The historic areas of Frankfurt and Mainz are much more prosperous and densely populated than the depressed north.
Simon and his party clearly felt that the surrounding woods had become sparse, and tree stumps left after being cut down could be seen in many places.
Some tree stumps still show fresh white cut surfaces and clearly visible growth rings, while others are covered with dark green moss and mushrooms.
In this area, the distance between villages is closer than in the north, and the scale is generally larger.
Many villages have built basic pointed wooden exterior walls, but most of them have signs of decay. Some places are covered with ivy, which makes them look very old.
Even though the northern territory is colder than Mainz, the clothes worn by the farmers seem to be reversed.
In the villages to the north, many villagers don't even have a pair of beggars' shoes to wear, and their clothes are tattered and thin. A gust of cold wind is enough to make them shiver violently. Here in Mainz, not only is it warmer and more comfortable than in the north, but the farmers are basically fully equipped with clothes. Those who are so poor that they have no shoes stand out among the crowd.
This is Simon's most intuitive feeling while traveling in the Mainz area these two days.
"Even now, the areas covered by the former empire are obviously richer than the previous barbarian areas." Simon thought.
In the evening, Simon and his party came to a small wooden castle called Epstein.
After giving orders to Fatty, Aubrey, and the others to repair here tonight, Simon took a close look at the wooden castle, wanting to know about these lords under the jurisdiction of the fief bishop and the lords of other secular areas. What's the difference.
The first is the baron of this land. When he first met Simon, he did not say hello like nobles from other areas. Instead, he first praised God and Christ, introduced himself, and then asked the servants to take the meals out of the kitchen. To the big long oak table that was already covered in scratches and stains.
The Baron of Epstein was evidently a devout Christian.
According to him, his priest told him that All Saints' Day was coming. In order to commemorate those great martyred saints, he decided to fast from last week and not eat any meat, even some priests believed that it could be eaten during the fasting period. of fish meat.
This made Simon miserable. Although the Baron of Epstein was very enthusiastic and prepared appetizer pies, herbs, cheese and soup for Simon, as well as a piece of precious fresh honeycomb, Simon still felt that he had no appetite.
"Sir Simon, some time ago, at the invitation of the Bishop of Mainz, the Bishop of Frankfurt went to the church in Wiesbaden to discuss matters with him. At that time, the Bishop of Frankfurt was still in my castle when he passed by. Staying for one night really made this place shine." Speaking of this, the baron's rosy face lit up with a bright smile under the firelight of the nearby fireplace. "But as far as I know, as early as a week The former bishops have discussed everything, and it should be said that they have already set off on their return journey..."
"If it ended a week ago, it stands to reason that I would have met the bishop when I arrived at Wenden Village." Simon put down the wooden spoon, frowning and thinking carefully, "Did the bishop go to another place again?" What? Oh my god, can you please stop making such a joke with me, what the hell!"
"Ahem," the baron had a cold. He turned his head slightly and spat out a mouthful of disgusting yellow-green phlegm under the table. He cleared his throat, "I guess the bishop of Frankfurt went to Mainz. Weinsberg is not far to the east. I heard that Count Emisch, the lord of Weinsberg, died unexpectedly during a hunting. His successor Ruterbert sent people to Mainz to seek a bishop for him. My father presided over the funeral and saved the soul, but the Bishop of Mainz went directly to the court of the Duke of Franconia after the Council, leaving poor Ruterbert's retainers in vain."
"So, in the end, they invited the bishop of Frankfurt to go to Weinsberg to hold the funeral for the earl?" Simon couldn't help but rolled his eyes in his heart. He felt that the Bishop of Frankfurt, whom he had never met before, kept slipping out of his hands like a slippery loach.
"Yes, after hearing about Count Emisch's deeds during his lifetime, the Bishop of Frankfurt thought that he was a respectful and conscientious Christian, so he readily accepted Ruterbert's request. So, if nothing else, the Bishop It should be in Rothenburg in Weinsberg now." The baron said, twisting a handful of salt grains from the silver salt shaker in front of him, sprinkled it into his thick soup, and then picked up the slightly stale soup. The wooden bowl tasted it with relish.
At this time, Simon had completely lost interest in the food on the table, and was even a little nauseous. He felt that the piece of bread he had just eaten with cheese and soup tasted worse than a piece of rotten wood.
After dinner, the baron sent someone to bring the clown from his territory and a bard who happened to be passing through.
The clown's hard-working performance and the bard's beautiful and rhythmic singing did not move the seemingly absent-minded Simon. All Simon wanted in his mind was to find the bishop as soon as possible and finalize the matter of wine and grapes.
"Guys, I think we have to go to Weinsberg." After the after-dinner show, the fat man followed Simon's instructions and walked out of the bustling wooden castle tower, blowing by the lonely cold evening wind, and knocked on the door He opened the wooden door beside the fort wall where soldiers and slaves lived, and told Miller and Gabriel the depressing news.
"In addition, Mr. Aubrey, this place is very close to Wiesbaden, the capital of Mainz. I think you have arrived at your destination safely." The fat man said, looking at the lower end of the weak candlelight in the corner. Businessman Aubrey was counting his accounts on parchment.
"Of course, please rest assured. I will guarantee with my head that I will not miss a single penny of the escort fee that should be paid to Lord Simon." Aubrey put down the parchment account and smiled at the fat man. , then he leaned under the firelight and squinted at the characters as big as ants on the account, mumbling something.
………………
The grain harvest in Mainz County had been completed a few weeks ago. The golden color of the harvest that makes people feel contented at a glance has disappeared without a trace. What is left is only illuminated by the early sun. The vast, bare fields give people a depressing feeling.
The caravan guards and guys looked happy. Some drank some wine, some hummed unknown hometown tunes, and some excitedly talked about what they were going to do after arriving in Wiesbaden, Mainz.
For them, they walked all the way from distant Lübeck, resisted attacks from robbers again and again, and changed their companions one after another. In the end, they did not turn into a pile of withered bones on the unknown roadside. Reaching the final destination is already a very fortunate thing.
Fortunately, the road from Epstein Castle to the town of Wiesbaden is very safe, and these guys who relax their vigilance at least don't have to worry about losing their lives before the end of the journey.
The bandits here were killed over and over again by the nearby lords who lived in long-lasting peace and had nothing to do all day long with their private soldiers. Even the most ferocious bandits in this area could only be defeated when traveling on this road. He lowered his head and pretended to be an honest farmer.
Simon and his party even encountered a patrol team from Wiesbaden Town on the road.
Judging from the dozen or so soldiers wearing leather scales and sleeveless mail, Norman helmets and segmented dome helmets, as well as their relatively normal looks, the town of Wiesbaden should be a quite wealthy town. towns.
"The equipment worn by these patrol soldiers is much better than that of the elite private soldiers of the lords of Flanders, which is relatively wealthy in the north." The fat man took a sip of mead and turned his head to look at those who were already drifting away. The patrol soldier said from behind.
"This is because the Bishop of Mainz is willing to work hard on the equipment of these soldiers. Those Flanders lords who are as stingy as iron cocks are more willing to give themselves more money than to spend more money to protect the lives of their soldiers. Wear yourself in exquisite dyed woolen fabrics and enjoy the precious spices from the far east." Pedi, the caravan guard, yawned and said lazily.
"By the way, Pedi, my good friend, will be arriving in Wiesbaden soon. If my guess is correct, your contract with Mr. Aubrey will come to an end." The guy with a good relationship with the horned beard patted him on the shoulder, with a look of reluctance on his face, "What are your plans in the future? Do you want to renew the contract with Mr. Aubrey and return to Lübeck with us?"
"No, I have other plans. I don't want to take the same path and live a boring life where you can see the end at a glance." Pedi, the caravan guard, shook his head and looked at the end of the road ahead with some confusion.
"Oh?" The croissant guy scratched the back of his head in confusion and looked at Pedi with some confusion in his eyes.
"For example, the village where I grew up is located on the charming coast of Aquitaine, but no matter how beautiful the scenery is, there will be a day when I get tired of seeing it. When I embark on my escape journey, Once I passed by a valley that seemed to have been kissed by an angel. I swear I will never forget that beautiful scene in my life." Speaking of this, the caravan guard Peidi's eyes lit up and his face was intoxicated. At that time The scene seemed to reappear before his eyes, "However, when I talked with the villagers in the tavern in the valley village, when I praised the beautiful scenery there with excitement, the villagers were used to it and didn't take it seriously. But when I talked about beauty, When they arrived at the coast of Aquitaine, they looked forward to it and looked forward to it. It turned out that it was a place they had only heard about in the poems of bards. They wanted to go to a place that they would never have the chance to go in their lives. .”
"I understand what you mean. You want to say..." The croissant guy raised his hand thoughtfully and wanted to say something, but he hesitated for a long time and didn't say a word. He looked like he didn't know what to say for a while. How to express his views in words.
"I want to say that from that moment on, I knew what I wanted. I was not content with the status quo. I wanted to travel the world and visit many places I had never set foot on. Maybe I am still living in this place today. The caravan will join the mercenaries tomorrow. Even if I have to live a homeless life, I am willing to do so." Peidi's face was extremely determined.
"This is really a great idea! My good friend, your journey will be full of ups and downs. In any case, I wish you good luck!" The croissant guy gave Pedi a thumbs up and smiled.
