Time flies by, and before we know it, it’s mid-February.
The winter in Avenella is as peaceful as ever. Except for the constant strong winds in Ecasta all year round, the rest of the places will only feel a little cool in the early morning and evening. On weekdays, it is still as comfortable and comfortable as usual. And pleasant.
This small west coast country has rarely seen either hot summers or severe winters in its history. In the 191--oh, no, it's already 192--years since its founding, the recorded snowfall line has reached as far as Inzny in neighboring Sivalier. The cold winter in the Er Plain has only occurred three times. Although it has not yet reached freezing point, many people still sleep peacefully in the cold and hardship.
And this is the most talked about topic among ordinary people in Avenella on the Ecasta Plain this year - "This kind of thing will never happen again, thanks to our dear prince." They said this , the smile on his face comes from the bottom of his heart, he really sees signs that everything is getting better, and he can't hide it even if he wants to.
one Year. It has been a year since Henry and Mira left the land where they first left many stories.
The world does not revolve around them. Even though they did play an extremely important role in everything that happened a year ago, maintaining all these results has made life in the kingdom - at least in the northern region - better and better. It is the joint efforts of ordinary people living on this land; it is their yearning for a new life, and the intentions of the wise monarch who truly cares about this country and its people.
And this is exactly one of the important factors that troubles our Prince—things are getting better, but it does not succeed naturally and without hindrance. With the help of Henry, the "Equal Covenant" reached with the Otolo Empire across the mountain has protected the dignity of the Kingdom of Avenela and allowed it to remain an independent country. Having an equal alliance from the beginning is as ridiculous as a mouse making friends with a dragon - His Majesty the Emperor was persuaded by the sage and may have agreed on a whim, but as long as Avenella does not become more powerful one day , this covenant will always be in a state of being on thin ice and very easily torn up unilaterally by the Otolo people.
——If Avenella wants to develop and sell the various magic materials and minerals that are abundant in the kingdom due to its close proximity to the Tambur Mountains to a larger trading market, it must rely on the powerful caravans of the Otolo Empire and because A border policy that becomes preferential due to alliance. But the relationship between the two countries cannot be reciprocal and peaceful in the true sense. A piece of covenant cannot change the gap in national power. Small frictions will not end. How to deal with these things is a very troublesome thing. matter.
In addition, the Padrosi Empire across the river is looking at it with eager eyes. Although they have not launched any real offensive so far, the huge empire on the other side has been quiet since the alliance with Otolo, but Edward, who is smart, cannot I believe that those Padrosi people are not doing anything secretly. Although he does not know it, this worry has been lingering in his heart - but all of the above are actually not as good as those of neighboring countries in the West. The chaos caused by Valier.
The death of King Philip II of West Valliers more than half a year ago brought a political earthquake to the entire west coast region that continues to this day. The only legitimate heir who is officially recognized as a royal and not an illegitimate child is Isabel de Avalon. As a princess instead of a prince, there has never been a precedent for a female monarch in the political circles of Sivalier. This has led to debates that continue to this day. Needless to say, the conflicts between the selfish desires and interests of all parties involved make it even more confusing. As if all this was not chaotic enough, the great nobles and bishops of Sivalier found several illegitimate children and collateral cousins who were related to each other and elected them in an attempt to put them on the throne.
Before the war, the two sides did not even have a border. Farmers could cross from one country to another on foot. The huge turmoil in the strongest neighbor on the west coast, the royal family and nobles were already related to them. Of course, Avenella cannot be immune to it. In addition to the many Sivalier refugees who often flee across the border and become rogue robbers who attack the caravans of Otolo and Avenella, it is even more troublesome for the already busy schedule. The tormented Prince Edward felt tremendous pressure, probably from his noble father.
Ashberon II's coveting of the throne of Sivalier was the main factor that caused the conflict between the two countries to develop into a war. This war that Edward united with the people finally won, while making Ashberon II happy, also made him more ready to send troops directly to advance into the homeland of Sivalier. In his opinion, this war would He took possession of the huge kingdom that belonged to him, making himself the king of the strongest kingdom on the west coast.
But these things are not easy to say. Caught between the struggles between the two empires, what Avenella needs to do now is to recharge its batteries and develop rapidly. Fortunately, Edward was the favorite son of Ashberon II. In addition, his previous victory greatly increased the dignity of the people of Avenella, so he was able to deal with the Otolo Empire again and again because of his busy business. The relationship between them was such a reason that Ashbern II could not refuse, so he could not send troops towards Inznir——
But if this series of problems continues like this, it will obviously explode one day. Our prince, who is only in his twenties, had a full head of blond hair a year ago and now has some white strands. Although he is tired, and melancholy make him look more mature and more like a great wise king in the eyes of others, but only Edward himself and a few cronies can truly understand the current situation of this small kingdom in a period of change and development. It has reached the cusp of the storm.
Yes, they did win the previous war.
Yes, they did solve another crisis, and gained the support of a powerful ally and began to develop rapidly - but all of this did not only mean benefits, those who were far more conservative than the young prince The nobles in the southern part of the kingdom, who have been influenced by the traditional Sivalier noble ideological education, are still waiting and watching. The only people who can be influenced by Edward are the nobles and commoners who have fought with him near the Grigori Gap. The conservative nobles in the southern part of the kingdom did not intend to join in the trade activities, and they often complained to the king that their subjects were migrating to the north. These internal and external troubles were accumulating, making this small kingdom seem vibrant. But in fact, there is a huge backlog of pressure. If you can't handle it well, when the pressure explodes, everything will inevitably fall apart.
"I originally thought I could handle it well, but now I realize my insignificance and powerlessness." Rubbing his messy hair, Edward muttered quietly under the bright sunshine from the window and the breeze that made the soft curtains sway slightly. .
"Sir, where are you now?"
——Time returns to a month ago, in the clearing in the forest south of Thoradin.
Our sage, who subdued eight well-trained elite warriors from a large clan with his bare hands, got a chance to talk as he wished, and just like he always did, Henry just opened his mouth He went straight to the point, and after a few words, everyone including Muna's eyes widened.
"You are right." The warrior captain with shaved hair on both sides - after introducing himself, Henry knew that his name was Mohammed - sighed helplessly and said: "I have already advised our lady, but maybe You can also see that she is not the type to listen to what others say."
"The man named Albany met her at a bonfire party. As a member of a small clan, he took the initiative to participate in such a bonfire party between big clans. His ambition was exposed. This is also a From the beginning, I objected to the young lady’s contact with him. But there was no way, that man had a way of talking, and the young lady soon looked up to him and admired him very much.” Muhammad continued, and the conversation between him and Henry used Su Mu language, but the wording is not as rude and primitive as that of ordinary warriors from small and medium-sized clans or even high-level prairie nobles. Although the appearance is rough and tough, the conversation makes people feel that they are facing each other. He looked like a Lamanite aristocrat who had received upper-class education.
Gentle, calm and rational, if he is not a mixed race like the Barrett whom he has met before, then this warrior leader who uses the name "Muhammad", which is quite noble among the prairie people and can only be obtained by nobles, is obviously He is also from a high-ranking prairie noble family - this further strengthens the possibility that Muna has the blood of a prairie royal family. If a high-ranking noble is to serve, it will obviously only have a more noble royal family - Muhammad continued: "His former Come and tell the young lady that as long as he can activate the tracking ability of Absgenti and capture the exiled royal family of Luoan, he can try to make the remaining Luoan slaves on the grassland available to the young lady and strive for the independence of Absgenti."
The tough prairie warrior glanced upward at Henry, and then continued: "I think you have guessed that the lady's status is very noble. And her heart is also the same. She has always wanted to be reduced to a vassal and cannot gain independence. She can only work in various major The surviving Absgunti people in the clan and the people of other small and medium-sized clans conquered by the big clans strive for a better life."
"For this reason, she naturally wants to use her noble blood to command the heroes, but such a little girl - no offense to you -" Muhammad turned his head and said to Muna on the other side, and then Then he said: "If such a little girl wants to be a leader, who is willing to obey her? Even if we are loyal to the young lady and have the backing of the experienced Abusgunti people, this little strength will not be enough in the face of it. Dozens of other powerful competitors who also have ancient noble bloodlines are just like light rain in the dry season, and their traces will be wiped away easily."
"So when the young lady listened to the words of that dangerous man and came to hunt you down, to be honest, even we may not have been expecting such a thing to come true in our hearts." Muhammad said here. Shi raised his head and looked at Henry seriously and said: "This is how it is on the grassland. The weak can only become the food of the strong. If they are not willing to seize any opportunity and try their best to fight, even those who have existed will be defeated." No evidence will be left."
"I don't expect you settled residents who live in ease to understand this kind of cruelty, but -" Muhammad continued. Although he is more mature than Muna, he is obviously still a grassland man who is born with the settled people of the civilized world. There is a kind of discrimination and prejudice, but the words Henry interrupted him made all the prairie people present stunned.
"A'da Amir, Maham Sidun Ihahir." He said this. Mira and Lina, who could not understand the Sumu language, looked confused, including the four Abusgens. The expressions of everyone including Ti Lao Hunter became serious.
"Who are you?" Although she still couldn't understand the words, Mira could notice that Muhammad's expression became more serious than before, his tone became very cautious, and his movements stopped. As relaxed and proud as before, but quite reserved.
"Amir is an interesting person. It's a pity that he didn't really unify the grassland." Henry smiled slightly and continued: "I remember that he loved to listen to the soft playing and singing of the Isim harp the most, and he liked to drink horse milk in the evening. Milk Wine looked at the endless prairie under the setting sun and said that he wanted to walk from one coast to the other."
"At this time, Sofa would stand quietly next to him, not saying anything, just standing like that. If Amir ran out of kumiss, she would add some for him, and the two of them would just sit there quietly. Together, until the sky is completely covered by stars." A look of nostalgia appeared on the sage's face, while all the prairie people fell into a daze because of his words - not just anyone can know these things. of.
"I still remember their daughter, who also had short hair and was full of energy, always running around on the grass. Amir said that the grassland was too big and he might not be able to conquer it in his entire life, but if he could If so, he will do his best just to see a unified grassland, just to impress those Lamanites and leave a small hope for the grassland people." Henry turned his head and looked at Mira who was still holding him hostage. The noble lady of the prairie people was standing there. I don’t know when this brown-skinned and stubborn princess had shed two lines of clear tears from the corners of her eyes.
"This is why he named his daughter Muna." Henry said this. His words were in Lamani so Mira could understand it. Muna "Wow--" She cried out, and the frightened white-haired Luoan girl immediately put the scimitar in her hand aside to avoid hurting her.
"Who are you?" Muhammad also rubbed the corners of his eyes, then looked over and asked in a tone that no longer contained any discriminatory meaning.
"My grassland name is Naidimu, Wahid Naidimu." Henry turned his head and said to them, while Muna, who stopped crying and raised her face behind her, spoke the name softly. Meaning: "My only true friend"
"Really? You are it?" Muhammad lowered his head, while Muna, who inherited the title of the daughter of the only true king recognized by the grassland people, wiped away her tears and stood up again.
"Well, the nostalgia ends here. If you lead the team to leave the clan privately like this, there is no way you can go back." Henry said to Muhammad and the other eleven grassland warriors: "Even if Muna still has those few An Absgenti hunter was able to keep his life because of his status and value. You warriors, from the moment you left without authorization, you were destined to be executed even if you returned."
"Mohammed?" As soon as Henry finished speaking, Muna, who had wiped her tears from behind, asked the warrior leader with wide eyes. The unbelievable meaning in her voice was obvious, and Mohammed couldn't hide it at this time. Liao Ye nodded and acknowledged this fact: "Our lives have been used for the sake of the young lady, and no one will complain if we sacrifice ourselves for this."
He said this, and the other eleven people nodded.
"Why am I like this?" Muna clenched her fists and then unclenched her fists. She gritted her teeth and wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Even if you succeed in capturing the Luoan people's princess, what Albenni told you about being able to summon the exiled Luoan people on the grassland to provide help is just a complete lie. I don't know how he told you. Yes, but Lina—" Henry pointed at the thin Princess Luoan who was hiding behind Mira and then continued: "We originally rescued him from the red beak. If he really has this ability, Ai Benny already did it.”
"Tsk - that damn scavenging hyena!" Muna cursed in the animal image curse that seemed to be her characteristic, while Mohammed and others in front let out a long sigh, feeling sorry for themselves being killed by Ai. Benny felt helpless that he had taken advantage of this.
"Now, the clan can't go back." "Why do you say that? Miss, if you are alone -" "Without your support, I am nothing but a young lady. I am just a little girl who no one cares about!" Seeing the quarrel begin! Filled among the woods, Henry clapped his hands and made a loud sound to attract everyone's attention.
"If returning to the south is going to be difficult, why not go in the opposite direction?"
"I have a proposal." He said with a calm smile on his face.
