What was somewhat beyond Mira's expectation was that after being defeated almost unilaterally by the sage, the young master who originally looked like a villain did not make things difficult for them.
Perhaps it was because the sage sharply pointed out his shortcomings in martial arts. The impact was far greater than the shame of being provoked and defeated. He silently walked aside without saying a word and ignored the group of people again.
This made Mira, Sakura and the samurai leader next to them relieved, because if the young master got angry and asked the samurai captain to execute the three of them on the spot, with the strict superior-subordinate relationship of the Moon Country, he would really only Can obey orders.
Even if executing the master's guests would result in his own death, getting angry at the young master is something that only the master is qualified to do.
This is a situation that only exists in the Moon Kingdom with four thousand years of feudal tradition. Not only are civilians not allowed to resist the samurai nobles, but lower-level samurai are also bound to follow the orders of the superior nobles.
They need to follow a series of rules that are so strict that they are inhumane: From the time they are sensible, as a martial arts attendant, not only must their martial arts be honed at all times, but also how to serve the monarch is taught by words and deeds from generation to generation, forming an unshakable principle.
There is no circle without rules. What constitutes the stability of the Moon Kingdom for four thousand years and forms the root of the samurai class is this code that must be strictly observed by everyone above and below.
This may be the most fundamental difference between this country and Rigar, the Luoan girl thought as she carefully observed the actions and serious faces of these warriors.
The king of the Ligar people is the law, and in the territory of the nobles, the nobles themselves are law to a certain extent.
If there are wise kings and wise men to guide them, then a country and a city can naturally prosper. But if you encounter a foolish and ignorant person, then the country or city-state will inevitably decline due to personal ignorance and incompetence.
In other words, the fate of many Rigal countries is closely tied to the personal abilities of their top leaders.
People make mistakes and have impulses. Therefore, throughout the ages, there have been famous aphorisms such as "The Lord cannot be angry and raise an army, and a general cannot be angry and cause war."
But the Kingdom of the Moon is different. Although what she saw was just a glimpse of a leopard and not the whole picture, the Luoan girl could vaguely feel it.
What controls the entire country is a strict code that overrides everything else, a tradition that citizens of all classes follow for generations. Because it is not a human being, it does not make mistakes or be impulsive like humans. The royal family of the Kingdom of the Moon calls themselves the sons of the Great Moon God. They have elevated themselves from mortal leaders to incarnations of divinity, and with the mystery brought about by this transcendent identity, they have erased the burdens they need to bear as human beings. of many things.
They are the top leaders of this country, but perhaps they are not as enthusiastic about holding power in the world as the emperor and king of Rigar.
Non-human existences, invisible existences, lifestyles and class concepts that absolute reason must absolutely abide by. This kind of tradition and code, which is so strict that even the Suomir people would probably be ashamed of it, has built the peace of the Moon Kingdom for more than 4,000 years.
Ancestors have lived in this way for generations, and the prosperity of this country for more than 4,000 years has been enough to prove the superiority of this way of valuing collective will over individual will.
Therefore, if the young master of the Qing Prefecture ordered the samurai to kill three people, they would definitely follow it, even if they all had to commit suicide later to apologize, they would not hesitate.
Because rather than being right, they care more about whether they rebelled against the class they were born in and whether they rebelled against the traditions of this country.
In a way, Mira felt incredible about this.
But in other aspects, she felt that she could understand it.
Human thinking has inertia. If you do something for a long time, it will become a habit. When a habit is formalized and recognized by many people, it will become a common "tradition" among these people.
How hard is it to break a habit?
Taking herself as an example, after getting used to having sufficient funds in the world of Rigal to purchase various ingredients, field tents and other equipment, Mira felt seriously uncomfortable when she became helpless again in the Moon Country. .
And this is just a habit for a year or two.
To make these warriors deviate from the education they have received since they were sensible, and the rules they have followed for more than ten years, this comes from their own resistance, and I am afraid it will be far more serious than the little inconvenience of the white-haired girl. huge.
There were no other disturbances on the rest of the way. After passing through a few more doors, it was obvious from the small and lack of decoration that the houses were filled with back-office departments and utility rooms to hide from others, and they finally came to a house. At first glance, it looks like a two-story longhouse where important people live.
The grand-sounding palace of the city lord, with an endless stream of guests every day, was obviously not something that Henry and his party could pass by. Once he bumped into a woman with a long tongue, the news that the Lord of Qingzhi City had received a group of Nanbarians would spread like the wind.
So when they came, they took a secret passage. The place where they waited for the city lord was also the private residence of the city lord and his family at the back of the mansion, not the main office hall.
This place is guarded by close samurai and is not a place where casual visitors can enter and exit.
"Please wait for your Majesty in the tea room." The samurai leader said, and then waved the samurai who were holding the three-person sidearms that had been collected earlier to go aside to store things in the warehouse.
"Please take off your shoes." The samurai leader spoke again, and then made two gestures to his subordinates. Most of them dispersed, leaving only two men holding spears standing on both sides.
"Click -" A kneeling woman opened the door with her head lowered inside the tea room, then bowed to the samurai leader and exited. She didn't raise her head the whole time, but her movements were still smooth.
Although it is called a longhouse, it might be more appropriate to say that it is a long corridor connected by multiple compartments. Henry and others took off their dirty shoes, and unexpectedly but expectedly, the samurai leader also followed them up.
The residence of the lord of Qingzhi Castle is also a typical Kazuto architectural style. Because it is located near a river and the ground is damp and cold, the house itself was raised off the ground using wooden frames. The group left their shoes on the dirt floor, then stepped onto the flat wooden boards and walked into the interior of the teahouse, which was cushioned with straw.
The tea room with the paper doors on both sides opened was very bright, and Henry, Mira and Sakura sat down casually before the samurai captain walked in.
There is not much decoration inside the tea room. Apart from a paper lantern placed on the other side, there are only a small round low table painted with black paint in the middle, a mahogany cabinet directly opposite the three people, and A calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall of the cabinet.
"My Lord is still on official business, but my subordinates have gone to inform you of your arrival, so please wait here with me." The warrior captain said, untied his helmet, and tied his waist He took out the long knife among the two knives and placed it on the side of the cabinet behind him, and then took off his body armor.
Not only Mira, but also Henry could not help but mention the nature of his subsequent operation. The warrior leader rotated a flat rotating rod on the top of the helmet. After aligning it with the long groove on the curved frame, the entire helmet was made up of an upright conical structure that overlapped into countless large and small circles. Round cake.
After that, he folded the body armor composed of mail armor and square armor pieces in the same way, stacked it with the helmet and placed it next to it.
This light and easy-to-store equipment made the Luoan girl's eyes shine. The warrior leader noticed these details, but he said nothing.
The weight of the armor was lifted, and what was exposed underneath was a single layer of casual clothes with some embroidery, but it could be seen that the material was only made of cotton and linen. The style is very ordinary Japanese wide clothing. The warriors of the Moon Kingdom do not wear thick pads made of multiple layers of linen or stuffed cotton like the Rigar people. Perhaps it is because the weather here is more humid and hot, or perhaps it is just because the long-term peace makes them not need to That level of defense.
"Lord Narumi." The woman who had opened the tearoom door and exited came in again. She knelt down at the door and bowed to the samurai. It was only at this time that the three of them knew about the samurai leader. Name taboo.
Narumi, who had a pair of sharp eyebrows and a pale face, nodded to the woman, who brought in a wooden square plate from the side of the door with several cups of hot tea on it.
She quietly and deftly placed the teacups on the low table one by one, and then without saying a word, she took out the armor that Narumi had folded next to her.
It can be seen that this servant woman often does this kind of thing, because although the armor is heavy, it does not seem laborious for her.
"Please use it. It may be a bit difficult for the two of you who came from the other side of the ocean, but this one here..." Narumi did not finish his words, and the three of them just nodded politely, and then picked up the rough words one after another. Dark green tea in a ceramic tea cup.
The cool temperature in early spring makes the tea emit mist. The unglazed stoneware teacups are hand-shaped into a bamboo texture. It is obviously the ingenuity of the potters who made them to show the local characteristics of Qingzhi.
Mira took a sip first, and then almost choked.
The sage on the side also frowned, but continued to drink without saying a word.
"It's so bitter." The girl from Luo'an felt a little uncomfortable. The tea served here was quite different from the kind she had drunk before in the small village.
"It's made from ground green tea leaves, so the flavor is different." Sakura looked at her frowning eyebrows and explained with a hint of amusement.
Let’s not force things that we can’t get used to. Our Luoan girl, who is still young, put down the tea cup in her hand and started to look outside, while the three elders, the sage, the oiran and the samurai, continued to drink in silence. of hot tea.
Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened, but it was not entirely because of the approaching night.
The cold wind blew by as the two maids trotted and handed the samurai guarding the door a coir raincoat woven from plants. They expressed their gratitude, put huge raincoats on their shoulders, replaced the helmets on their heads with rainproof hats, and continued to stand guard. And just a short while later, the rain began to pour down.
The rainwater flowing down the eaves of the longhouse fell on the sides of the warriors. Something built with bamboo in the distant yard suddenly turned to the other side with a "boom!" after being filled with water, attracting attention. Attention of white-haired girl.
She blinked her eyes and stared motionless at the rain that was blown by the wind and falling sideways, as well as the ornamental objects in the yard.
The previous maid came in for the third time and lit the lantern in the corner with a fire stick, causing the interior of the tearoom, which had reduced visibility due to dark clouds, to be enveloped in a warm orange light.
After a while, a burst of noisy footsteps came from not far away, but it was not the city lord who had been waiting for a long time as expected.
"Dong——" "Ah——" After a muffled sound, there was a dull voice that was familiar but not seen for a long time.
"Don't always be like this, okay." This was followed by a woman's voice that spoke seriously but also had a hint of helplessness.
"Don't blame me, who makes the houses here always built so low - ah - hiss -"
"My lords, please come this way." The maid's voice sounded, and then Galeva, who was covering her head, Miss Doctor, Lulu and the missionary appeared at the door on the other side.
"Ah!" Leng Touqing cried out.
"Huh?" Mira rolled her eyes.
"You were also arrested?" Before he could react, he explained clearly the reason why they were here in one sentence - although the sage had already guessed it, after all, just like him As expected, there are really not many people in their group who know how to hide things from others.
"Yeah." Henry shrugged, lying without changing his face or heart.
"Oh." Ling held her forehead and sighed, then looked at Sakura who had changed her hair to short hair - she actually didn't notice him until this moment, because it was just a one-sided relationship before, and the image of the oiran The changes are just too great.
"What will happen to us next?" Aiji hurriedly spoke next to him. Judging from his appearance, which was so thin that his cheekbones were protruding, people who didn't know would think that during the period of detention, What kind of abuse they suffered, but others were rosy-cheeked, which was obviously the reason why the timid young missionary was so scared that he couldn't eat.
When the Luoan girl was still on the ship, she always felt that with a fussy character like his, crossing the ocean to be a missionary was really asking for death.
Now she felt more and more that her vision was getting sharper.
The samurai leader Narumi quietly retreated to a corner of the tea room to make room for the reunited group. But even though they were under the roof, they didn't say much. After just a brief exchange of greetings, they all sat down quietly.
"I understand." The maid who led them over said something to Narumi, while the samurai leader nodded.
"The master wants you all to wait here with me after we join him. After he has finished handling his official duties, he invites you all to go and have dinner with him."
