Paladin

Hewitt took the letter left by the gray-robed Gray and the mage apprentices to the north, and took a waterway to turn back to East Bierrence Province, the old base camp of the mages.

And Evan led the survivors to travel long distances to join Moa City.

It was the spring of 1576, and people were taking a break in Moa, the metropolis of the province of Sabillon.

Most of the peasants are busy going back to tend their own land. Before that, they were recruited by the lord to cultivate the land of the nobility.A group of "sinful" people must still cultivate the tax-free land of the Holy See, and their return date and life are in the hands of the monks of the Inquisition.

Half of the golden season of sowing has passed, and the altar festival will soon come, and the city of Moa is warming up for it.Those merchants, craftsmen and nobles who don't need to be busy in the spring are busy preparing for the banquet - the size of the banquet will directly affect their income this year.

At this moment, at the gate of the outer city, a group of banners praying for a good harvest had been planted, and the long swallowtails rolled in the wind, making hunting sounds.

Next to the city wall are another batch of flags, which are the family emblems of all nobles and nobles in the city, the symbols of the priests stationed in the parish, the numbers of the garrisoned troops, and the logos of several protected chambers of commerce and guilds. banner.

They will occupy the top of the main city gate, but the master of any town will not think that there are too many flags, which represent how prosperous a city is.

Evan withdrew his gaze from the city gate, and after paying a few copper coins for the city entrance tax, he led the people to the assembly point.

The guard captain Corbett, who arrived more than ten days earlier than them, had been waiting for a long time. After seeing Evan, both of them were taken aback.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency Paladin, Mr. Silverfire...has he already left?" Corbett asked cautiously.

Evan replied: "He has other things to deal with temporarily, and he separated from us on the way."

Corbett breathed a sigh of relief, and stretched out his hand to guide them: "This way, Lord Paladin. Let's go to our temporary residence first, and then talk about it in detail."

Evan walked on the road with him. The roads in the outer city were winding and full of simple houses, small stalls, carts and piles of cloth bags; It took two quarters of an hour to find a residence surrounded by simple earthen walls.

After the two entered the door, many survivors of Emden rushed out after hearing the news. They surrounded the two sides, guarding the paladin with awe-inspiring eyes and walked inward.

Every time Evan turned his head, he could always see their eyes; they looked at him, as if they were looking at the coming of hope, with longing and timidity.

Evan smiled at them comfortingly. This smile seemed to break the barrier between them. Someone asked: "Your Excellency Paladin, are you the one who lifted the curse?"

Evan nodded, and simply glanced at the people around to see if they were doing well these few days, only to find that someone had tears in their eyes because of his gaze.

The descriptions of these survivors are the same as that of Corbett, they are much emaciated, but there is still hope of survival in their eyes; while Corbett's eyes are so deep that Evan is surprised when he sees him.

At this moment, Evan had something on his mind, nodded to the crowd, and followed Corbett into the house.

And the few fishermen who followed him found a place to resettle themselves; the unconscious Cecis was arranged to be carried down; the stupid Gao Shan held his metal bump and followed obediently, at the mercy of Evan. Ordered to find a place to sleep.

The two sat opposite each other, and they were silent for a moment.

Evan said: "I'm sorry... I'm afraid... I have a responsibility. I found a few of your soldiers patrolling outside, but they... have unfortunately died."

He took out the name tags of the two guards from his pocket and told Corbett about them.

Corbett looked at the two names on the nameplate, his eyes turned red after a long time, and he clutched the edge of the table tightly with both hands, finally he clenched his teeth and said with tears in his eyes: "I...I'm sorry for them. "

Seeing this mood, Evan was taken aback again, and asked, "What happened these days? Corbett, are you okay?"

Corbett was short of breath, almost unstoppable, and said with a choked voice after a while: "Your Excellency Paladin, I... I have failed your entrustment. I... I have not taken good care of these people."

Evan couldn't bear to watch any more, sighed deeply, and poured him a glass of water.

Corbett drank the water slowly, and his usual resolute and courageous face almost shed tears a few times, but he was unwilling to calm down slowly, staring at the water bowl, and said: "After we entered the city, we first notified Lord Baron Oult, but he refused to help; then I went to warn the Lord Earl of Moa, who agreed to blockade the area around Emden, but also refused to help us—he said we were the subjects of Baron Oult, He can't interfere with the baron's lordship; I went to ask several consuls of the church, and they said that these people have not been baptized, they are not considered gods, they can't interfere with the king's rule on the ground, and they don't even give... more water .

"I... just dragged on like this for a day. We had no water or food. Anyone who had the ability to enter the inner city, go to his family, and have money all tried to leave... Those who stayed here were desperate poor people. About Five or six days ago, the earl's order came into effect. After Emden's curse was made public, we lost almost all sources of income. No one dared to hire these people, so we could only live on some relief.

"Later, in order to avoid suspicion, Baron Oort announced that the guards were disbanded, and our name tags were also recalled. A few guards were desperate and sold themselves to a bishop... The dozens of silver coins they exchanged barely survived. life here."

Poverty, fatigue, helplessness and helplessness, the endless tribulations in the past few days have almost crushed the once smug captain of the guard.

That's why the people at the bottom of this continent will protect their land fiercely. Once they take root in a certain place, it is difficult to persuade them to leave.Because of the loss of their land, the home they had operated for many years, they had nothing.

No one helps them, no one pities them, their existence value may be much lower than that of a farm ox, even if they want to sell themselves as slaves, almost no human trafficker will accept it.

Life is not precious, and sometimes it is born wholesale, sold cheaply, and dies easily.

Evan waited quietly for Corbett to calm down, and said after a long time: "I will find a way. Corbett, everything will pass."

The voice of the paladin always seems to be so powerful that people have to be convinced, and feel powerful protection and guidance.

Corbett calmed down, covered his eyes with one hand, breathed gradually, and finally said: "I am sorry for my soldiers. I gave them nothing, only taught them how to fight, how to die, how to sacrifice themselves..."

"And these are very precious." Evan put his hand on his shoulder and said calmly, "Now that I have come, I will bring them back. What is the bishop's name?"

"Kyle Spencer...he is the archbishop of Moa, and he lives in the mission area." Corbett replied.

Evan walked out of the house and walked around the marked slum area.

The Earl ordered the survivors of Emden not to leave this area. The hygienic conditions here are extremely poor, the streets are dirty and piled up with various things, and there are often puddles on the dusty ground.

Evan stopped at the intersection.

He saw a five or six-year-old girl squatting on a rock, scooping up muddy water from a puddle to wash her face.She was tied to a tree by a rope around her neck, with a wheatbread on the other end, and her parents were presumably busy at work.

Evan walked up to her and handed her his water bladder.

The little girl took the clear water timidly, took a few sips cherishingly, and after a while, asked in a low voice, "You...are you an angel?"

"I'm not," Evan said.

"Then, are you the God of Light?" the little girl asked again.

Evan stroked her soft, tousled forehead, smiled at her and shook his head, then got up and left.

Nearly 500 refugees in Emden had nowhere to go and were forced to gather here. When Evan passed by, he did not see his familiar figure.

He walked out of this area and passed the gate of the inner city. Several guards guarding the gate looked at him for a long time, but he did not pay the city tax—because of his appearance, they thought he was a noble priest.

Moa's inner city and the outside are two completely different worlds.

The streets are spacious and bright, and the stone-paved roads are lined with small stalls according to the regulations. Pedestrians come in groups, including well-dressed nobles, priests, and big businessmen.

Evan inquired about the location, walked through Moa's business district, and quickly walked into the mission area.

Walking through the arch that represents the dividing line between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man, someone sprinkled holy water on him and blessed him loudly: "May God the Father guide your path, Your Excellency the Paladin."

These young people who sprinkled holy water were well-informed and had extremely sharp eyes. They could judge Evan's occupation through his clothes.

"I wish you the best of luck, too." The paladin nodded with a smile.

He came to a church and explained his purpose.

Unexpectedly, he didn't even give his name, and the doorman seemed to know he was coming, and smiled and led him the way.

Three prayer ceremonies a day are being held in the church, and the low and soothing sound of holy music lingers in this white and flawless place.This place is like heaven, with gentle and warm smiles on everyone's faces, nodding to each other when they meet, even if they don't know each other.

They wear long cloaks, often hold teachings or scriptures in their hands, and walk lightly, like a flock of snow-white pigeons walking under the light.

Someone led Evan through the courtyard behind the church to the living area of ​​the clergy.

Evan heard the sound of birds chirping. He stood in the corridor and looked back at the elms and flowers planted on both sides.

"Welcome, Your Excellency Paladin." Someone said.

Evan turned his head and saw the young archbishop still wearing the sacrificial cloak, as if he had just rushed from the ceremony.

He smiled and nodded to Evan, and gently placed the short stick in his hand on the red velvet cushion, and said softly: "Please forgive my offense, Your Excellency. Today all my irises bloomed overnight, The swallow who had been away for half a year also returned to the eaves, so I knew that there must be a noble and elegant guest coming to visit. I wonder if I have the honor to hear your name with my own ears?"