Going up from Green Lake Town, before officially approaching Heinzwom, the theocratic and human rights center of the Suomir Kingdom, you must first cross the natural defense line named Talva-Sutta.
This is the northernmost point of the famous Palohia Plateau on the east coast. Its unique position has been destined to its geographical environment. Many wars in the Suomir Kingdom also took place here in history.
Not only the Lamanite Empire, but also the ethnic minorities in the Palohia Highlands had many conflicts with Suomir. Because Talva-Sutta is connected to the Palohia Plateau, not only the Padrosi people in the south, but also the highlanders in the east have always been a hidden danger to the kingdom.
During the years of war and peace, the Suomir people also had many cultural exchanges and integrations with the highlanders. In modern history, there were years of fighting side by side against the Padrosi. In addition, due to the geographical location of the Talwar-Sutta defense line, some new generation Lamanites who did not have a deep understanding of history also began to Originally referring to the Eastern minority "Highlanders", it was extended to the Suomir people.
In the process of circulation, mistakes will be made, and the word "Highlander" in the Lamantic language of the modern empire can also refer to the Suomir people in some cases.
From Raman to Padrosi, there are many tragic histories of imperial people falling into disgrace in front of Talwar-Sutta. However, this line of defense is far from impenetrable. Although it does have excellent defense, the Imperials are still capable of breaking through this small country's proud fortress if they pay enough sacrifices.
After years of war, the fortresses on the Talwar-Sutta line of defense have become increasingly mature in the game of spears and shields. The Suomir people are proud of this, but this naturally steep terrain will not only hinder attackers in wartime, but also make it very difficult for travelers to move in peacetime.
Even if the highway was not banned and could be used freely in peacetime, it would still take a long time to get through the winding Talwar-Sutta area. And there are military fortresses all along the way. In order to prevent too many spies from being mixed up, there is almost nothing that can form a large-scale market except strictly controlled mobile vendors.
In other words, for outside travelers, Cuihu Town is the last supply station before heading north.
Unless you want to spend very high prices on the black market in Talwa Suta to buy secretly leaked military supplies, it is best to gather enough supplies in Green Lake Town to support a journey of more than half a month before setting out on the road.
Although in the country of a thousand lakes, there is an endless stream of wild life, especially various aquatic products, in summer and autumn, it is not difficult to catch some fish in the water to grill and eat if you put some effort into it. However, as the old saying goes, "The seams in travel clothing make holes in the journey." However, people with a little bit of experience and assets still don't place all their hopes on wild collection.
Like an ascetic monk, he only carried a minimum amount of supplies or even no supplies at all and went on the road, relying on begging and collecting wild supplies along the way. If Mira had been there now, it would probably take her quite some time to get used to it.
It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. It is probably nothing more than this. When Henry and I first entered the mercenary business, it was inevitable when we didn't have much money. Nowadays, I have become accustomed to the life of bringing enough equipment and materials before going on the road. If I deliberately do not bring all the equipment and want to be self-sufficient by collecting it in the wild, then there is simply something wrong with my brain.
Half a month's worth of travel supplies for three people was not difficult to solve originally. They could complete the supplies on the same day when they rested in town and the next day, but this time they had to wait a little longer. If we want to delve deeper into the reason, it is naturally inseparable from the mighty caravan.
After all, Cuihu Town is just a small town. Its scale cannot be compared with that of one of the few large cities on the east coast such as Parnilla. The supplies it can supply for a period of time are limited. Therefore, when the three of them found an older hotel with a better price and stayed there, and then went to a local grocery store to buy supplies, they got a negative answer as expected.
Just going on the road directly like this is also an option, but since there is no overly urgent purpose, the three of them - mainly Henry and Mira - decided to stay temporarily, waiting for the boss of the trading company to transport new supplies, and at the same time enjoy the greenery. The local customs and customs of Lake Town.
This put a lot of pressure on Galeva. This outspoken young man with well-developed limbs and simple mind was of course also a very accepting person.
Mira's statement that he was a freebie was just a joke, but the young innkeeper's eldest son seemed quite serious. He thought about wanting to make some efforts, but this was not entirely for the sake of face, but due to the simple quality of the Suomir people themselves.
Although he was born in Porusaro, his family education and upbringing environment were still biased towards the traditional Suomir style. Materials have never been abundant in the bitter cold Northland, so cherishing and being grateful has become a part of the Suomir people's culture. The southern Lamanites, who had more abundant supplies, were able to overeat and even be extravagant. There was always wine and food being thrown away in Parnira all day long. People there are accustomed to this, but in Suomir, such behavior will be spurned by others.
This is also reflected in Galeva, a less orthodox Suomir man. He really can't do such a thing as eating free rice with peace of mind. Although he was really short of money, if he hadn't been with Henry and Mira, he would have had to live a life of traveling and begging like an ascetic, but it was obviously too difficult for him to have the audacity to pretend that this was a matter of course. This young man is so brainless.
Galeva only carried the minimum amount of equipment when he traveled. A cloth bag contained a change of clothes, a small amount of money, and two days of dry food. A dagger and some daily tools were hung on his waist.
He wasn't even wearing a cloak and acted like a complete novice in every aspect.
In addition to the lack of travel experience, this aspect is also related to family background. Although the family has a two-story hotel with stables and a large area, it seems that the family is well-off. In fact, at the beginning, there was only the proprietress and Irmali, the second son, who helped run the hotel. It can be seen that the operation The situation is not perfect.
After all, there are several hotels in Porusaro. If the business is not particularly prosperous, just maintaining the entire hotel will require considerable expenses. It is extremely hard for the landlady to support herself by herself, so even though the family seems to have a big business, the real assets that can be used are not that many.
Most of the wages earned by young people as porters are given to their mothers to help support the family. The final result was that his ill-considered trip was really ill-prepared. If the sage and the Luoan girl had not agreed to go with him, Galeva would not have been able to go very far by living a life of sleeping in the open air.
As slow as he is, he has more or less noticed his shortcomings. But precisely because of his family situation, he was even more unable to accept help from Henry and Mira with peace of mind, and he was full of ideas to find some use in the three-person group traveling together.
But he lacked travel experience and was hard-headed. He racked his brains and couldn't think of anything all night long. Finally, on the second day after arriving in Cuihu Town, he lost face and asked the two of them, which made the sage and the Luoan girl confused. They were both dumbfounded.
"Let's change our equipment first." The sage said, and the three people, who had packed lightly and left all their belongings in the hotel, once again headed to the grocery store they had visited yesterday.
It needs to be mentioned that owning a transportation vehicle can already be regarded as a good traveler. The vast majority of businessmen and travelers actually still travel the world on their own two feet. To cross the long Talwar-Sutta area, it was obviously not feasible for Kaleva to carry only a small cloth bag.
So the first thing they bought at the grocery store was a large rattan backpack, which is a commonly used item for traveling merchants. A large basket with a diameter of almost half a meter and a height of over 1.3 meters can hold a lot of things. In this way, Galeva could also use his porter's stamina to carry a considerable part of the supplies and camping equipment he would buy later on his back.
The price of the rattan backpack was so cheap that it was almost negligible, but after getting it, Galeva was as happy as a child. In addition to this accessory, they also bought a wool cloak and floor coverings. Although it is still summer, the temperature has dropped significantly at night, and this will intensify once we enter the Talwar-Sutta region. A campfire can provide warmth, but the cold air on the ground still needs isolation, otherwise people will only become sleepier and sleepier.
After buying these survival supplies that he carried with him, Henry and Mira discussed for a while, and then spent about 10 silver coins to buy a one-handed knife pronounced "Walilian" and gave it to him.
This approach obviously made Galeva a little uncomfortable. Although the price was relatively simple compared to the elegant long sword, 10 silver coins was still a large sum of money.
The appearance of the Valian sword is quite similar to the one-handed sword popular on the West Coast. The production process is much lower than the fancy handguard popular among the Padrosi people, so it is more common and cheaper. A simple long guard with a round handle and a weight ball, it is almost a one-handed sword except that it has a wide single blade instead of a double blade. It appears in similar forms across the east and west coasts, and is also used by knights and mercenaries, but more often as a weapon used by civilians.
War knives were particularly popular among the people in the Suomir region, and were also affected by this in the central and northern parts of the Padrosi Empire. Because in the past, the law stipulated that double-edged swords were "weapons" and could only be worn by privileged classes such as nobles, soldiers, and mercenaries. In order to defend themselves, civilians took advantage of the legal loopholes and defined them as "Japanese weapons." Tools' knives were lengthened and enlarged to create this nominally legal weapon.
Valilian means "tool knife" in the Suomir language. On top of this, there is also the "Aesop-Valilian" - a "large utility knife" - a version with extended hands. The latter The one-handed and a half sword/long sword that is very popular on both the east and west coasts is almost the same except for the blade. Some people who are influenced by Padrosi culture even add fancy handguards to it.
Of course, today's weapons control laws are based on length and weight. Large sidearms that are more than 40 centimeters long are not allowed to be carried casually in cities and towns. But all in all, it is cheap, reliable and can occasionally be used as a tool. As a weapon, the 80cm Vallien sword is a more economical choice for civilian use than a double-edged sword.
The sword wrapped in linen and equipped with a sheath is indeed much more effective as a self-defense weapon than the simple dagger Galeva carries. The young man looked at it and the newly acquired equipment with a complicated face, and then looked at Henry and Mira. But just when he was sorting out his words for a long time and planning to say something, from the left side of the door of the grocery store, That is to say, there was a crackling sound from the northern exit of the town.
Noisy sounds could be heard outside, but what could not be concealed by the murmur of people was the familiar sound of galloping horses. The owner of the grocery store, the clerk, and a group of three people all looked out curiously, as did other people on both sides of the street. People poked their heads out, looked at the visitor who made a high-pitched noise, and then saw with their own eyes The moment they saw it, many people immediately started discussing it.
"Dong dong dong dong dong -" The cavalry troops, both men and horses, are wearing armor. At first glance, they are quite similar to the regular cavalry of the Padrosi Empire, but under the dazzling sunshine, you can see to the obvious differences behind them.
Instead of capes, the backs of these cavalrymen in shining armor were made of wood, with huge feathers stuck on them that swayed in the wind as the horses ran. They literally had wings on their backs. The cavalry looked like humans, but instead they looked like angels descending from heaven.
——And this is exactly why they can run rampant in full force in Cuihu Town, where there is a weapons ban.
Such a high-profile and gorgeous unit has a prominent identity and privileges.
"Dragon-Winged Knights." The owner of the grocery store read out their names in Lamani, apparently explaining to the three of them.
"The Royal Knights, established decades ago, have top-notch training and equipment. They only obey the orders of the church and the queen. They have replaced the great swordsmen and are Suomir's top combat force today."
"What is the purpose of these guys leaving Talwar Suta and coming to Green Lake Town..." The boss muttered, showing his concern, but then he flattered Henry. They said: "You guys should not have any conflicts with them. It is best to have no contact with them. As you can see, they are a privileged class. If there is a situation, it is allowed to kill them first and then report them later."
The boss said this: "I don't want to lose good customers like you."
"Don't worry, mercenaries know how to behave with their tails between their legs." Henry replied in Laman with a smile, while Mira and Galeva next to him looked at each other and were just silent.
"Dong dong dong dong -" the sound of horses galloping gradually became smaller at the end of the southern passage, and the menacing dragon-winged knight disappeared on the other side of the road together with the impressive white wings behind it.
The sage half-closed his eyes, the image of those huge white feathers lingering in his mind.
Large feathers that are half a meter long are not common in the world. Although they can be obtained from many large birds such as ostriches and even some hybrid dragons, the feathers hanging on the wooden shelf behind that sparkle in the sun obviously do not come from Such low-level creatures.
If their names are contacted again, the answer becomes obvious.
"What the hell are you doing?" Henry said in a tone that only he could hear.
"Did something."
His gray-blue eyes reflected the brilliance of the sun outside, but his tone was a bit chilling.
