Father James's colt carried two jugs of precious mead on his back, and the old brewer behind him carried a large barrel of fresh ale.
In fact, the old winemaker asked Matilda before setting off if her war horse could also carry a barrel of wine, but this girl who was usually very talkative stubbornly refused--in addition to the knight and mount, her war horse There is nothing on the saddle except the silver saddle.
The old village chief was holding a large piece of round cheese in his hand, and the hunter Bill next to him was carrying a disemboweled wild boar on his back. Little Klein followed them, carrying a gray rabbit in one hand. It can be predicted that today’s banquet food will definitely be very rich.
"Look here," said Father James, who was walking at the front, looking at the gentle slope covered with green grass behind the mill. "The land here is very suitable for cultivation and grazing."
"Of course," said Elclay, who was holding the honey jar, "the land on this riverbank seems to be more fertile than the fields in Verde Village."
The group of people walked along the path in the grass on the gentle slope of the river beach for a while, and came to the top of this small hill. In the distance is an endless plain stretching to the end of the horizon.
Vast forests and vast grasslands are scattered throughout this fertile land full of life. At the junction of grassland and forest, there is a village as peaceful and quiet as sapphire.
"My dear God, this is such a beautiful place." Alice, the wine girl, covered her mouth.
"Perhaps there will be herbs that I am interested in in that forest." The pharmacist Arthur said with interest.
"That village should be Esbai Village!" Stonemason Ryan thought secretly in his heart.
Ryan observed the village carefully from a distance, and he was pleased that this village, like most villages in this land, was far less well-defended than the village walled wooden castle he built in Verde Village. Although this is not good news for Simon.
"It seems I'm busy with work again!" Ryan said secretly to himself.
Not long after walking, everyone passed through a piece of reclaimed farmland. At this time, new seedlings had grown on the ridges, but they were far less lush and strong than the new seedlings in the farmland of Verde Village.
"I think we have to build a few more crypts here so that the glory of God's redemption for us can cover this poor land!" Father James touched his stubble-covered chin.
In fact, after seeing the new crop seedlings in Verde Village this year, Father James has accepted this novel method of increasing production. Although he did not find any relevant summary in the Bible, the miracles that happened before his eyes could not be faked.
Today is Sunday, and not a single farmer can be seen in the fields on both sides of the road. A gust of wind blew by, and the great tit standing on the scarecrow's shoulders flapped its wings and flew to the distant woods.
"Hey, Hann!"
"Good day, Father," Han En, who was half asleep and half awake standing guard at the gate of Esbai Village, was startled and quickly said to another soldier standing guard next to him, "Idiot, please help me move the horse. Come on, Father, they are coming!”
After Han En and the others moved their horses away, the group entered the village.
Father James thought that it was really difficult for this group of people not to attract people's attention. Among them were clergymen wearing white robes, noble ladies riding war horses, hunters carrying prey on their backs, and pharmacists who smelled of herbs...
As expected, almost every villager who met them was attracted.
() () "Old Bauch," Father James, the leader, found a familiar figure wearing a peaked Norman helmet among the unfamiliar villagers, "Take us to see Lord Simon!"
"Okay, Father, please come with me." Old Bauch, who was patrolling the central square of the village, pushed aside a few curious villagers and asked them to make way for the Father and his party.
………………………
"I'm back."
Under the blazing sun, a packhorse pulling a trailer containing several barrels of wine stopped in front of the Stump Tavern. A chubby man stepped off the horse and used his greasy hands to remove the dusty soft cowhide saddle.
"Hey Herta, long time no see."
This was a voice that sounded familiar to Herta, but he just couldn't remember who it was. When he looked back and saw the strong man dressed as a forest man at the outdoor wine table, he was so surprised that his eyes were wider than a cowbell.
"Krieg!? Are you desperate for your life? How dare you sit in my tavern with such arrogance. Are you a blind bastard when you become a sheriff and guard?" Herta obviously hasn't understood what happened during his departure. What happened in the village over time.
He took a forest path back to the village in order to avoid the greedy guard at the entrance of the village who always wanted to take a sip of wine from him. However, he still noticed something strange - the soldiers patrolling the village seemed to have new faces and better equipment.
"We changed lords, and the sheriff withdrew the arrest warrant against me. In addition, I want to revive my carpentry shop. I took on a new job. I have to make a batch of longbows for our new lord... "Krieger said to Herta while eating mushy peas.
"No, no! Where are Baron Kunir and his heirs!?" Herta looked in disbelief, and the soft leather saddle in her hand almost fell to the ground.
Krieger wondered why Herta was so excited after hearing the news. Could it be that he still maintains some kind of relationship with Baron Quinnier's family?
"Baron Quenier is dead and his heir has fled to the Principality of Flanders."
"Damn it, ah!" Huerta complained loudly, but he noticed a patrol soldier walking towards him and glanced at him, so he quickly lowered his voice, "Damn it."
"But you have come back at a good time. Today the new Baron Sir Simon will hold a dinner, and he has invited all the villagers to attend."
"That's really great," Herta said, but judging from his expression, he was not happy.
He walked into the tavern, hugged his wife Tina, and then slapped the slave girl Mellie on the side without warning.
After he finished fanning, he seemed to be still angry, so he picked up a strong oak bench from the side and hit the poor girl. Mellie who was hit screamed and huddled in the corner, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Hey, what are you doing Herta," Krieger rushed into the tavern and pointed his finger at the moody Herta's nose and yelled, "You're a complete lunatic!"
"I don't need you to judge whether I'm crazy or not. It's none of your business." Herta looked very excited, and her spittle was everywhere when she spoke. "This uneducated little bitch looks at me when I come back." He acted as if he had seen a ghost and remained silent. I just taught my disobedient slave a long lesson."
Krieger firmly believed that perhaps the tavern owner really had some kind of relationship or interest in the Baron Quinnier family secretly. His sudden rage seems to be directed at the innocent Mellie, but in fact it is more like covering up the venting of his anger at the decline of Baron Quenir's family.
() () "I'm warning you, if you beat Mellie like this again for no reason, I will beat you hard too." Krieger clenched his fists in anger.
"Just because of you, a lowly pregnant compatriot like you!?" Herta cursed in her heart, but did not curse out loud.
It would do him no good to fall out completely with Krieg. Krieg was very strong, and although he was nosy, especially in protecting his fellow female slaves who were also part of the Celtic culture, it had to be said that he was spending money in the tavern. Get up and be lavish, not stingy with money at all.
"Every time I hit her, there is a reason, and this time is no exception." Although Herta did not admit much, at least she did not continue to hit Mellie. He patted the dust on the soft leather saddle and returned. The counter said without looking back, "Merry, go take my horse to the stable and unload the wine on the trailer, and I will forgive you."
"Tch, this bully old bastard," Krieger rolled his eyes and took a sip of wine. "One day, I'm going to find out what connection you have with Baron Quinnier."
…………………………
Evening is coming and night is approaching. Today in Esbai Village, except for the billowing smoke coming from the lord's kitchen, almost no other house has smoke coming out of it.
After the villagers heard that there would be a dinner for the new lord in the evening, almost no one chose to make a fire at home to cook. It’s not that they are reluctant to part with firewood, but they are reluctant to part with food.
Since the damn tax collectors who levied war taxes last time had plundered everything, even the wealthier free farmers no longer have enough food to eat, let alone the "envy of the villagers" in the eyes of Christians. “Crime—Gluttony.
Villagers who save as much food as possible will often go to the hillsides near the fields without supervision to collect dandelions. After taking them home, they throw them into the pot, add half an onion and turnip, and put Add some oats and stew them together. This is what they call a relatively frugal meal.
In addition to this lord's banquet, they also hope to drink a few more sips of the high-quality wine made by the monks in the golden chalice every Sunday, and eat a few more pieces of Eucharist bread made with white flour in the church.
"Village Chief, you are much better than the smooth-talking Chief Duden in this village." Simon flattened a roll of parchment for the village chief's statistics on the table and nodded with satisfaction as he read it.
The tavern in Verde Village has been built and is currently run by the old brewer and Alice. Except for the noble rot wine in the icehouse that Simon had ordered not to be sold, other products such as ale, rye beer, and fruit wine were all favored by the mercenaries and merchants coming and going.
The most exaggerated thing is that a passing mercenary, who was penniless, had to mortgage his armor in order to drink more wine in a tavern in Verde Village. This stumped the old brewer who wanted to split the account with Simon.
Simon thought that maybe when he assigned a manor to Fatty, he could let Fatty grow grapes in that manor. There is a huge demand for wine now, and it is too expensive to import wine from other territories. Instead of doing this, it is better to produce it for your own use or even sell it far away to reduce costs.
"Master, the preparations for the banquet have been completed." Miller came to the table at some point.
"Okay," Simon put away the parchment with a snap, "I understand, I'll be here right away."
