Human beings are never created equal.
It is true that many times people will convince themselves that they can achieve everything through hard work, but being willing to work hard and having the perseverance to persevere until you see the light of day is already a great talent. But even it has no way to compare with those who have different conditions from the beginning.
The most common West Coast farmer's parents must also be farmers. A child born into a farmer's family will marry a child from another farmer's family when he grows up. They did not own land, but only farmed and raised pigs for the lords to earn a meager income.
For example, countries like Corey Conrad are a few exceptions. Because they are mercenaries, the high-level nobles in this country do not care about the lower-level farmers, so the farmers living here have a certain degree of freedom. . Within the scope of self-sufficiency, they can farm within the borders of the country without paying taxes. After all, the income that mercenaries can bring is the majority in comparison.
There are some differences in the food grown in different regions. From wheat and rice grown in large areas to cassava and sweet potatoes grown by farmers themselves to satisfy their hunger, there are many differences in crops - but there are huge differences in the livestock raised. Commonality.
There are no truly domesticated pigs on the Rigal continent. All pigs from west to east are raised free-range. The ability of this omnivorous creature to convert everything it eats into protein is the reason why humans initially focused on them. But precisely because they are raised in this way, the bodies of pigs that eat randomly are full of various parasites.
Such pork must be fully cooked before it can be eaten. Compared with various herbivores, poultry, fish, and pork, the nutritional value of pork is very lacking. But even if it is such a thing, it is still not the most common and most numerous farmers. What you can afford to eat every day.
In fact, among the major kingdoms on the west coast, which are generally relatively barren, even smaller nobles such as knights and barons can only enjoy meat when entertaining guests.
When we described prices in the Avenella section, we mentioned that a large plate of free-range pork costs six Dannos, but this price is limited to the relatively affluent Avenella side. For other parts of the barren West Coast, it would probably have to rise quite a bit. And if we just use this price standard as a popular standard without considering many complicated factors - the so-called large plate of free-range pork - which is actually only about half a kilogram - is priced at the same price. If you buy rice or flour, you can buy several kilograms directly.
Ten Danno.
This is the value that the most ordinary farmers in this era would have if their income for a day were converted into coins - and this was usually replaced by food and the like. On days when the harvest is good, farmers or herdsmen will get slightly higher incomes, but when the harvest is bad, it is extremely common to go hungry.
Those who have a slightly higher hierarchical status than farmers are craftsmen. Even those who have just become apprentices can usually get a daily salary of about fifteen to eighteen Danno. Their three meals can be slightly richer, in addition to grains. You can eat some fish, shrimp and crabs. In addition to eating well, you can also leave some money to buy a new set of clothes or something else - but craftsmen are not so easy to do. First of all, you must have a better background and have some money in your family. Your parents themselves are If you have a craftsman or a relative who is a craftsman, otherwise it would be very difficult to find a master willing to take you there.
Not all people are created equal. The paths farmers can choose in this era are really very few. They cannot become powerful figures such as lords and nobles. Even if they seriously work hard all their lives as craftsmen or farmers, it is already very difficult to make ends meet. If they accidentally encounter a war, they will have to be forcibly drafted to fight. And even in peaceful days, if you encounter a thief who behaves inappropriately or when you go to the street, the lord and knight above thinks you are an eyesore——
Death is a common thing.
There is no way out, and I can't even eat enough. In a society where blood and origin determine everything, they can never become nobles, and the rest seems to be "hope" and "way out". Naturally, only the high-risk and high-reward battle-related things are left. Professional.
People die for money and birds die for food. Whether you choose to be a mercenary who licks blood with a knife or a thief who is nervous for fear of being caught, you are actually forced by life. If one could peacefully farm and live a happy life, no one would want to do such a thing. But in today's world, there are people who want to live a pastoral life, and it is probably those nobles who come from a noble background and have nothing to do when they are full - the farmer held his breath.
Clothes made of linen are dirty - you can always judge a person's status and status from the material of the clothes he wears: the West Coast is not rich in cotton, and even sheep are only raised in small quantities and can only rely on the sea. The wool and cotton obtained from trade naturally became the exclusive use of a small number of merchants with higher incomes, nobles, and high-level mercenaries. As for the most ordinary civilians, of course they only wear clothes made of linen and usually only washed once a long time.
"..." The feeling of grass pricking his skin through the sleeves of his clothes made him uncomfortable. Around thirty companions in similar attire were cursing and making loud noises, lurking in this area. They used most of the weapons. Are wooden pitchforks and sticks, and only a few are better axes.
"Hey, do you think those knight masters will really pay us one Ella silver coin?" said a young man next to him. This sentence immediately caused a bustling discussion, and most of the people's words were mixed with With unbelievable and unconcealable joy, many people began to talk about what they would do after they got the money - most of them wanted to have a big meal, and some wanted to buy better clothes. Pursue a girl.
"Brother, how do you want to spend it?" Seeing that the farmer didn't speak, the young man who knew him came close and said this. The farmer turned around and looked at this man. He was a man from the central region with yellow hair and white skin. Compared to a shy brown-skinned local like himself, he was much more enthusiastic. The farmer thought, with such a character It’s so good: “…to pay for tuition.”
The farmer said in a very low voice that the young man didn't seem to hear clearly, so he asked again: "Huh?" The other person asked in a longer tone, and he spoke again in a slightly higher voice: "... Pay tuition and learn to blacksmith."
"Uh..." The louder voice was not only heard by many people around the young man. Everyone who originally just wanted to use this "quick money" to eat and drink all lowered his head in embarrassment. He bowed his head: "Yes... it would be better to use it as tuition." They all began to think this way, and the bustling voices started to ring again, and many people began to explain what they wanted to do - go Buy some eggs to hatch chicks and start a farm; use the money to purchase things and become a traveling businessman; people whose ideas have been expanded excitedly describe the future, while the young man with yellow hair leaned over and whispered to Then he started talking.
"Hey, brother, I decided to join you later. As you can see, we seem to be the only smart people here."
"Those fools probably don't know that our targets are professional-level mercenaries. Rush a little slower later -" "They appeared!" A rough voice shouted loudly in Thoradin's dialect. The young man A look of displeasure immediately appeared on the man's face. He gritted his teeth and turned his head as if he was going to curse, but at this moment, the man who was shouting had already rushed down with a wooden fork.
"Hey ah ah ah!" This war cry on the overgrown hillside aroused the enthusiasm of a large group of people behind. They were lying here in ambush according to the employer's request. They all got up and screamed towards Rushing down below, the team of four people and four horses seemed completely defenseless. The middle-aged farmer with a big beard holding a wooden fork who ran down first for the bounty was about to stab the leader in the stomach. Got——
“Clang——ka——” “Dong——” “Cracking——”
With a flash of silver light, the pitchfork's fork rose into the sky; with a lift of his ankle, the dirty farmer fell to the ground. The farmer was covered in white ash on the hot dirt ground: "Cough cough, cough cough cough -" But he was choked by the smoke and dust and did not back down. Instead, he grabbed the remaining half of the stick and rushed forward again.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Those people who were sprinting behind also ran here now. The horses began to scream uneasily because of the people's war roars. Two of the horses even spun around in panic. Among the four, The girl who was not dressed as a warrior almost fell off her horse with a panicked "ah" due to the sudden movement of the horse. The farmers who saw this weakling rushed over with various farm tools.
"Do you all want to die? Get back!" Sitting on another horse next to her, a red-haired Thoradin shouted loudly in the local language, but this sentence It didn't stop the farmers who had only the reward in their eyes. On the contrary, this seeming show of weakness made him and the girl both targeted.
"Hit him! Hit the red-headed one!"
"...You guys!" The mercenary was disrupted. He grabbed the reins with one hand but sat firmly on the saddle, and then tried to grab the hilt of the sword at his waist with the other hand. But at this moment, the already very restless horse fell into chaos due to the various sticks that were thrust at it and the yelling and roaring of people. Many people wanted to catch the red-haired mercenary on top, but The war horse was frightened and instinctively raised its body and kicked out with its front foot.
"Hissing-" "Bang!" The front hoof of the war horse weighing hundreds of kilograms directly kicked one farmer's chin and another farmer's forehead to pieces. Blood and brains overflowed, and they were the first to hit them. They died there, and the dozen or so farmers surrounding the two people behind them were stunned at the moment, but then someone from behind shouted: "Avenge them two!" They were shocked. It turned into anger in an instant.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa covered. He couldn't control the balance on the horse's back so well that when the horse stood up, he could only grab the reins in a panic to control himself from falling. But at this moment, the farmers rushed over and couldn't even pull out their swords, leaving him at his mercy.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" "Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" by the long wooden fork that stabbed towards the stomach and chest of the war horse. It easily penetrated its skin and caused the hot horse's blood to surge wildly. The war horse was in pain. He let out a cry and began to fall down. At this time, the mercenary on the horse kicked off his stirrups and threw himself to the ground, abandoning his car.
"Down with them!" The appearance of the mercenaries in a state of embarrassment and covered with gray boosted the morale of the farmers. Although two of them died, the horses that fell heavily to the ground still looked like a great victory. They rushed towards the mercenaries who landed, and the balance of victory seemed to be heading towards them——
The next second, everything changed.
The two mercenaries in front, a man and a woman, drove their horses for a distance as if they were trying to escape, then turned their horses and rushed back with swords in one hand.
The accelerating charge of the war horse was unstoppable, and the sword wielded with one hand could cut a person and his stick in half and fly away. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabut but the farmers who were already hot-headed were surrounded and surrounded. Only a dozen people huddled together and stopped in front of it.
"Bang - Bang!!" The two war horses started running.
A long sword made of fine steel, with a straight end and a straight thrust.
You just need to stabilize your body, you don't even need to do any slashing, just use this huge momentum——
The momentum is overwhelming.
The peasants who didn't even have armor fell down in twos and threes. Under the huge impact, they were basically dead as long as they were attacked once. The dozen or so people in the rear who were rushing towards the red-haired mercenary were because of the huge impact. They turned their heads and looked here at the sound of the voice, and this look became the last look in their lives.
"Dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong -!"
Why the Sivaliers were able to use heavy cavalry to charge and dominate the entire west coast and become the strongest kingdom can be seen here. The overwhelming advantage of the cavalry over the infantry caused nearly twenty farmers to die in just one charge - people began to hesitate. There were only about a dozen of them left, holding the weapons in their hands and staying in place. Before they could recover from the joy of knocking down the horses, the rumble of horse hooves came from one side to the other. On one side, the two men grabbed the reins and began to slow down, intending to turn back. The red-haired mercenary who fell to the ground slowly straightened up and drew out his long sword.
"Qiang——"
Blood splattered everywhere, and there were dead bodies everywhere.
…
"I...I don't think this is a good idea."
The blazing sunlight had weakened a bit by now, and he felt that the soles of his feet were a little sore from walking a long distance. But compared to all of this, what probably gave him a greater impact was the overwhelming scene of massacre— -If this person hadn't pulled him - he didn't dare to think about it anymore, and the yellow-haired young man in front once again whispered with his gritted teeth: "No, don't worry, my brother, They don’t know the real situation.”
"You see, we came back alive, so we should get the reward, right?" The other party said this. He hesitated for a moment. It didn't seem like a good idea to deceive those knights, but the reward of a silver coin was real. It's not something you can give up easily.
"Yes...yes, yes." He nodded repeatedly, and then the two of them returned to their village - the knight masters were still stationed here, which they could tell from the horses with luxurious saddles hanging on the roadside. .
"Calm down and let me speak." The yellow-haired young man turned around and showed a reassuring smile, and at this moment, two knights rode out of the village gate.
"Your Excellency! Your Excellency - I say -" The young man with yellow hair leaned over. He was smiling and talking while dancing - this is really good - the farmer thought: It would be great if I could also learn from the other party's cheerful personality.
He did not hear the content of the conversation clearly because of the distance, but judging from the way the knight who was talking smiled and nodded several times, it was obvious that all this could come true like a wish - after this , Just be a blacksmith apprentice honestly and never think about such things again, he thought, never get involved in such things again.
"Hey -" The young man with yellow hair seemed to have reached an agreement with the other party. He turned his head and waved to this side with a big smile. The farmer also smiled, but in the next moment something silvery shone. It reached the corner of his eyes, causing him to blink.
"Uh-" The farmer reached out his hand to remind his "good brother", but it was too late.
——The kind knight with a smile in his eyes drew out the long sword from his waist, and then pierced his heart with the sword.
"Cough——" The yellow-haired young man whose smile had not yet spread coughed out blood and fell to the ground. The farmer stared blankly at this sudden incident, while the knights drove their horses forward.
"Do you also want to get paid?" He raised his face dullly and looked at the high knight. Only at this distance could he clearly see the smile on his face. There was no gentleness, only full of ridicule. That said The farmer will never be able to forget the curvature of his mouth.
"Hahahahaha, this coward is so scared. Haha, the reward, don't laugh to death... you trash can still kill them." He was stunned by the knight as if he were a pebble on the roadside. Ignoring it, the man teasingly wiped the blood from the sword tip on the shoulder of his linen clothes, put the sword back, and then drove his horse forward.
"It seems that we have to take action personally." The blood on the chest of the yellow-haired young man who fell face down in the middle of the road began to spread. In the opposite direction of the farmer who was stunned with a large bright red patch on his left shoulder, that The two knights said this and slowly distanced themselves. (To be continued.)
...
