Regarding what happened that night, the Royal Guards and the Duke of Monroe chose to ignore it in a tacit agreement.
Both sides knew who the target of the fight was, but no one had key evidence to prove that it was the other party who did it. Therefore, they tacitly chose to maintain this semblance of peace and did not break their skin.
The raiders buried the bodies of their dead comrades nearby. In order to prevent them from being dug out by dragon lizards or panthers, they also moved a lot of slag and pressed them up. As for those people under Monroe's banner, they were just allowed to be devoured by all kinds of snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the forest.
The lead miners who came here the next day were almost frightened when they saw corpses covered with various poisonous insects and with bite marks. Several corpses had obvious signs of dragging. Intestines and internal organs were spilled all over the floor. The miners who had just finished breakfast bent over and started vomiting on the spot. This incident must have left an unforgettable impression on them.
Two flowers bloom, one on each side.
This conflict that broke out quickly and ended quickly was like the first time that two sword masters tested each other. Although it seemed to the uninformed people like ordinary Monroe residents that the entire city-state was still thriving internally, in fact this It was just a brief period of peace before the two sides broke out again.
A few people who are more sensitive to the atmosphere, such as businessmen or gangster leaders, can clearly notice that the number and number of patrols by the royal guards have increased - especially near the Duke's Palace, where elite soldiers are present. The equipment and personal qualities have been improved. Although the patrol route is still the same as before, the vigilance shown is much higher.
Like animals that get restless before an earthquake, these people were more or less aware that something might be going on. They couldn't tell exactly what it was, but the instinct to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages developed through many years of doing business or working at the bottom of society made these people start to flee from this place like ants before it rains.
The residents of Monroe, who live a busier and monotonous life without much change, are relatively slow to respond to all this. They may have noticed some details, but they did not take them to heart. They just continued to go about their own things. Fortunately, it was okay. A routine that is easy to return to.
Time passed peacefully, and Henry and Mira were still trying to find traces of Ferry. They even went to his mother's grave to guard it. But the young mercenary who didn't want to be found never showed up again.
In this way, under the calm surface, all parties were busy preparing. A few days later, February came to an end.
Entering March, the Krant region was not much different from the past. In this tropical country where the temperature rarely drops below 20 degrees even in winter, people's only feelings about the seasons are "cool", "hot" and "too hot".
Unlike other areas with more distinct seasons, it is extremely hot in summer and freezing in winter. People here have never known the experience. Mira and Henry, who came here from other places, have no real sense of the passage of time because they are always hot. Until the fruit trees in the nearby suburbs were full of bright yellow flowers, seasonal vegetables began to be transported from nearby villages, and the residents of Monroe began to celebrate the festival. They realized all this belatedly.
The pace of life suddenly began to slow down. The investigation of the Royal Capital Guards, who had a large number of local resources, was not something that the two of them could intervene in. In addition, all the places where Su Fei could be searched had been searched, so the two of them were literally... He has completely become an idler.
I did have the idea of going to the Mercenary Guild in Monroe to take the mission, but because of the commotion caused by the foreign mercenaries before, the mercenary guilds that had some relationship with them, such as Henwu and Wudi, unfortunately became residents. The object of their hatred.
Looking up, the residents don't trust them because they wear the same badges as the foreign mercenaries; looking down, Monroe has a security post and an army, and to a large extent, mercenaries are not needed to help the residents. In other words, the needs of the residents cannot be met by mercenaries.
Due to various reasons, the number of regular mercenaries affiliated with Monroe is very small. There was basically no work. It wasn't until the Royal Guards purged all aspects of the atmosphere that there were signs of a slow recovery, but for a while it was still deserted.
With nothing to do, Mira and Henry once again seemed to have returned to the time when they first registered as mercenaries, learning swordsmanship and knowledge every day, and now also including horseback riding training.
What Henry wants to teach Mira is to fight on horseback - this is not something that can be learned just anywhere. The impact advantage brought by the speed and physique of the horse is very considerable. But without using your own feet to control the direction and speed of movement, it is more difficult to grasp the timing of attacking the same target. It is also very normal for you to make frequent mistakes when you are on a target that you could easily hit on foot.
Horseback riding, using horses as a means of transportation. Many people do. But most people basically choose to get off their horses during battles to enhance their ability to control the situation, so they can actually only be regarded as "mounted infantry" rather than "cavalry".
Fighting right away is something that takes a certain amount of time to master, but before Mira can really learn this, Henry has another thing to teach her.
The girl has become more and more proficient in the basic postures of swordsmanship during this period of time. The non-slip pigskin on the hilt of the armed sword has been worn off due to many times of practice. She can now make a clear "whoosh-whoosh-" sound when she swings the sword. Mira understands that this is what Henry calls it. Correct representation of "edge line".
Hold a weapon with a sharp edge such as a long sword or a long knife at eye level. You can see that they are like a thin silver line, so that the flat blade is swinging out in the correct way to confirm itself. When the swing trajectory is completely vertical, the sound of breaking through the air will be a sharp "whoosh" sound.
In contrast, if you swing the sword incorrectly or the sword is tilted, the broad surface of the sword will be partially exposed to the air. When the resistance of the entire sword increases, it will make a "whoosh" sound like waving a stick.
There is no end to learning. Nowadays, Mira not only understands the most basic how to swing a sword correctly, but also has learned many more complex moves than before - but if you want to learn to fight, just knowing these is not enough.
"This is..." Henry went out a few days ago and bought two things wrapped in linen. After he opened them today, the girl found that they were two simple one-handed and a half swords.
Made of wrought iron, it is a weapon often chosen by low-level mercenaries and robbers with little money. This material is cheaper and easier to forge, but is so soft that the blade often curls away after cutting an object.
Most people would not choose steel swords if they could afford them. Although it is relatively simple to polish, the softer material and the steel sword's tendency to curl its edge upon collision are obviously not a reliable practical weapon.
"The one-handed sword is a bit too light for you now, or do you want to learn the skills of sword and shield more?" The two came to the outskirts of Nancheng District, the forest clearing where Ferry and Ferry once had a picnic.
"No. I'm just curious why I bought two." Mira shook her head. It's understandable that cheaper iron swords are used for practice. The girl who is already over 1.6 meters tall can barely hold it even though she is slim. A larger half-handed sword.
The one-handed sword has a shorter hilt. Now she has to swing the sword correctly with both hands. She can only hold the weighted ball. After switching to a one-handed and a half sword, Mira got used to the weight and center of gravity. I feel that I have become more comfortable.
"What I'm teaching you is the starting position of two-handed swordsmanship. Before that, you didn't have enough physical strength to hold a sword with one hand." Facing the Luoan girl's doubts, Henry explained.
The girl nodded, but she didn't understand why Henry wanted to buy two swords. It was at this time that Mira saw Henry unbuckle the big sword on his back, put it next to the tree trunk, and then pulled out another half-handed sword.
"Hush——" The sage turned the long sword with one hand, and the girl understood that he was feeling the center of gravity of the weapon.
"A little closer..." The sage muttered this, then turned to look at her. "Gu——" the girl swallowed, then assumed a conservative mid-section "plow position" posture, with her hands lowered and the sword tip pointed upward at Henry.
"Do you think it's a little too early?" Henry stood ordinary and relaxed. Because of his physique, the sword in one hand and a half was as light as a one-handed sword to him.
"Practice with edged weapons. After all, I am still a little scared." Mira frankly admitted her worries, and the sage shrugged: "There is nothing wrong with using wooden weapons to practice for safety. If you want to pursue peace, If it has the same texture as a real sword, you can also use an iron weapon without an edge."
"But..." He paused: "These things are just for practice after all, and they cannot completely restore the feeling of fighting with sharp weapons-"
Before the sage finished speaking, he stepped out with his foot and swung his sword straight. Mira was dripping with cold sweat but her body still followed quickly.
"Crack--clang--" "Huh...huh-" The more she advanced on the path of swordsmanship, the more she understood how powerful the sage was. Even though it was a sword that was careless and deliberately made easy for her to block, The girl still felt extremely nervous inside.
"Ka--" She subconsciously wanted to shake off Henry's long sword as hard as she did when sparring with wooden swords, but the feel was very different from the past. Mira first felt stuck, and then The sage's sword moved away, but she immediately realized that it was not thrown away by her.
"Wha—" Henry crossed his sword and half, and the cross guard stayed in front of the girl's face.
"What was that just now?" If this was in actual combat. Mira had been blinded by the opponent's attack with the gauntlet. But she ignored the danger just now - because she trusted the sage; at the same time, she did not have any appreciation for Henry's grasp of strength, because this was a matter of course in Mira's eyes - she just, just, took what she had just said. The questions that arose were raised instantly. All I wanted to do was to get one step closer to solving this problem.
This concentration of moving forward single-mindedly made Henry reveal an imperceptible smile. He retracted his sword, and then pointed at the weapon in Mira's hand.
"Look at the blade." Henry said this, and the girl reacted immediately.
"Gap..." She frowned, as if she thought of something but couldn't figure it out. Fortunately, the wise man is here, as always.
"You just wanted to slide away my weapon. Then move forward and attack, right." Henry said this, and Mira nodded. This is a very standard approach, using the opponent's attack gap to counterattack.
"If it's a wooden sword or an iron sword without an edge, you can indeed succeed." The sage confirmed her approach, but the girl was not very happy about it. She stood there holding a half-sword in one hand and just remained silent. Listen quietly.
"A wooden sword or an iron sword without a sharp edge, when the two swords collide-" Henry raised a finger, and then continued: "It will slip away."
"Because each other is a smooth and solid plane, after contact, they will stagger in different directions like two rocks hitting each other." Mira listened quietly, and Henry continued: "This That’s why those weapons are only suitable for practicing moves, because real sharp weapons used in actual combat, when fighting each other-"
"They will bite together." The sage raised a second finger and said this. Mira was stunned for a moment, and then nodded her little head.
"Whether it is a weapon with a hardness that exceeds the opponent's or a weapon with a similar hardness, a sword blade that is ground to be thinner than a hair and used to kill the enemy through sharpness will inevitably have some damage when it is collided by an opponent with the same sharpness. There will be gaps on one or both sides." Henry raised the one-and-a-half-handed sword in his hand, which also had gaps on the curled blade.
"And such a gap will cause the sword in your hand to bite together with the opponent's sword, instead of sliding away like a wooden sword or an unedged iron sword." Henry said, Mira nodded, she After finally understanding his previous feelings, the sage continued.
"But this matter is like many other things. It can be used to create your own advantage." He put away his hand, put down the long sword, and continued: "I was trying to get rid of me just now. The sword reacted in an instant, and used your movement of swinging the sword to the left to reverse the sword and attack your right side, and this was used as a basis."
"It's not sliding away directly, but biting together. What does this mean, little Mira." Henry smiled slightly and asked her a question. The girl lowered her head, and after thinking for a moment, she raised her face in realization. Staring at the sage with those shining eyes, he said loudly.
"It means you have time to feel your opponent's strength!" She said this, while recalling Henry's various actions for a long time, as if his whole body was covered with eyes, the answer became obvious-Klemmer It is the eyes of the sage. When the weapons are clashing, the opponent tries to exert force or pull away. The force transmitted from the blade to the palm and his rich experience can clearly judge the opponent's next move.
"That's it..." Mira nodded frequently. After deepening her understanding, she took a step closer in this regard. Henry looked at her with a smile, then took a few steps back and raised the sword again.
"So now do you know why I have to use dangerous sharp weapons to fight with you?" He asked, and Mira nodded.
"is teacher."
"Clang - Ding -" The sounds of gold and iron continued to echo, and the two of them chose the simplest moves to practice with a tacit understanding. With a dedicated and hard-working disciple and a brilliant mentor, Mira's growth rate during this period and from now on may be far beyond anyone's imagination. (To be continued.)
