"I guess... for a coachman like you who is forced to change his career, there must be other people in Alanster."
"Ah... That's right. Just as you have seen before, the economy of Alanster has had some minor problems recently. Some people have lost their jobs or been forced to change their careers. There are indeed still drivers like me. I recognize several of them who used to run the same route with me.
"The economy has started to improve recently. In the most tense months in the past, my colleagues changed jobs one after another, sold their cars, and many people in the Alanster horse-drawn carriage long-distance passenger transport were hit. The postal service also had problems. Many postmen were suddenly laid off. As you saw just now, there are still people making a fuss in front of the post office."
The old driver was talking as he drove. Hearing what the old driver said, Ed spoke thoughtfully.
"It seems that Alanster's transportation and mail delivery business has not been doing well recently..."
"Well... you are right, sir. There is indeed a problem in this area. But not all of them are problematic, and not all people are affected." After listening to Ed's words, the old driver responded, and Ed spoke out of curiosity.
"Oh...like?"
"For example...those who run freight. Most of us who run passenger transport have a hard time, but those horse-drawn carriages that run freight are almost always running as if there are no people. Not only do they have no less business orders, but they have even increased in recent times. Many of my former colleagues in the industry have now converted their carriages to run freight. I have the same idea."
While driving the carriage, the old driver continued to speak. Listening to the old driver's words, Ed couldn't help but show an expression of interest.
“Has freight become busier? Do you know which routes are busier?”
"That's a lot. Derek to Alanster... Ethel to Alanster... In short, these are freight routes between other cities in Friesland and Alanster. There are routes in every city, and as far as I know, they are all similar. You can't say which route is more obviously busy." The old driver said this to Ed. Listening to the old driver's words, Ed couldn't help but touch his chin and began to ponder.
"Are they... almost the same?"
In this way, Ed sat in the carriage driven by the old coachman, and began to tour the scenery of Alanster under the guidance of the other party. After crossing several canals and visiting several scenic spots in the city, the old coachman drove away to the outskirts of the city.
As Ed got closer to the outskirts of the city, he could see that the surrounding buildings were becoming increasingly sparse, replaced by a vast expanse of natural scenery.
Driving the carriage, the old driver drove into a small road and drove all the way up a small hill. Then he asked Ed to get off. After Ed got off, the old driver guided him to look into the distance, and then he saw a beautiful scenery.
Behind the scattered trees on both sides of the road in the distance, lush green grass stretches to the distance, and between the undulating small hills, it connects with the blue sky. The waterways extending from the city surround the lush fields. Several tall windmills stand in a row between the fields, and the blades slowly turn under the breeze. The colors of the sky, grass and water blend perfectly, and with the dotted windmills and the blowing breeze, the scenery in front of you is just as refreshing as looking at it.
"Look, sir, there is a windmill village over there. Foreign tourists who come here to travel like to see this. How is the scenery?" The old driver asked Ed while pointing into the distance, and Ed said with a smile.
"The scenery is nice. It looks like you have a lot of windmills here."
"Yes, there are many windmill villages in Alanster, the most in the whole of Friesland. In the past, during the busy farming season, when other places could not store the wheat, they would choose to transport it to Friesland for processing. In the past, this place was the grain processing center of half of Friesland." The old driver introduced it to Ed, and Ed asked back after listening.
"So what about now?"
"Now, ha! Now it is the grain processing center of the entire Friesland and even the entire North Sea! After those large machines and factories are built to the east, the grain processing industry in Friesland will be the strongest in the entire North Sea, and it is not just about processing wheat.
"Fish, wheat, fruits, etc. from other places are processed into canned bread, wine, and other products here, and then sold throughout the North Sea and even the world. The brand of Alanster is very famous, and you should have heard of it in other places. This is all thanks to the excellent food processing industry here, which is our pillar industry."
The old driver introduced Ed like this with great interest, and there was a hint of pride and complacency in his tone. After hearing this, Ed also smiled and spoke to the old driver.
"I see. How come you know so much about this? You are really knowledgeable, old man."
"Ha, that's right. I've been a rickshaw driver for most of my life. I've picked up a lot of passengers along the way. It's not surprising that I know a little more from listening and talking a lot."
After being praised by Ed just now, the old coachman couldn't help but smile and said, then the two of them admired the hill for a while, then got back in the carriage, and the old coachman drove the carriage away.
Then, the old driver continued to drive Ed around the outskirts of the city to admire the various beautiful scenery. They drove farther and farther, until they stopped after passing a huge fortress that seemed to be abandoned, covered with vines, and in ruins.
"Sir, this is Fort Nail, it's a little-known tourist attraction that most tour guides won't bring tourists to see." The old driver pointed at the fortress in front of him and said to Ed who had just got off the carriage, while Ed observed the fortress while speaking.
"Nail fort? I see... there seems to be a church symbol left on it. Is this a church?"
"Good eyesight, sir. This is the church. It was once the site of the Inquisition in Alanster. You may not know that there was a heresy here and even in the whole of Friesland called... um, the True God Sect." The old coachman said this, and Ed asked back with interest.
"Inquisition? Has the church ever dealt with heresy here?"
"Yes, at the beginning, the heresy was everywhere, and the church sent people to arrest them everywhere. They arrested many, many people, thousands and tens of thousands of people, and locked them all up here. Not only that, but they also interrogated... tortured... killed... When I passed by here as a child, I could still hear screams.
"Because the church arrested people almost every day at that time, the whole Alanster... no, the whole Frisian was in a panic. When this place was still in operation, many people were sent in and out every day, standing in... lying out... many were buried directly inside when they came out. It is said that you can still dig up bones if you dig in now. It was really horrible. At that time, many innocent people who were not heretics were caught and died in there..."
The old driver lowered his voice and spoke to Ed. After hearing this, Ed paused slightly, then turned around and spoke again.
"Then... why was this place abandoned?"
"Of course it's because Lord Sinclair is here!" After hearing Ed's question, the old driver's eyes lit up and he answered, then continued to speak.
"Since coming here decades ago, Lady Sinclair has represented the true will of the law and settled accounts with the Inquisition, which had arrested people indiscriminately for hundreds of years and killed countless innocent people. Not only did she release many innocent people and compensate them, she also branded those judges who had been high and mighty and committed many evil things in the name of the law as true heretics, arrested them and put them on trial, and many were even sentenced to be burned at the stake, which was very exciting.
"For hundreds of years, Frisia was ruled by the Inquisition, which was run by villains. It was a terrifying era in which everyone was in danger. It was not until the arrival of Lord Sinclair that it was completely ended. After Lord Sinclair redressed the unjust cases and tried the crimes, he abandoned this fortress that had been used to represent terror, and later built a new Inquisition. She was the benefactor of the Frisian people and a true servant. In order to commemorate her and the innocent people who died unjustly in this fortress, a monument was erected here."
As he spoke, the old driver pointed to another direction, where Ed saw a towering black monument as expected.
Seeing the old driver pointing, Ed walked slowly to the monument step by step, and then read the words engraved on it.
"I would like to use this monument to commemorate the innocent people who died here. And the end of heresy and evil, and the true judge, Sinclair Van Bass."
"Vanbas? Why are there memorials for other church members besides Sinclair?"
Looking at the characters on the stele, Ed asked curiously, and the old driver responded quickly.
"That one is called Lord Vanbas. It is said that he was another inquisitor who came with Lord Sinclair. They seemed to have ended the heresy in Frisia together. However, Lord Sinclair stayed in Frisia as the Archbishop, and Lord Vanbas returned. That is why we are more familiar with Lord Sinclair."
Listening to Ed's question, the old driver spoke slowly. After hearing the old driver's answer, Ed couldn't help but nodded silently.
After a casual visit to the relics of the Frisian religious terror era, Ed got into the car with his new car and continued to be taken by the old driver to visit the scenery of Alanster in the suburbs. After a circle, they began to head to the seaside.
Not long after, the old driver took Ed to a steep cliff by the sea. At the edge of a road on the steep green grass on the shore, the old driver stopped the car, called Ed to get off again, and pointed to the distance.
"Look, this is Shelongya, the steepest and most dangerous sea cliff around Alanster. Can you see that side? That is the oldest building in Alanster."
Following the old driver's instructions, Ed squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. Then, on the edge of the steep seashore, he saw a dilapidated stone tower, a stone tower that was broken into two parts, with the upper part missing.
"What is this?" Ed asked the old driver beside him as he walked towards the broken stone tower, and the old driver answered in words.
"This is the Frost Watch Tower. It is said that a long, long time ago, in ancient times much earlier than the construction of the Nail Fortress, a huge evil pagan came from the northern sea. The cult king invaded and occupied the entire Frisian. It is said that those fierce pagans were all fierce and wild, and they were not afraid of death. They built many fortresses in Alanster in the past, but now they have almost all been destroyed. This half of the tower is the only remnant."
As the old driver introduced the tower to Ed, he and Ed approached it. After approaching, Ed observed it carefully and found that the tower was extremely rough in every aspect, perhaps because it had gone through too many years. It looked like a pile of rough square stones without any delicate carvings on it.
Walking forward, Ed began to observe the ancient tower carefully. After observing it for a while, he saw a few randomly carved inscriptions on an inconspicuous stone. One of them was completely different from the modern Frisian characters.
With those words in mind, Ed continued his inspection. Later, he went to the front of the tower and saw a circle of stacked stones. Among the stones were many freshly burnt black charcoals. A large black charcoal stood in the center, and on top of the large charcoal was a helmet that was also burnt black.
If you look closely, you can find that this helmet is a little different from other helmets. It has a pair of horn-like decorations on the edge of its top.
"These are..." Faced with the scene in front of him, Ed spoke again, and the old driver and tour guide immediately responded.
"This is a remnant of the Dragon Burning Festival. You may not know this, but this Dragon Burning Festival is a traditional festival here. It means burning the tyrant dragon to death and praying for peace and happiness."
"Tyrant Dragon?"
"Well... although there are many theories, the more popular one is that the Tyrant Dragon is the evil cult king I mentioned before. It is said that he can spit out frost and transform into a giant evil dragon to bring endless winter to the entire North Sea, so he is called the Tyrant Dragon.
"It is said that the Tyrant Dragon once ruled the North Sea, but was eventually defeated by the elk and fell into the Broken Dragon Bay. Since then, it has been used to protect the people from the bitter cold in winter. The people of Frisia would weave an image of the Tyrant Dragon out of linen and straw, put a Tyrant Helmet on it, pile up firewood, and burn it during gatherings.
"This tradition is widespread in Frisia. Originally, it was held in late winter as a festival to dispel the cold winter. But later, as people wanted to dispel more and more things, all kinds of bad luck and diseases were added to the festival. Later, the time of the festival became irregular, and there were often several festivals a year. It seems that there was only one held here not long ago. Since this tower is said to be the remains of the tyrant dragon, many people come here to celebrate the festival."
The old driver standing next to Ed explained to him very patiently. Listening to the old driver's words, Ed couldn't help but be silent for a while, and his eyes couldn't help but focus on the charred horn helmet.
…
The other side of the ocean.
During the day, at the port of New Yak, one of the most prosperous colonial cities on the east coast of the New World.
Above the huge and noisy port, Nephnis, wearing a sun hat and sunglasses and carrying a suitcase, was standing among the noisy crowd at the dock, looking left and right, as if looking for something. After searching for a long time, she finally saw what she was looking for.
"Huh... finally..." After seeing the figure waving at her in the distance, Nephnis, who had been on a long journey, couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. Then she picked up her suitcase and walked quickly over to the familiar brown-skinned young man in formal clothes. After seeing Nephnis, the other party couldn't help but smile.
"Finally I found you, Miss Thief." Capac said to Neveu in front of him, and Neveu nodded in response.
"Well... then what are our plans for next? You should have booked a room for me, right?" Neve said to Capac. After traveling on the ship for a long time, she now really wanted to have a good sleep on a stable bed. After hearing what Neve said, Capac couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.
"Book a room? Ah... Sorry, Miss Thief. According to the teacher, our time is very urgent and we need to go to the Ancestral Valley immediately. The Great Wilderness Festival will probably start within a week. The teacher has already left, so we must hurry over now!"
Capac said this to Neveu, who was sleeping soundly in the hot spring room. Neveu was startled at first, and then he stood there for a long time before he reacted and spoke.
"Now, go now? Without even a break? This is too rushed!"
"And... and you said we could reach the Ancestral Valley within a week... I remember... what the maester said was right. Your holy land is actually located deep in the heart of the New World... That area is a completely undeveloped wilderness without even a railway. Can we get there within a week?"
Neveu asked in confusion while being stunned for a moment, and at this moment, a loud and bold male voice suddenly sounded.
"Haha! You don't have to worry about that, pretty girl! With my dragon boat, we can get there very quickly!"
Hearing this voice, Neveu was startled, then turned to look at the direction where the voice came from. What she saw next was a male spirit that looked strong and suspended in the air.
He was a middle-aged man who looked to be around 30 or 40 years old. His long beard was braided into three strands and was covered with stains that looked like blood. He was wearing a very tattered mail armor and carrying a round wooden shield behind him. He had a bunch of arrows stuck in his body and a horn helmet on his head, one of the horns of which was broken off.
"Sir Harald! Please don't show up in public here! It will be terrible if other extraordinary people of Silence see you!" Seeing the spirit that suddenly appeared, Capac said anxiously, while Neveu spoke in surprise.
"This... this spirit is..."
"This, this spirit is a wilderness spirit invited by our teacher to help us go to the Ancestral Valley, Your Excellency Harald..." Capak said to Nef as he introduced the spirit in front of him, and Nef was even more surprised when he heard it.
"Spirit of the Wilderness? And the human spirit and the Spirit of the Wilderness?"
"Yes... Although most wilderness spirits exist in the form of animals, there are also wilderness spirits in human form. Generally speaking, they are controlled by the shaman spirits of various tribes with obsessions, but Sir Harald is a special case.
"Sir Harald, you were an invader of this Starfall Continent in the past, but you repented before your death and became a wilderness spirit guarding this land." Capak introduced Neveu, and then Harald waved his hand in dissatisfaction and spoke loudly.
"What repentance? Don't talk nonsense, kid! How could I regret invading your weak land? I am the Great Northern Emperor, the Dragon of the Dead, the Lord of the Frost Realm, and the great Inuit warrior! It is natural for me to plunder the cowardly people, how can I say that I regret it!
"At the beginning, I was just too annoyed with your disgusting ghost soul king, so I took the opportunity to take revenge. I became like this inexplicably, but I have never repented at all!"
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