Yotsuba City is different from most major cities. The streets and markets of the common people were not built around the castle, clustering the residences of the lords and their families in the center. Tracy placed her Wiggins family outside the city in Frostleaf Keep, guarded by the Shadow Legion to avoid The mixed-race city interferes with her hometown. This measure caused a lot of trouble for visitors on weekdays, but the Duke was very insistent. She would rather build a tower and manor to handle official business in Four Leaf City than spend the night in the city.
The reason for this design is related to the shuttle station, imitating the mysterious pivot - this extraordinary area unique to the other world.
If you quickly accepted the existence of mystery, you shouldn't be surprised. When mortals without special abilities were still running on their legs, there were already people who could fly across half of the city in the blink of an eye; when people were building gathering cities in search of plains and water sources, arguing over and hating each other for all the fertile land, there were already people who would The idea hit the sky above my head.
In fact, the latter was born long before the Eastman Kingdom. Our Lord of the Sky, Croy, is one of the seven fulcrums of the mysterious realm. The astrologers whose mission is to monitor the mysterious place of Knox and the survival of order have lived peacefully above everyone's heads for three thousand years. Their descendants created prosperous kingdoms above the clouds and took these miraculous structures for granted.
If they had always been so peaceful, it might not be an illusion for mortals to regard them as descendants of gods. Unfortunately, there are seven fulcrums in the mysterious realm, and the existence of mysterious creatures is as common as wind and rain! Since some people are willing to live on the clouds, there will be people who rely on the earth under the influence of gravity, or even hide underground, especially the latter, but only if one day you find an isolated mystery called the "Ashes Temple" Fulcrum, you will discover this: their isolation from the world is not without reason.
Distance kept Knox separate.
But if you think that distance can stop mysterious creatures from being curious about unknown places, that’s a bit unrealistic. Therefore, just as the astrologer ancestors built cities on the clouds, the mysterious creatures naturally planned themselves and applied their special abilities to all aspects of life. When the plan started to be implemented, all the miracles in the world were born.
People's lives have been completely changed by the "Ritual Ladder" - a magic that is composed of complex patterns and magic runes to achieve a mysterious "stair climbing". Through the ladder, you can climb up to the stars... as long as the stars have an exit.
The exit of the staircase is the shuttle station.
However, although people's residences have expanded to the sky and limited land is no problem, it does not mean that they have nothing to fight for. Before the mysterious realm of Knox gained peace, the gadgets they created with mystery were passed on to mortal hands through war. These things include alchemical creations, mysterious items, professional inheritance, status systems determined by mystery, damn magic potions, vassal distribution management plans, speculations on the origin of the gods and demon hunting doctrines... as well as ladders and shuttle stations.
Considering the strategic significance of the Moment Ladder, Tracy arranged the shuttle station near Frostleaf Castle, and it is not difficult to understand her behavior of being guarded by the Swift Shadow Legion. Facts have proved that when Four Leaf City was caught off guard by the undead attack and burst into flames everywhere, the remaining vitality of Frostleaf Castle was the only savior of the entire city...
...At least Uriel thinks so.
Frostleaf Castle is the Duke's residence and has never been visited by apprentices before. If there is a difference between the inside and outside world, will the location of the castle change? He could only hope not.
Uriel had already crossed Sombigrad Street. Along the way, the corpse-eaters he encounters seem less threatening than he imagined. The undead don't wander around the roadside. They hide in corners and only jump out to attack living people passing by. It must be admitted that bloodthirsty instinct alone cannot achieve this level. Maybe the dead are still conscious... but this little consciousness still needs time to grow.
"The fire of the undead comes from the body," Mr. Ring warned before leaving, "Don't treat them as wood, it's better to treat them as weak wild dogs. The sooner you deal with them, the safer you will be." The threat of these things depends on the quantity.』
"I don't know how many people there are in Yotsuba Castle...?"
"There is no one in Gaia's church," the messenger told him.
Now Uriel has arrived at the church. The guard was nowhere to be seen, and he was able to walk into the main hall and see the dead man in black robes and the frozen fragments beside the fountain. The statue of the goddess Gaia is as dignified as the outside world. Her skirt is slightly raised, collecting melted snow water. No wonder the messenger thought it was safe here. Apprentices can feel special traces. They expel natural magic, gather cold particles, and bring a threat of deep fire to all those who come close. The heat wave of the flaming moon lingers outside the gate, keeping a distance from this place.
Uriel stopped to rest. His mouth was dry and his muscles were sore, but the magic power was being controlled by the fire, slowly replenishing his physical strength. This gave him no reason to stay in the church. When he went out, another undead pounced on him.
"I know why you are so anxious," the apprentice whispered. He swung his sword to cut off its arm, and brown blood flowed down the blade and slowly solidified. "Except for me, you haven't seen a living person for a long time, right?" The tip of the sword knocked on the ground, and dark frost fell.
The corpse twisted its shoulders and tried to bite his face.
Uriel cut off the limbs first, then the head. The blade is sharper than you can imagine. He suspected for a moment that the corpse-eaters might not have been human in life, but something like butter or bread. Cutting meat won't be that easy.
"RIP, Father."
He gradually got used to the feel. When the body fell silent, its companions rushed forward. The apprentice pushed magic into the weapon, the frost shimmered, and the long street seemed to light up. The light flashed and disappeared at the other end of the road. The magic sword destroyed all obstacles, and the roar of the undead suddenly stopped. Only the broken limbs were still crawling in the mud.
Before the recovery of magic power could keep up with the consumption, Uriel passed through the city gate. Like the church, there were no guards here, but the apprentice saw blood stains and messy debris, which indicated the battle that had taken place here. What about the patrol knights? he wanted to know. What about the city guard and the security patrol? No one responded. The envoy believed that they were all wiped out, and the apprentice could only hope alone. I must inform the lord as soon as possible. What else could I do?
There are no undead disturbances on the outskirts of the city. Soon, the flaming red flag of Frostleaf Castle was visible in the distance.
…
"Do you know who is the most disgusting person in the court?"
"An arrogant, arrogant person?"
Tracy studied her nephew. "It seems you care about the Kingdom Council."
DeWitt Hearn stood behind her, trying to straighten up under her gaze. He wears a dark blue coat and a snow-white shirt, with gold threads on the edges to draw wave-like curves. His cloak is decorated with chains that fasten from his chest to his shoulders, and his sleeves and collar openings are studded with silver nails. In terms of dress sense, he was far better than Duke Messettori.
But in other places, this person is far inferior. Viscount Herne looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a bald chin and slender eyebrows. His hair is neatly curled on top of his head, intentionally exposing his forehead and eyes. He has gray-green pupils, and the skin on his nose and between his eyebrows is very smooth, like the belly of a fish. In the eyes of the Eastman people, although they are not ugly, they have extremely obvious alien characteristics. Young and energetic kid. In the eyes of peers and elders, revealing the differences between oneself and others is a very courageous act. However, in the eyes of the nobles of the kingdom, this can only have the opposite effect. People will remember your origin and status, not your courage.
Tracy didn't bother criticizing him. DeWitt didn't like preaching, no matter who it was. Horses can be afraid of whips. She would also use this against him, but it was clear that he was incapable of taking real advice. To be honest, he was far removed from his brother, and it was impossible to get the support of the royal party.
DeWitt and Easter, these two brothers are both biological sons of their sister, and they once had the same status in the royal family. However, times have changed, and the inheritance system insisted on by the royal party and the Talbot family will not change. . Although Flavia is the queen, it does not mean that her children have the right to inherit the crown.
"The birth of DeWitt was all due to your support." She said to Norman, "You let Flavia marry that damn fishman and brought shame on the honor of the Wiggins family, but now you want to write it off? I don't Will allow it.”
"The honor of the royal family has also been trampled on, Tracy. Do you think I am willing to give the queen to a foreign race? She is His Majesty's wife, Eastman's queen, and Ister's mother. The situation does not allow us to choose."
"Are you happy? You did it!"
"If you had protested earlier, perhaps we would have considered your opinion, Tracey. But you came too late, too late for His Majesty to die on Motog—"
"That's your mistake, not mine. I'm just the master of the Four-leaf Territory, and I can't persuade the King of Eastman to obey. He is my monarch. I don't have this power. In the end, aren't you the most important person to him? A trusted minister?" Tracy pointed out without mercy. "So don't blame me, Norman. I am completely benevolent and I don't owe you anything."
"Good. We don't owe you anything either."
"That's not true. DeWitt originally had the right to inherit the crown, didn't he? It was you who took advantage of the situation and took away his power."
"You know exactly where his power comes from."
He was right, Tracy knew it. When Eastman faced a crisis, it was thanks to his sister's marriage that he saved the situation. But this time it was different. Her marriage was no longer a marriage between the royal family and a big noble to stabilize her status. Instead, it was a king-queen marrying an invader, turning enemies into friends in order to survive. Tracy had never agreed to such a thing, but as Norman said, she was too late to rewrite the facts.
So the mistakes continued. Flavia is a healthy and mature woman, and it is reasonable to have children. But when the royal party pinched her nose and admitted her inheritance rights with the hybrid born from an alien race, Tracy was still surprised. She originally thought that the royal party would only recognize the royal blood of the Talbot family. When you were trying to please the fishmen, would you have expected today's situation? She really wanted to know the answer.
"In short, DeWitt has his own responsibilities, but he is not the king. We have to rely on the law to govern the country, not on emotions and words." Norman was very reluctant to talk about this matter. "If you must say it, Knight Bay That’s where he belongs.”
"Where does the conclusion come from? The law?"
The Parliamentary Secretary gave her an annoyed glance. "What else? A difference in climate? The humid air of the bay suits him, that's absolutely true."
At the time, Laurence Norman had not yet realized the importance of Knights Bay. Tracy thought scornfully. At that time, DeWitt and Ister's half-sister had not yet been born, and Knight's Bay was just a deserted port that had just been taken back from Naga, and it was full of unpredictable risks... The royal party only focused on the present, but I could see it. The future of seaports.
Knight's Bay is located on the east coast of the kingdom, where the Gorge River merges into the Sea of Singing. In terms of scale, it cannot be compared with the Four-leaf Territory in the South. In terms of terrain, it is not as flat and wide as Messetto in the west. Knight's Bay was originally only an earldom. After the Holy War, the Nagahai tribe invaded the interior and pushed the Eastman Kingdom into a desperate situation. The royal party relied on betraying their sister in exchange for peace. But when the fishmen abandoned the land and returned to the deep sea, what they compensated DeWitt was the ruins after the war.
And when peace truly comes, Knight's Bay will usher in a new life. The port of the Sea of Singing has shown unique advantages, making the ruins the kingdom's closest sea channel to the north of the mainland. One of the seven fulcrums of the mysterious realm, the Oath Keepers Alliance formed by alien races, their location is on the northern coast.
Then there is the bastard prince who was also abandoned by the royal party. He would soon assume the title of lord of this prosperous land. No matter what, Tracy thought, DeWitt is Flavia's biological son and also my relative. Obviously, he's going to be on my side representing Knights Bay. But that day is still too far away...
...maybe not far away. This bastard prince who is not recognized by the royal party has grown up. Norman couldn't wait to ask him to leave the royal capital and return to his territory. This is why Tracy attended this meeting in person. Si Ye Ling was busy with affairs, and it was rare for her to leave Nanguo to discuss the future path of her juniors with her sister.
"I shouldn't care, should I?" DeWitt asked. There seemed to be provocation in his eyes, and he was not satisfied with her tone.
But he had to get used to it. "No. The problem is that you care about the meeting, but you only have this answer?" DeWitt frowned. "So insensitive! Boy. Knight's Bay needs a wiser lord." Tracy quickly picked up the whip of criticism.
"...I'm sorry, Aunt Tracy." He lowered his head stiffly.
"Keep thinking."
A full half minute passed. "A greedy person?"
"That's wrong." Tracy didn't want to wait any longer and gave the answer: "People who are ignorant of current affairs are the least popular."
"Tivin Messatori? He did it on purpose, just to contradict you. As soon as Bishop Forest opened his mouth, he changed his mind."
"Tivin Messatori," she repeated, "this man must have made a deep impression on you. You thought of him as an easy fool, but do you really understand fools?"
DeWitt moved his eyes unhappily, obviously not thinking that the fool had any need to understand.
"First of all, if you don't know a kind of people, you can't judge whether others belong to their ranks." Tracy told him, "Secondly, Tywin is a partisan of Bishop Peyton Forest, and his stupidity will not interfere with Big picture, because at least he listens to other people's suggestions. A weakness that cannot be exploited is not a weakness."
She made no allusion to DeWitt, but the comparison between him and Duke Tywin really made the child uncomfortable. Tracy knew that he did not take the princes into consideration and believed that Prince Ister was his opponent. This absurd mentality can be adjusted slowly.
"Finally, DeWitt, tell me you're listening?"
"Yes. Aunt Tracy. I'm listening."
"Then the last point." She spoke slowly, "All interactions between princes are based on interests. Those who break the rules and are ignorant of current affairs will be ostracized by the entire court. They will not end well, without exception! Remember me if."
