Chapter 214: The Royal Capital

The merchant fleet headed north along the Chishui River's tributary, passed through Silver Light City, and entered the Grand Canal leading to the capital. Eight {one novel [〈〔＜

Tassa remembered reading it in the "Greycastle Chronicles", and it was a wasteland two hundred years ago. In order to transport the silver mines mined from the nearby mines back to the capital, Wimbledon I convened the stonemason association and nearly 10,000 handymen. It took 20 years to dig this canal connecting the capital and the silver mine, and the surrounding area of ​​the silver mine gradually formed. A city was built, which was later named Silver City by the former king.

However, the scene unfolding in front of his eyes at this time is difficult to connect with the wasteland two hundred years ago. There are dense farmlands on both sides of the canal, and a little farther away, there are stretches of villages. This reminded him of the Kingdom Avenue in Border Town. When that road is repaired, I'm afraid the foot of Impassable Mountain will become densely populated.

"I heard that you used to be from Wangdu?" A woman's voice sounded from behind.

Tasa turned his head, and now it was Margaery, the owner of the caravan. He nodded, "Before I became a palace guard, I lived in the inner city."

"How does it feel to go back to where you came from?"

"To be honest, it's okay," he said, "If it wasn't for His Highness's arrangement, I would rather stay in Border Town. Although the capital is prosperous, it makes people feel short of breath." This is especially true for the low-level nobles , Tassa thought.

"Really?" Margaery smiled, "How much do you know about His Royal Highness Roland?"

"What's wrong?" This question made him feel a little shivered.

"I think he is really an incredible person. He had a very bad reputation in the capital, and you should have heard a lot of rumors about him, but in Border Town...it's not like what the rumors said at all, no matter what. Behavior or thoughts are unpredictable," she paused, "If the steam engine is just a proof of his knowledge and talent, why are the fighters he trained so different?"

Tasa glanced at the soldiers of the First Army sitting on the deck—considering that activities around the capital should be as concealed as possible, they were not equipped with muskets, nor did they wear uniforms, but changed into various military uniforms. He wore leather armor and carried a wooden gun behind his back, which looked like a caravan guard. Most of them were away from the western border for the first time. Although they looked around curiously and talked a lot, none of them took off their shoes or put down their weapons.

On the other hand, the mercenaries of the caravan, many of them had already entered the cabin in order to avoid the sun, and the three or four people who stayed on the deck took off their shoes, untied their weapons and put them aside, lying flat in the shade.

"I don't really know," Tasa said helplessly. It wasn't that he wanted to hide it, but it was that he really didn't know—since the fourth prince arrived in Border Town, it has become very different from before. "Maybe His Highness has been disguising himself before."

"Is...is that so?" Margaret was noncommittal to the answer. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly stretched her finger forward, "Look, that's the city wall of the royal capital, we're almost there."

At the end of the field of vision, there was a hazy blue-gray. Just standing here, you can feel the majesty of the city wall—this is the most outstanding work of the masons before they were disbanded. It is second to none in Graycastle in terms of height and thickness. I heard that there are even rooms and passages left inside the city wall, which can accommodate nearly a thousand soldiers to rest, so as to realize seamless patrols and fast support.

When the city wall clearly appeared in front of Tasa's eyes, the figures of the fugitives also entered his field of vision.

A large number of civilians gathered on the outskirts of the capital. They built simple sheds along the city wall. White smoke rose from the fire pit in front of the sheds, as if they were cooking porridge. From the current point of view, these people have not run out of food, and their complexion is not bad. However, the relief food in the capital will definitely not be kept endlessly. When the nobles have selected suitable labor, they will send troops to drive these people away.

"What are you going to do?" Margaery asked curiously, "Are you sending His Highness's soldiers to spread the word?"

"No, not to mention that it's inefficient, and it's easy to attract people's attention," Tasa shook his head and said, "If you want to do business in the capital, you have to bribe officials or hire rats. You should have a deep understanding of this."

"Indeed," she laughed, "I wanted to remind you a few words, but it seems unnecessary. Then, if you need money, just come to me." Margaret handed him a sign, " As long as this is displayed, the store manager will contact me immediately. Of course, gold dragons below a hundred pieces can be withdrawn directly with it."

"Thank you." Tasa took the token - it was a deep red stone, completely clear, with a line of words that had never been seen engraved on the end.

"You're welcome," she chuckled, "Your Highness will repay the money to me along with the interest."

After arriving at the canal wharf, Tasa asked the soldiers of the First Army to stay in the outskirts to wait for news, trying to avoid the sight of the royal city patrol team as much as possible, while he entered the city with the caravan. When passing through the city gate, he noticed that the guards were much stricter in checking, obviously not wanting the fugitives from the east to mix into the city.

Entering the city, the first thing that caught his eyes was a row of towering gallows.

There were four women with their hands tied behind their backs hanging above them, emitting a stench under the scorching sun. This scene made Tasa frowned.

"Tifeco hunted witches in the city wantonly, and they are all unfortunate people who were caught," Margaret sighed, "But it's not accurate to say that, some witches are just tired of the nobles, and it's time to take advantage of this The opportunity is gone. It is hard to say whether it is better to continue to be imprisoned in a dark room without light, or to get rid of the pain as soon as possible... Anyway, I hope they can rest in peace."

During the half a year in Border Town, Tasa has already realized that witches are not as unforgivable as the church preaches, they are no different from ordinary people except for their strange abilities. Judging from the figure of the woman on the gallows, the youngest may be only fourteen or fifteen years old, which made him feel a little depressed, and the feeling of being out of breath returned.

The outer city of Wangdu has not changed much from half a year ago. Except for the main road facing the city gate, which is paved with bluestone, the other side roads and alleys are all muddy. The midsummer sun caused cracks on the ground, and as long as a carriage passed by, there would be a burst of yellow dust. It's hard to imagine that the capital of the kingdom actually lost out to a remote town outside the western border in terms of municipal construction.

After crossing two streets, the caravan group headed to the market area. Tasa waved goodbye to Margaery, and turned into an alley alone.

He came to the door of the "Underground Trumpeter" tavern familiarly, opened the door and walked in.

"Hey! It's only open at night!" someone shouted.

Tasa ignored him, walked directly to the bar, and said in a deep voice to the strong man who was buried in his glass, "Do you still remember me?"

"Are you a grasshopper jumping out of a crack in a rock? Didn't you hear that the tavern only opens at night?" He put down his glass impatiently, raised his head with a sullen face, and the two bartenders who were tidying up the tables and chairs also surrounded him, "Now I'll count to three—Ta, Thasa-sama?"

"It's me," Tasa spat aside, "I have a good deal for you." (To be continued.)