued the Palatine expedition.

  Until they merged with the troops who came to meet them, the Paratus and the Heard tribes fought a total of thirteen times. Worst is the kill is equal, not a single loss.

   But the expedition force of more than 28,000 people reached the boundary river alive and less than 11,000 people.

  The standing army suffered nearly half of the battle losses, and more than 8,000 auxiliary soldiers were either killed, captured, or abandoned on the west bank of the Styx.

   Except for the only weapons, armor, mules and horses and lives left, all the rest were left on the wasteland.

  Is the war over?

  The two sides licked their wounds and retreated, and the war might end like this.

   But this is not the end for the Republic of Palatu and the Heard minions, it is not even the beginning of the end.

   This is just the end of the beginning.

   But none of this had anything to do with Winters, who lay on the great wasteland and fell into a deep sleep again.

   This volume is not over yet, but the rest are desserts, and there are some things to explain.

   Because it is nearing the end of the first volume, it was a bit difficult to write a while ago, and the update was not very stable. I apologize here.

   Thank you book friends for reading, subscribing, recommending tickets, monthly tickets, tips and comments, thank you all.

   Yesterday's thank you list is combined with today's.

   (end of this chapter)