The area two days' walk south after passing the checkpoint is the lowest point in the northern mountain range of Crescent Continent.
The snow water melted from the snow on the top of the endless mountains has formed an inherent direction after millions of years of flowing: from north to south, originating from the place where Henry and others set out, but after walking a little further, it merges with the earth. , leaving only the soil resources washed away by the water flow.
However, the water did not disappear completely, it just moved below the surface. Following the underground river, our sage and his party continued to the south, and finally the low-lying land in the north gradually seeped out to form a swamp.
This is the starting point of a tributary of Yongchuan River, the largest river in Xinyue Continent. The term "Yongchuan River" is a translation of the Laman language. In fact, "chuan" in the language of the Moon Country already contains the meaning of river, so the local official term is just called "Yongchuan River" - but let us return to the original place.
This swamp does not have an official name because it is remote and was not built by the government. The locals just call it "that village" or the more common and straightforward "swamp village".
Its origin is somewhat special. It was not even a settled village at first, but existed as a market.
Regular gatherings at fixed points for trading are not uncommon in Rigal. Despite the geographical and cultural differences, the things people do are always strikingly similar.
It's just that the origin of the market in Swamp Village is slightly different. It was not born for civilians to exchange daily supplies like other places, but was built by the warrior class of the Moon Country, the nobles.
This country's hierarchical system is extremely strict, and it is not just spoken about like the Padrosi Empire with its declining imperial power, but implemented into all aspects of life. Even if they are both nobles, if a subordinate contradicts his superior, he will be killed on the spot with a sword and is not guilty according to the laws of the Moon Kingdom.
The strict hierarchical system means that most people will be tied to their own class throughout their lives. They have no way out, and all they want to do is to maintain their current status.
Four thousand years of peace, in the eyes of Henry and others as foreigners, this unity and stability is indeed worthy of admiration. But this superficial calm cannot change the fierce competition inside.
It is similar to the Kingdom of Suomir, which is the starting point of this journey: there is no war, which means there is no large loss of population, which means that there will be no vacancies in new territories. After a long period of peace, it is obvious that the cake has been divided equally throughout the country. They were unable to improve their fiefdoms and classes through external conquests, so they had to turn to fierce internal competition. As long as someone above him commits a serious crime and is implicated in the Nine Clans, there is at least a possibility that the vacant position will fall on him.
Obviously, the so-called direct descendants of the Great Moon God who sit firmly on the throne of this country that has been unified for four thousand years are far superior to the kings and emperors of the Rigar continent, at least in terms of playing the emperor's power.
This hierarchical system, which is so strict that no mistakes are allowed, creates a mutual surveillance relationship between low-level nobles and high-level nobles. The deified royal family has become an irrefutable existence. Even among blood relatives, because the rules in the strict system are higher than blood relations, and because they are indeed linked to their own interests, it is difficult for the lower class to form a close alliance against the royal family - at least that was the case before. of.
As small as a country scholar, as large as a vassal king. The pressure faced by the nobles and gentry of the Moon Kingdom is actually far greater than that of Rigar's colleagues. Everything they say and do, including food, clothing, housing and transportation, must strictly follow the rules. But even so, there will still be nobles whose families are in decline due to poor management for various reasons.
These people were forced to sell their property due to livelihood, but this behavior would inevitably attract the contempt and exclusion of other nobles. Even without these, just being looked at with strange eyes by the untouchables is still a humiliation for the arrogant warriors who want to draw their swords and commit suicide.
Under such premise, people disguised themselves to conduct transactions at night in order to conceal themselves from others, and the so-called "ghost market" that disappeared after dawn was born.
And with such an unclear beginning, naturally all kinds of monsters and monsters got in as time went on. Stolen items, and even clothing and jewelry stripped from the bodies of recently buried rich families, further cemented the name of the ghost market.
All kinds of shady things, but the prices are much cheaper than serious channels, attract ordinary people who want to take advantage, and also attract all kinds of businessmen who travel thousands of miles to resell second-hand goods. With the population base established, corresponding service industries such as catering and accommodation were also born, and then came the romantic entertainment venues such as prostitutes and casinos. Over time, the scale grew like a snowball. In the end, a village of all kinds, including cows, ghosts, and snakes, was born, which can be called the dark corner of the Moon Country.
It's not like the people above didn't intend to clean up such a cancer-like existence. But the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Even if the envoys sent by Xinjing take the fastest boat and ride the fastest horse, it will take a month and a half to reach the local capital. And if they gather the army to deal with it, the people of Marsh Village have not yet finished gathering. I guess I heard the wind and all the noise had dispersed.
When the defeated envoys returned to Xinjing in despair, these people would gather again like a pack of rats in hiding, and continue their way of survival lively.
For this reason, the envoys sent to the north were basically regarded as young people who were too energetic and needed to be frustrated.
This kind of inside story, which only the upper class knows, was naturally told through the mouth of our doctor. Although this is not her expertise, when she wanted to go to the north to investigate, Aya's mentor tried to make her feel timid by explaining the shady secrets of this place.
Although in the end Miss Doctor couldn't resist her curiosity and embarked on the road of exploration, but because of what she heard, she would rather take a long way overland than come here through the more convenient and faster waterway.
However, the current situation forced them to have no other choice.
Although the area near Swamp Village can be considered a no-nonsense area with a mixture of fish and dragons, it is not completely disorderly. The garrison force here is not officers and soldiers, and the government explicitly prohibits soldiers from coming to this place under normal circumstances, because the romantic place easily makes young warriors forget to leave.
This place has its own armed forces. A garrison composed of wandering down-and-out warriors and bandits is responsible for patrolling around the village, and there are also private soldiers raised by the bosses of various forces.
The group of people approaching the village at night encountered a patrol carrying paper lanterns and old armor looming under cold clothing before officially entering this brightly lit sleepless place.
The other party looked very nervous, because the group of them, who had put on samurai and ashigaru armor and even had three horses including the unicorn, looked like a regular armed force.
Only samurai can ride horses in the Kingdom of the Moon. In addition, there are also extremely strict regulations on armor.
It is similar to Suomir's ban on swords, but the smarter Moon Kingdom officially prohibits private ownership of armor. Because all the officers and soldiers here, including the lower-level Ashigaru, can use bows, if the villain with a knife in his hand makes trouble, just send a group of archers to shoot him into a hedgehog.
And if the villain has a suit of armor, then even the Moon Kingdom's big bow, which has short-range power even more powerful than the long bow of the Biavenella people, will become very troublesome. In the end, they can only mobilize the warrior cavalry, who are also wearing heavy armor, to kill the evildoers with cavalry charge or elite warrior siege.
The only people who can own armor are regular warriors or ronin whose ancestors were warriors but lost their fiefdoms. Although no one would check whether a person wearing armor is a ronin or a bandit in this no-nonsense area, but due to strict circulation restrictions, most people would not want to mess with someone who can afford a pair of bright armor.
"What are you guys doing here?" Wearing straw sandals with a stubble on his face, he held a pole with the paint rubbed off but a bright blade. Although it was old, it could be seen that it had been carefully maintained. The patrol leader used He asked in a respectful tone.
"..." But the man in the front, wearing a black armor and riding a white horse, did not speak.
It's not that she puts on airs and doesn't speak, it's that she can't.
Mira, who was just the right height, wore the armor of the warrior who was finally killed by the sage. The cotton armor she wore underneath supported her figure, and the face armor and the dim environment prevented her face from being blurred. see. But this is all based on the premise that the Luoan girl does not speak.
Although there are cases of women becoming warriors in the Moon Kingdom, there are only a handful of them in the four thousand years of history. In addition to the accent problem, unless they want to leave a deep enough impression on these people so that subsequent pursuers can easily trace it, Mira is still It's better to be a decoration.
"Boom -" A sage wearing ashigaru armor, holding a spear that was only as tall as him, and dressed as an entourage walked out from behind the horse.
"..." The people on patrol were a little nervous when they saw his tall figure.
"I'm passing by here while I'm investigating some criminals." But as soon as Henry spoke, these people calmed down again.
His Moon Country language vocabulary, which seems a bit old-fashioned nowadays, coupled with his calm tone, is very suitable for the status of a follower who speaks on behalf of his master.
"If you want to interrogate, please be restrained. My lord hates unnecessary delays." After a brief explanation that was consistent with the nobility's wording, the sage revealed his identity as a warrior. It was not aggressive, but it was enough to make the other party cautious. The patrol leader, who had always lowered his head, nodded quickly: "Don't worry, sir. There is nothing to investigate. You are welcome."
He said again and again, and the sage pulled down his hat and hat, thanked him in a controlled manner, and then led a group of people slowly towards the bustling swamp village.
"Hiss, boss, do you smell something?" After a group of people walked over, a patrol member asked the captain.
"It must be lacquer. The armors of these people are probably brand new, and the smell of paint has not faded. Oh, I am so envious!" The patrol leader patted his thigh, and the group of people who entered the village quickly looked for Went to a deserted corner and began to unload the equipment.
"Women, women and children took a detour from the front. I, we will meet them in a while." The leader of the Yi tribe, who had changed into ordinary clothes, said this. A team of more than 30 Yi tribes came to Henry Under the guidance of the soldiers, they dispersed, and only about ten young adults put on armor with temporarily changed colors to accompany them. They carried other replacement items and some funds in large and small bags, preparing to purchase appropriate camouflage clothing in the market, as well as the supplies needed to continue their journey south.
And the most important thing is to find a boat that can travel down the river with waterways extending in all directions.
"The more people who know, the more trouble there will be. Don't hire a local boat owner, just buy one. Can you pilot it?" the sage said, and the leader shook his head: "Small, small boats are fine, but big boats are not necessarily."
"It's okay, I can." Henry said in a calm tone, and the Luoan girl who took off her helmet to take a breath rolled her eyes at him and said with her eyes, "Is there anything in this world that you can't do?"
"Ha." Galeva next to him also took off his ashigaru helmet. He was so nervous just now that he was afraid of being discovered. He even kept reciting a few bad words in Moon Mandarin in his heart, but fortunately because Due to strict class reasons, the other party did not dare to embarrass them.
"Anyway, let's spread out first. Two of you will go find the boat, while the others will go buy food and various clothes. Your appearance is different from that of Kazuto, so you have to be careful." Henry reminded, as a minority The facial contours of the Yi people are actually closer to those of the Rigar people. Their high nose bridge and big eyes make them somewhat different from the locals. Coupled with the blue ethnic tattoos, the situation will only be very troublesome in broad daylight.
"Here, here, it's okay for the barbarians to come and buy things." However, the leader's explanation made the sage nodded with relative assurance.
Henry and others, still wearing armor, stayed where they were to guard their money and supplies. The Yi people were divided into two groups, and one group changed back into their own clothes. The few people who looked closer to Kazuto and were more fluent in the Moon Country language were wearing the clothes of the Kazu people that they had picked up. Under Henry's guidance, they disguised themselves so that they did not look like a group of people. They took the money and started purchasing. .
The sage who stayed in place tied the unloaded armor with hemp rope, found a few stones and stuffed them in, and then slowly pushed them into the river around the swamp while no one was paying attention.
"At least the first step is completed successfully." The girl from Luoan, who was sweating because she was wearing a helmet and visor, with her white hair sticking close to her scalp, touched the little unicorn whose head was covered with a horse blouse. , so saying.
"Well, let's see how far ahead we can get." The sage took care of various things and answered.
"I hope everything goes well." Galeva slapped his forehead, and Aggie, who was also unsatisfied, began to agree with "Yeah, yeah."
It takes a genius to remember the address of this website in one second:.. Mobile version reading URL: m.
