The sun is high

Like all kingdoms in Vann that have an ancient history and were created by intelligent beings, the Kingdom of Votel has always been filled with various internal contradictions and struggles in its long history and development.

Compared to their biggest competitor, the Kingdom of Deland, the nobles of the Kingdom of Votel are extremely harsh and even cruel in the selection of their successors.

Someone once used this sentence to describe the terrible competition in the Bolden aristocratic circle.

"The eagles of Bolden only rest in the gladiatorial arena."

A group of Votel nobles headed by the Ernst family have always adhered to an extremely cruel successor selection system, and as the royal family of Votel, the Judith family is naturally not exempt from this rule.

The Wottle people worship the giant eagle on the plateau.

Legend has it that this magical giant eagle with ancient bloodline begins a bloody fight from the moment it breaks out of its shell. In order to ensure the concentration of magic power in its body, the one who breaks out of its shell first will treat its brothers and sisters as its first meal. , and the young eagles that successfully survive the battle in the eagle nest will have steel-like claws and feathers that can be used as sword blades, nourished by rich magic power. Their eyes can easily see through thick clouds, and their ears It can capture the slightest sound on the ground...

In the past, the plateau countries supported and believed in this magical and ferocious magical creature as if they were worshiping gods. Now, they have transferred their respect and hope for the plateau eagle to the rulers of their own countries.

Under such an environment, if you don’t want to become a victim of your brothers and sisters, you should actively choose to give up and leave your family circle forever. However, those who have a certain amount of capital and have thoughts about the status of their successors are willing to do so. Pay whatever it takes.

What is even more awe-inspiring to outsiders is that during the process of competition, these combatants will still strictly abide by an iron law of their own culture - that is, all fights should not damage the interests of the kingdom!

And this is one of the main reasons why the plain countries are extremely resistant to the Votel people. They can neither understand the enthusiasm of the Votel nobles for this kind of bloody struggle, nor can they understand their behavior in the face of specific rules. Rigid persistence.

Prince Hawid is one of them.

Everyone knows that it is extremely dangerous to visit Salem City at this stage. After all, the military exercises of the plateau countries are already ready to go. No one knows whether an exercise of this size will be carried out at a certain stage. Suddenly it turns into a real war, and once this happens, members of the nobility who are far away from the kingdom's sphere of influence may become assassination targets or hostages of the enemy.

But Hawid felt he had no choice.

He is at a disadvantage in the competition for the kingdom's successor, and is in urgent need of an event that can reflect his importance and legitimacy to boost his support among the people. Therefore, in his view, an event that allows him to compete alone with A celebration where potential enemies face off in a dangerous zone is the perfect choice.

Harveyd is not a fool or a reckless man. He is very aware of how delicate the current situation in Salem City and surrounding areas is. However, compared with his own high reputation in the Kingdom of Votel, the former Imperial Marshal Zeke En Compared with his sister who is a teacher and has made great achievements in the military field, his disadvantage is too obvious.

Although Havid has received recognition and invitation from his sister after showing his excellent ability in the diplomatic field, he does not want to devote the rest of his life to Votel's diplomatic affairs. .

What he pursued was never the title of Foreign Secretary.

So, he took his wife, representing the Kingdom of Walter, to the Peace Hill.

Everything went smoothly. Prince Henry of the Kingdom of Deland was also a diplomatic talent who was good at dancing and very popular. After a simple trial and communication, the two of them reached a consensus invisibly, so they created a tacit understanding. After a harmonious conversation, Harvey knew that his performance these days would be publicized throughout the Walter Kingdom. People would know that as a noble son of the giant eagle, he could take huge risks. , still showing the best noble temperament and striving for the most benefits for the kingdom!

Some things that happened in Salem City did not escape his ears.

But he didn't care about it. He even expected more serious riots in Salem City.

"Nothing will get in the way of our trip...relax, honey, it's just a walk through a city."

On the way to the southern gate of Salem City, Hawid gently held his wife's hand and whispered in her ear.

Havid chose this woman from a commoner background. Marrying this etiquette teacher was the most real choice Havid had made in his life. He would not hesitate to express his feelings in any situation or occasion. His love for his wife.

If conditions permit, Havid will definitely not bring her here, but the feelings are always mutual. This strong woman who was once controversial in Walter made a decisive decision after hearing about Havid's adventurous plan. She chose to follow him. She didn't want her absence to compromise her husband's adventure.

"I know, you have arranged everything."

She was still a little nervous, so her smile looked a little stiff.

Harveyd did not blame her, but reached out and knocked on the car door on the side. This was a latest model vehicle. According to the designer's concept, the magic conversion rate of this steam car was exaggeratedly improved, which made the magic crystallize. The consumption of the car has been greatly reduced. In other words, this is a car that best reflects the current technological trend of Walter!

"Don't worry, ma'am!"

The person driving the vehicle was not an ordinary driver, but a river valley-level spellcaster affiliated with the Votel royal family.

He is not only the driver, but also Harvey's most trusted magic bodyguard. He explained in an extremely calm voice: "Every part of this car is mixed with magic silver, and the destructive magic will hit it." If the vehicle disintegrates in an instant, you may still feel a slight vibration, but please believe me, the vibration is not much different from passing through a small puddle."

Havid smiled, raised his hand, and greeted the soldiers guarding the convoy.

The explanation of the mage's personal guard continued: "As for the crystal gun, there is no need to worry. This car is engraved with and loaded with the latest secret ritual of the Royal Society... You know, it was originally something installed on the city wall. If you want To shrink it and install it on the car, we must also ensure that it operates with the Demonic Silver at the same time, which is not an easy task.”

Hearing this, the princess finally had a smile on her face: "So I think you mean, we can pass through the hail of bullets safely?"

"You can certainly think so."

The strict mage guard affirmed: "Any crystal bullet will be shattered when it gets close to the secret instrument. If we want to exhaust the power of the secret instrument... haha, unless we are facing an entire shooting army."

All doubts were dispelled, so the princess, who was originally a little worried and uneasy, also smiled. She reached out to hold her husband's arm and greeted the people outside with him.

Although the independent government rushed to clean up the main streets of Salem City at the last moment and barely completed the festive decoration of the entire street, the entire Salem City was still enveloped in a strong depressive atmosphere.

At nine o'clock in the morning, in a "Salem minor" that has been used for two hundred years and was co-written by the composers Walter and Derain, the vehicles of two princes entered the gate of the city of Salem at the same time. Prince Walter Havid's vehicle is on the left, and Prince Henry's vehicle is on the right. Among them, Havid's vehicle is slightly ahead of the other side. This is the reason why the Kingdom of Votel had the upper hand in the war two hundred years ago. prove.

Officials of the independent government made somewhat hasty speeches, and specially organized people gathered on both sides of the road and gave "warm cheers."

The bell tower on the central axis rang loudly in the sunlight.

Just like every year's armistice celebrations in the past, this ancient and huge bell tower will ring one hundred and sixty-eight times on this day to commemorate the war that ended the war and successfully destroyed the Rowe Plateau. The brutal siege battle that entered peacetime with the Goddess Plains.

This is the 299th year since the armistice agreement was signed.

There is only one last year left until three hundred years.

…

Although Salem City is not big, it is not small either. When the princes arrived at the south gate and were about to start the procession, Shuge and others had also successfully opened the way under the cover of magic and the running rats. We arrived at the first destination of our trip, which was an incense shop whose main business was smuggling banned alchemical drugs.

There were some small changes when arriving at the store. Perhaps the recent changes in Salem City made these bold smugglers feel a little panicked. In order to protect their hard-won property, they all gathered in the store.

When Shuge appeared in front of them, these guys were drinking and playing Dragon Teeth. Two of them were a little drunk and even mistook Shuge for the new gang member and almost wanted to drag him to the table. Go to the table.

Xiuge actually likes Dragon Teeth Cards. The main reason is that this card game is somewhat similar to another game in his memory. Although the two worlds are not quite related, they both have the "deck of cards". The magical function of "friends all over the world".

Unfortunately, Shuge doesn't want to play cards with these smugglers now.

After confirming that all members of the store were in front of him, Shuge gave instructions to the running rat hidden in the dark amid a burst of sarcastic laughter. When this crazy magical creature, which Shuge had high hopes for, rushed in While in the crowd, Touch of Charron also began to wreak havoc in the closed store.

Although these smugglers are usually brave and fierce, they have no experience in confronting spellcasters. Some of them who dared to take out steel crossbows and old-fashioned crystal muskets to attack were even attacked by Shuge and Sni. Qi's joint care, the twisting black tentacles and the running rats running around spreading corrosive poison made them scream in an instant, and the two most miserable ones were broken under the impact of Charron's Touch. He lost his arm, and his eyesight was immediately destroyed by Snitch who followed closely.

Shuge was not 100% confident that he could clear out all the smugglers in this incense shop with his own power, but he was not the only one who came here. When those black tentacles whose spirits and wills were twisted were seriously The injured smugglers screamed in horror and tried to escape from the store, only to find that all the doors and windows were blocked by invisible forces.

Not only that, the smugglers who tried to break open the door and escape outside also felt a strong sense of suffocation, as if the air around them was being quickly sucked out. In the pain of being unable to breathe, they collapsed one by one. He fell to the ground and passed out completely due to suffocation.

Weilin led the trembling Sally and Schubert through the chaotic store. She rolled her eyes at Shuge who was standing in the mess: "Mr. Shuge, you should quickly expand yourself." The richness of magic... Believe me, they are not that difficult, you can't make a mess every time, right?"

Shuge didn't have time to respond to Wei Lin. He was trying his best to restrain Snitch. Although it did become more obedient after getting the name, the desire for flesh and blood and killing hidden in its body was so strong. , if Shuge's order just now was delayed, it might have already pounced on the wounded and started "enjoying a delicious meal".

Old Schubert dared not look at Shuge now. He could not connect this spellcaster who could use terrifying magic with the young writer who was good at creating works that "everyone liked".

At this time, Xiuge no longer cared about what others thought about him. After Weilin sealed off the incense shop, he led everyone to the warehouse at the rear. According to the results of Snitch's previous investigation, Xiuge quickly moved away several stacked spice wooden boxes, and then tore open a straw mat covering the ground, only to reveal a trap door whose color was almost exactly the same as the ground.

When the trap door opened, an unpleasant smell suddenly became clear, so everyone hurriedly put on the masks Xiuge bought, and then they felt a little more comfortable.

No one would want to walk through stinking city sewers if they could.

According to the plan, everyone was only one step away from successfully leaving Salem City at this time... But for some reason, standing at the entrance of the underground waterway, Xiuge felt a trace of panic and palpitations for no reason.

"Am I too nervous?"

Xiuge took two hard breaths. He felt his rapidly accelerating heartbeat, but he couldn't help but turn his head and look outside the warehouse.

A bell rang from the central clock tower of Salem City.

The parade began.