The road back to his hometown with Kaleva from the north was relatively smooth. Apart from the growing arrogance of the Lamani people within the Padrosi Empire - more so than in the past - the group of them encountered few obstacles. .
The large sum of imperial gold coins obtained through "friendly negotiation" in Chester is enough to keep the group of people living a prosperous and non-wasteful life for a long time. Even at the current price, these 800 imperial gold coins are enough for them to share equally for a lifetime. .
And this is more or less due to the Marshal who actually dislikes the sage.
Constantine's actions undoubtedly brought benefits to the people of the empire. With the defeat of the merchant lords in the south, the empire obtained a large number of slaves and forced them to sign unequal trade treaties. The wealth accumulated in the water city for centuries has been flowing continuously to the empire, and imperial trading ports such as Parnira that cooperate with the great conquerors have opened up preferential terms for commercial activities - although they also need to turn over High taxes and compliance with imperial laws.
In order to repay their debts and avoid the shrinkage of their assets, the merchant lords who were defeated in the battle drastically revised the laws and increased taxes within their own territories. They changed the laws day and night. The same tax had to be collected several times by different departments, which put ordinary merchants and civilians at risk. The act of squeezing them like endless wool caused a large number of people to flee.
And where can these Latin American businessmen with business experience and family records escape?
It would be great if there was a country that was very powerful and had a stable business environment. Although there were some more stringent regulations, it was generally acceptable, and the culture was common and easier to integrate into.
Businessmen have never been afraid of strict laws. In fact, the more business is not allowed by the law, the more profitable they are. They are more afraid of instability and precariousness.
A large amount of wealth poured in, but Constantine did not keep it for himself but used it for social construction. The merchants who came to Padrosi from the Southern City-State Alliance, which was no longer free, caused a variety of goods on the market to appear in rows, and prices repeatedly fell due to competition.
People's living standards have been greatly improved, and the categories and prices of daily necessities to luxury goods have changed dramatically.
Those cheers and praises come from the heart. When you can buy 3 times more goods with 1 empire gold coin, everyone will thank the ruler who made all this from the bottom of their hearts.
It’s not that the merchant lords in the southern territory didn’t know that all this would turn out like this. When they started to squeeze and the empire issued preferential treatment laws, it was almost inevitable for ordinary people to flee.
It's just that they are businessmen after all, and they regard their property as more important than the lives of the people in the territory and the stability of the territory.
If the Southern City-State Alliance is going to collapse, or even if the Padrosi Empire further spreads its claws and wants to take the entire Southern Territory into its pocket, then it must at least gain enough capital before its power is completely lost.
As long as you make enough money, you don't care if others are in dire straits.
Constantine brought more than just low prices and abundance of luxury goods and small commodities to the people of the empire.
The small southern Lamanite country that had returned to the empire had become a very good agricultural production area due to its abundant plains with rich soil and water. Among the unequal treaties signed by the merchant lords in the south, there was a large amount of cheap food and wine transported at cost.
In the months following the Battle of the Conqueror's Lowlands, every citizen of the Empire felt that their money was better spent.
Their labor can be easily exchanged for food to satisfy their hunger, and they can even taste some high-end food that they could not imagine in the past. The funds saved can be used to purchase daily necessities such as clothing and various small commodities. Combined with the merchants fleeing from the south, the balance between demand and supply creates a prosperous scene.
The aspiration of the people has been unshakable. People with smiles can be seen everywhere in the bustling Padrosi town. Many people wear black and white hats or cuffs. They sincerely respect themselves as Padrosi. The Derosi Empire is proud and joyful to be a citizen of the great Lamanite heritage.
And this pride and joy extends beyond people’s livelihood.
After all, Henry and his party underestimated the terrifying power of rich and powerful parents who doted on their children.
If we are so knowledgeable that it often makes people think that the omniscient and omnipotent sage is really not good at anything, it is the lack of knowledge about money due to the indifferent concept of property.
With his skills and knowledge, he looked down and out when he first met our Luoan girl. It was precisely because of this indifferent mentality.
In more than two hundred years of wandering, he has seen the demise of countless small kingdoms and once-prosperous noble families, and coins will lose their circulation value once the issuer loses influence or the country is destroyed in a war.
Just like the Ella silver coins in Water City have become less and less valuable now after the Battle of the Lowlands.
This experience that the years around you pass by much faster than your lifespan, and that things that seem as hard as money can lose value in an instant can indeed affect a person's concept of money. This also allowed him to develop the habit of earning enough money to live by doing some things after going to a place. If it were not for the education and growth of the white-haired girl, I am afraid that he would always wear the same clothes as before. That piece of crappy equipment.
——But let’s get back to the original point. This lack of concept and understanding of money led Henry to think that the 800 gold coins he asked for were enough to severely damage the aristocratic family in Chester and run out of money in a short time. Hire someone to track them down.
He was wrong.
Under the influence of the domestic reforms and victor's dividends brought by Constantine, the assets of any small noble in any empire are already considerable.
Although they kept a distance when taking the money and ran away after taking it, the lord and his wife of Chester issued a mission through the new mercenary guild system to "cruel the evil party who harmed the son of the noble", with a reward of up to 1,200 gold coins.
At this moment, blocking a group of people who were about to return to their hotel in the dark alley of this small town called Umm Pero, were several people in the front row who had wooden plaques hanging on their waists with the words "Raman" written on them. The number iii means a line of lightly-armed mercenaries with level 3.
A proud and joyful lightly armed mercenary.
They are happy because they have a more formal career and have sufficient funds to buy exquisite flower-guarded swords and daggers. They were wearing tight-fitting tops and tight-fitting cropped trousers that were common among Padrosi people, and they were also covered with small pleated cloaks. They stood in front of the sage and others with very arrogant expressions.
As for pride, they proposed to fight one-on-one in a civilized manner instead of overwhelming the group with numerical superiority and forcing them to surrender.
"Judging by the result of the duel, if we win, then follow us back and surrender, and accept the verdict for hurting the noble's son. If you win - although it is unlikely - but we will take this matter seriously Didn't happen."
The young Laman swordsman, who was a full head shorter than Henry, said this. Judging from their equipment and posture, these people were obviously from the wealthy citizen class. They had never participated in a war but had rich experience in street duels. Rather than the rough and rough mercenaries that are more common on the west coast.
The culture of street duels is very common in the Padrosi Empire, and the biggest difference between these people and soldiers on the battlefield is that they are better at using quick and deadly attacks in a lightly armed state, but are not good at dealing with armored units.
Duelists like long and thin stabbing swords. When both sides are civilians, they can use their advantages in attack distance and attack speed to continuously weaken their opponents and cause damage.
And narrow alleys are also an excellent place for weapons of this type.
But they did miscalculate something.
Umpero is different from Chester. The control here is relatively loose. Even mercenaries like Henry and others with outdated licenses can enter with weapons.
So he was carrying Kramer on his back.
When he took a few steps forward, these people suddenly noticed his physique and the big sword behind him, and there was some commotion among the duelists.
"The great swordsman of Suomir." Mira and Kaleva heard such words.
It seems that the great swordsmen of the Northern Kingdom have made some achievements on the east coast after the sage and his party left. I heard about them on the way here.
The unparalleled cutting ability and attack range of the great sword combined with the tall stature of the Sons of Qianhu make them excellent candidates for personal bodyguards of commanders and other dignitaries on the battlefield and in daily life. Through the famous Iron Butterfly Sword Technique, a close The great swordsman in the distance guard state can deal with four or five invading enemies at the same time without falling behind.
The duelists were a little panicked. They turned their heads and hurriedly pointed out the person among the few who looked less intimidating and not so weak that they seemed to be dishonorably bullying the woman as the designated duelist——
That is our Luoan girl.
Although when they saw Mira looking at Henry asking questions and the latter nodded, and then when she walked forward with a big sword behind her, several of them subconsciously took half a step back, but that was it, I have no choice but to bite the bullet.
The Luoan girl walked up to them, her pointed leather boots scraping against the uneven stone floor in the alley. She reached out and untied the Mithril Unicorn and Heavenly Swallowtail brooches, and removed them from her body. Dark green short cloak.
Because they were in a town area, their group did not wear armor, but they still carried weapons considering the complexity of the situation.
Wearing a white shirt and a dark blue warm wool adventurer's vest, the Luoan girl has an elegant body curve but her movements are nimble and not at all like an ordinary girl who looks like she will fall if the wind blows. She moves her left foot forward and bends her knee slightly and then The moment they moved their feet back, the expressions of the duelists tightened.
Immediately afterwards, the big sword was unsheathed.
The final product of the Fuso Blacksmith Workshop was a famous sword that was no less impressive than Kramer's. The well-balanced blade was like an extended arm in the hand of the Roan girl.
She stared at the opponent in front of her, but at the same time she looked at the walls of the houses on both sides of the narrow alley.
The duelists whispered, and finally a swordsman with a level II badge who looked most confident came out.
Mira observed the opponent. The rapier he held in his hand was 120 centimeters long, which was very considerable for the length of a one-handed sword. Although it is not as close as the attack range of a great sword, combined with the wider attack range using one hand, it is enough to threaten yourself.
His other hand is holding a parrying dagger with a curved guard. It seems that the method of combat is to use the curved guard of the parrying dagger to jam the opponent's weapon, and then launch a swift and precise attack with the stabbing sword. s attack.
The situation was not favorable for her.
The double-edged sword's constant attack is useful when facing multiple targets, but it becomes limited when one-on-one and in a tight environment.
Not to mention that the other party is a young man.
Despite long-term exercise, the physical fitness gap of being a female and still young is still difficult to catch up with those who are equally experienced.
The relatively heavier and more restricted weapon means she has to exert more effort to control it and avoid hitting the wall. And these combined with worse physical fitness will cause her to be defeated by the opponent waiting for work once she makes a mistake in controlling her physical strength.
When fighting against those Kazuto warriors in Xinyue Continent, she took the initiative and frequently succeeded. She relied on the Kazuto warriors' discrimination against female warriors and the unknown skills of Rigal. If she used Kazuto's weapons and tactics to fight them, the situation would be very different.
But now these people know the big sword.
Save your physical energy and try to use the powerful sword's powerful killing power to win with one blow.
She made this judgment after analyzing the equipment, physical fitness and current situation of the enemy and ourselves, so she lowered her center of gravity and brought the sword close to her body, adopting a neutral defensive posture, with the tip of the sword overlapping the line of sight of her eyes. Pointing to the level 2 mercenary opposite.
Passive defense and counterattack is not the correct application of a sword like a weapon. It should be full of aggression and dance wildly among the enemy.
But Henry praised the white-haired girl's choice.
Because she finally stopped trying to imitate herself entirely.
There are things that a sage can do based on his physical ability and level of experience. Imitation and admiration are certainly the beginning of learning, but if you ignore the reality you are in, ignore whether you can achieve it, and only know how to copy it, you will be out of touch due to the deviation between ideal and reality, and eventually you will lose track of what you already have and what you have learned. I can't do anything I should be able to do.
"There are never any advanced skills, only basic skills that can be performed stably under extreme pressure." Henry said next to him, his tone calm, as if his disciple was not in a life-or-death duel.
Recognize your own shortcomings, judge the threats and shortcomings in the situation, and then combine your knowledge of swordsmanship to make a starting move that complements your weaknesses.
Taking this step and settling down her mentality means that she has passed the first bottleneck in her career as a swordsman.
He no longer blindly followed the mentor and that figure, but began to have his own understanding and his own ideas.
Such a long and short journey finally led her to this critical moment.
"Bah-" The leather boots scraped against the stone floor, and the duelist on the opposite side could no longer stand clearly.
A younger swordsman with a more solid foundation and a rising swordsman star. And her mentor looked like he wasn't worried about her losing at all.
Any self-respecting swordsman would feel provoked by such a scene as his opponent, let alone one who was an excellent street duelist among the proud Lamanites of the Padrosi Empire.
So he moved.
The slender stabbing sword stabbed the Luoan girl's eyes mercilessly. The tip of the rapier in the field of vision was so small that it was difficult to see in the light of the dark alley. However, the Luoan girl had already secretly remembered the opponent's sword master. When he took action, he took advantage of the length of the sword and swung it to the left.
"Dang——" the big sword, which was held more firmly with both hands, easily slapped away the blade of the rapier, causing it to dodge to the outside where it could not threaten itself, and the length of the dagger used by the opponent's left hand to block was It was not enough to threaten herself, so she directly retracted the sword and pointed the sword tip at the opponent again.
"Check——" The level 2 mercenary stepped back. His original intention was to use his sword to deceive the big sword in her hand. If the opponent instinctively stepped back when being attacked, he would be caught in his violent and continuous thrusts. He is tired of blocking, but if the opponent is eager to launch a counterattack, he can also distance himself backwards to force the opponent to pursue.
Both of these impose a greater physical burden on the opponent using the sword.
But I didn't expect that this young girl stood still, calmly and quickly, and completed the block, deflection and retreat by moving her sword with her wrist.
She was still breathing steadily and staring at herself with bright eyes.
This wave of attacks was a waste of some of his energy, but now he was already riding a tiger. His arrogant self-esteem made his unsuccessful attack only increase his desire to attack. If it didn't work once, he would try again!
The stabbing sword attacked again, this time it was still a feint. He thrust out to the right and then quickly pulled it back. After deceiving Mira's block, he almost stabbed her with the sword. Lu Lu and Ling behind him couldn't stop it. There was a cry of worry, and this worry from the opponent's relatives and friends fueled the duelist's confidence, and he pressed forward, while continuously stabbing continuously.
Yes, why should I keep it?
No matter how good her mental quality is, she is still just a little girl, and she can simply attack and crush her with more abundant physical strength and experience.
The sound of "ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang." The sound kept ringing, and the cutting and thrusting attacks of the bayonet were extremely fast. The Luoan girl holding the big sword seemed tired of parrying, and she was almost attacked several times.
Lulu, Ling and even Kalava began to worry. They moved closer to Henry and motioned for him to intervene.
But the sage silently pointed to the ground in front of him.
The three of them looked at each other. They didn't quite understand what the sage meant at first.
Until he explained softly:
"She hasn't taken a step back."
In a fight between swordsmen, it is not enough just to see the sword flying and shining in the hand, the essence is the step.
"Ha——" "Ha——" The level 2 mercenary's breathing began to become disordered.
The Luoan girl, who had always stood there and blocked his attack with the smallest movements of her wrists and arms, was still breathing steadily and her eyes were bright.
"Bah--" The duelist took a step back. He wanted to distance himself and recover some physical energy, but this step was a little too far due to the fatigue caused by the continuous attacks.
If your feet are too far apart, your stance will no longer be stable.
This is the perfect moment to create an imbalance.
Mira did not miss this opportunity.
"Drink-" She shouted deliberately to attract the opponent's attention, and at the same time, she raised her sword high and struck it down.
"Wha—" the level 2 mercenary hurriedly ran away, his legs touching like knots because of his panic. He wanted to get out of this state and stand firmly on the ground, but gave up. Mira, who had the advantage of sword length, had already reached the attack range of long sword weapons - at this distance, the big sword was still effective.
She had noticed early on that these dual-wielding Laman duelists did not like the configuration of soldiers carrying one-handed swords and small steel shields, because most of the time their opponents were still other Laman swordsmen using the same configuration. , and facing a slender stabbing sword, it is a better choice to use a dagger with a curved guard to block and jam the blade.
But she was holding a big sword.
Great sword.
Strong in slashing.
"Huh--" Half-cut, pulled back, raised the handle with both hands, stepped forward, sprinted, and then cracked.
The duelist raised his dagger in an attempt to block, but the dagger was not a small shield. It did not have enough ability to withstand the impact, and his current standing was shaky and had no solid support at all.
"Dang - bang!" He hurriedly raised the dagger, which had no ability to block at all, and was knocked directly from his hand. The gauntlet hit the level 2 mercenary's face and flew out, but he could not react. When he came to eat the pain, the big sword in Mira's hand had already cut off the thumb of his left hand along the tiger's mouth, and cut it from the collarbone to the pelvis like a hot knife cutting butter.
Heat and internal organs flowed out of the cracked body.
The unbalanced feet could no longer stand at this time. The moment the fallen level 2 mercenary revealed the figure of a white-haired girl holding a big sword behind him, the remaining level 3 mercenaries on the opposite side all swallowed involuntarily. .
They dared not meet those eyes.
