Our family is in decline

Bastia has a very traditional social structure of feudal aristocracy. The aristocrats have absolute power here. Even if they kill the untouchables, they will only lose some money at most, but who dares to ask them for it?

Even if there was an excuse, not only would the deceased's death be in vain, but the family would also have to thank the noble master for not making them lose money.

That’s it, you have to say thank you!

This feudal social structure that imprisons productivity seems so outrageous to modern people and needs to be swept into the garbage dump, but it seems to these ordinary people to be the same truth.

Because you are not a noble, you have to support them.

Because we are not nobles, we should be oppressed and exploited.

This has been the case for thousands of years...

What’s interesting is that the same big city, and even the larger Totnes, also has nobles, and from Barton’s experience of being ostracized in the academy and the army, it can be seen that those nobles are quite powerful and occupy all aspects of the upper class.

But Totnes has done a good job in secularization. It isolates ordinary people from nobles through the inner city. Without many channels of contact, there are naturally no such problems.

It is also a place where commerce gathers. The strong commercial atmosphere dilutes the feudal atmosphere. At least Barton, who was born in a suburban farm, can become a captain with talent and hard work, which shows that ordinary people still have room for advancement.

Although it is said that, it is impossible to say what kind of utopia it is. There is also an insurmountable class gap, and there is also cruel exploitation and oppression, but it is not exposed on the surface, but has been hidden behind the scenes.

To put it simply, even if Totnes belongs to the stage of feudalism moving towards capital, Bastia is still a feudal system, and it is at a time when it is strong.

And at this moment, there was a fierce sound of horse hooves on the road, and the earth trembled.

Soon a group of cavalry appeared in everyone's field of vision, and a flag fluttering in the wind could be seen from a distance.

Before the knight arrived, there was already a commotion at the city gate.

"It's Master Bruce who's back!"

When they heard this name, the soldiers and tax collectors near the city gate immediately seemed to be stimulated by something. They drove away the civilians and caravans and cleared the streets as much as possible.

"Hurry up!"

"Get out of my way!"

"You want to die, don't you?"

Those soldiers would not be polite to ordinary people, they would just attack and kick them over if they were a little slower.

Even the nobles quickly gave up the road they occupied, and there was also a gap between the nobles.

Those ladies and ladies no longer looked like they did before. They were all fiddling with their makeup. They even couldn't help but stick out the window and look over there, their eyes shining, completely ignoring their ladylike postures.

The reason these people react this way is simple.

Because that flag represents Bastia's first heir, Bruce Bastia.

At this time, the knights also came here. When they slowed down on their own initiative, they saw that they were all knights with neat equipment. Among them, a big white horse was one step ahead and stood out.

And the figure on the horse attracted everyone's attention. Only the tall and strong body could support the extraordinary armor without looking obtrusive, and even looked majestic.

He was not wearing a helmet, showing a handsome and resolute face. There was not much expression on his face, and his glance made people feel the majesty of a superior.

The leader slowed down, and the procession passed through the city gate at a slow pace.

Whether it was the crazy swagger of those famous ladies, the flattering smiles of those nobles, or the awe-inspiring looks of ordinary people, they did not affect him in the slightest. During the whole process, he suppressed the surrounding atmosphere by himself.

He is worthy of being a true heir, but he is still in his twenties but reveals such a calm and steady temperament. This is not something that can be obtained by relying on a false title, but more by relying on his own strong strength.

It can be seen that neither the resources invested in training nor the temperament can be compared to Alvin's free-ranging playboy.

"Look, miss! It's Master Bruce!"

The little maid was a little excited, and she was obviously someone who had a little fantasy about Prince Charming's routine.

With strong strength, high status, and good looks, he is like a walking hormone. It is no wonder that he has become the dream lover of most women in Bastia.

Of course there are some exceptions, such as Margaret.

"So what? It's not like you haven't seen him before." Margaret seemed a little speechless. She didn't like those nobles, especially those from the Bastia family, and even had a bit of hatred.

Because her father and Count Nabastia made a marriage contract between her and Alvin without her consent.

She is not one of those ordinary aristocratic ladies, she resists this kind of marriage.

Just thinking about Alvin made her feel disgusted and irritated involuntarily.

The little maid also noticed that Margaret was not in a good mood, so she also restrained her playful attitude and carefully took care of the young lady's mood.

As a person who personally takes care of the nobles, she knows what the nobles are like better than other women. She knows that Bruce has nothing to do with her. She was just joining in the fun. To her, she is still important.

In fact, those nobles were not all in heat like women, and those experienced nobles were more concerned about what Bruce's sudden return meant.

"Didn't he lead the knights to eliminate the barbarians in the mountains? Why did he suddenly come back?"

"It should be to preside over the opening of the celebration."

"This has always been the work of the count."

"We'll find out when the time comes."

"I think it's almost the same. No heir can perform better than Bruce..."

Bruce's mere passing caused a great deal of conversation, but that was it, and the situation soon returned to normal.

The traffic started moving again, and a steady stream of people poured into Bastia, injecting blood into the celebration that was about to begin.

"Miss, look at this!"

"This is fun too!"

"..."

Before the celebration even started, the city was already bustling with activity. Pedestrians were walking back and forth on the streets, and most of them were carrying weapons, which showed that the folk customs were tough.

Margaret, who was wearing a hunting suit and carrying a gun, did not stand out. On the contrary, the lively little maid like Yingyan was more excited and curious about everything around her. Even though she had actually participated in it many times, But it will still feel novel.

There is no way, her life basically revolves around Margaret, and only at this time can she find a little bit of herself.

But Margaret didn't pay too much attention, and her eyes were looking at the surrounding situation.

In this barren era, there were not many entertainment options even for nobles, so although she seemed a little indifferent before, she actually found it quite interesting and was immersed in the joyful atmosphere of the celebration.

This is a bit arrogant~

As more and more people came in, and as the church bell rang, everyone couldn't help but gather towards the square.

It can be seen that Bruce, who was wearing armor just now, has now changed into gorgeous aristocratic clothes. The moment he appeared on the scene, it directly detonated the whole audience. The crazy postures of those women even frightened the well-trained guard knights.

But Bruce nodded to everyone in the audience with a slight smile on his face, and then began to speak some words to open today's celebration.

This calm temperament and ability to control the field show what he should do as an heir.

"let's go."

Margaret saw that they were all annoyed, so she didn't listen to the nonsense at all, but turned around and walked elsewhere.

"Oh, miss, wait for me!" The little maid had no choice but to retract her gaze and quickly chased Margaret.

…………

Bruce, who had just made an impassioned speech in front of the stage, had no intention of participating in the celebration after retreating to the backstage. Instead, he left directly.

Bruce entered the castle surrounded by servants and guards. The coping smile on his face slowly faded, and his serious look looked very cold.

It can be seen that he actually has no interest in these celebrations at all. As for his attitude, it is more about completing the task. There is only one person in Bastia who can order him.

To maintain the operation of a castle requires a lot of manpower. Just cleaning alone requires more than a dozen servants to do the cleaning day after day, not to mention the various servants and guards. There are more than a hundred people just to serve a few people.

What is noble decency? This is the face of the nobles. The more powerful the nobles are, the more they like to show their strength in these places, and they don't care whether these luxuries are necessary or not.

However, neither the luxurious and extravagant castle nor the servants who nodded and bowed along the way made Bruce stop for a moment. He didn't even bother to take a look, showing his undisguised indifference.

"Master Bruce is back!" The butler in dignified attire had a smile on his face.

But this time Bruce finally stopped for a moment, his tense face couldn't help but relax a little, and he nodded in response.

"Um."

The only servant here who can give him such an attitude is the old housekeeper who has watched him grow up.

"The master is waiting for you in the study."

"I see."

Bruce came back because of his father's order and came to the study without stopping. The luxurious door alone was the same size as other people's doors. This was the difference.

"Father, I'm back."

After greeting Bruce, he opened the half-open door and walked in. He saw a middle-aged man sitting at the desk and dealing with something.

What is strange is that Count Bastia, who is known as the tiger of the empire and can make barbarians frightened, does not have an exaggerated body shape, nor does he have a very fierce face. He looks like an ordinary bald middle-aged man.

But Bruce did not relax at all, but his attitude became more cautious.

No one in Bastia can shake the count, not even him, the heir.

"Hmm~" The Earl looked up and nodded slightly at Bruce, "Come sit down and talk, what did you gain from this trip?"

When the Wolf Warriors invaded, the earl sent Baron Lawrence to lead the knights to disperse the Wolf Warriors' troops in one fell swoop.

Then the identity of Commander Alvin was established, and Lawrence was asked to assist him in leading the knights in pursuit.

On the other side, Bruce led another group of knights to the border of the mountains to scare the barbarians and tell them about Bastia's power.

Bruce straightened his posture and sat in front of the count, and then reported the operation.

"There is nothing wrong. The knights and I inspected all the outposts on the border. We also conducted in-depth investigations with the eagles. We also used the caravans to enter and leave the mountains. We found that the barbarians did not make any changes and were even more conservative than in previous summers. .

Moreover, the barbarian mercenaries seemed to have received news from the tribe and were more honest. No one was making trouble, and no one even talked about the Langya tribe. I feel that that action was probably just the Langya tribe's action alone. "

The earl was not surprised when he heard this, but then asked a question.

"Why do you think we took action against the Wolf Fang tribe's team?"

To be honest, Zhan Lang was reckless but not stupid. He was just borrowing a way into the empire and had no intention of provoking Bastia.

But as soon as he left the mountains, he was spotted by Bastia's whistle, and the count directly called in the knights to charge.

"Because of the Lushou tribe, we lost a very important partner; and they caused chaos in the mountains, causing many barbarians to flee and cause chaos on the border; and the massacre of the caravan broke the agreement between us and the barbarians.

This is a provocation to Bastia. We must give them some color and tell those guys who has the final say here! "

From these words, we can hear Bruce's attitude towards the barbarians. He is definitely a tough fighter.

"Yeah~ That's right." The Earl nodded as if he was satisfied, and he didn't forget to add another sentence.

"Those barbarians have been honest for so many years, but you must not be fooled by their disguises. They are just waiting and watching.

If the Wolf Fang tribe can really fight against us, those barbarians will not mind extending their fangs to Bastia. They have been waiting for this opportunity for too long. "

Sometimes your opponent even knows you better than you do.

He has been dealing with those barbarians all his life. In his opinion, those barbarians are like wild beasts. Only strength can make them submissive. As long as the reins on their necks are slightly loosened, they will bite back.

No matter what the reason for the Wolf Fang tribe's action was, it was a test for Bastia. To be more exaggerated, it was a provocation. The choice of such a sensitive period had to make the count suspicious.

He was happy to see them fighting among themselves inside the mountains, but when he came to his territory, he had to teach the Wolf Fang tribe a lesson.

So he chose the most direct way, the knights charged!

The fact that the barbarians did not respond or even actively shrink under his pressure only further proved that his understanding was correct.

Barbarian can only understand fists.

But now that the Deer Head Tribe was mentioned, the earl couldn't help but ask a question.

"Is there still no news about the priest of the Lushou Tribe?"

"No, we have been looking for it, but it seems like the whole person disappeared into the mountains."

Speaking of this, Bruce couldn't help but frown. Bastia's control over the territory can be seen from the fact that the wolf was targeted as soon as he came out of the mountains.

After the news of the Lushou tribe's accident spread, not only were Zhanlang looking for them, but they were also looking for them. The reason was self-evident.

"Keep looking."

"yes!"