Chapter 222: If you advance, you can enter the pass; if you retreat, you can defend it. You are still a hero.
Morningfrost Ridge, Swordwinter Keep.
This exquisite Gothic castle stands on a high slope, bathed in the sunset, towering majestically. The main building is like a sword edge, with inlaid glass windows, and is majestic.
In comparison, the previous lord's manor seemed much more shabby.
Yeats was quite satisfied with the castle.
After nearly a year of development, the territory's economy is back on track, and he, as the lord, can finally live a more comfortable life.
"Master, according to your wishes, a terrace overlooking the fields and the river was built in the castle, and the inner courtyard also has arcades, courtyards, and large and small halls and rooms."
As a family knight, Phocas instinctively considered it from a military perspective and said thoughtfully:
"However, these structures sacrificed defensiveness and were not as effective as fortresses with trenches and mounds in terms of protection against external enemies."
Yeats didn't take Phocas's concerns seriously, saying, "Some nobles are short-sighted and would like to build castles that are stronger than city walls."
Ye Zhi couldn't help but think of Gongsun Zan, who gradually lost the support of the people due to the construction of Yijing Tower and was finally annexed by Yuan Shao, and said:
"But seeing that the lord is afraid of death, what would the soldiers and peasants who were stopped outside the fortress and serve the lord think?"
Fokasi was slightly stunned.
Ye Zhi patted the old knight on the shoulder and smiled: "A castle is essentially a place for living."
“If there comes another day when an enemy attacks, it is better to stand on the city wall than to hide in the castle.”
Yeats put his hand on the scabbard.
"It is said that the lord should die in battle, how can he escape into the high walls?"
Phocas looked moved.
It's back, all the ambition and passion I had when I followed the Duke of Brown to conquer the northern provinces are back!
"Master, you just returned to the territory, you still need to rest well." Fokasi said respectfully, "The castle has prepared a dinner. Tomorrow, I will discuss with you in detail about sending troops to Xuelin!"
If you want to expand your territory to the earldom, the snowman tribe hiding in the snow forest is a threat that must be eliminated.
But now, Ye Zhi has reached a high level, comparable to Duke Thomas. In addition, he has many talented people at his disposal, so he has the confidence to bring Xuelin into his sphere of influence.
Of course, we cannot rush to send troops. Many aspects such as intelligence, economy, and logistics need to be further improved.
Yeats nodded and rode into the castle.
"Lord, you are back!" a happy voice sounded.
'Reindeer Rider' Lotta came towards them riding a reindeer.
The little girl with freckles in my memory has become much taller after three months.
Yeats didn't recognize her at first, and greeted Lotta with a smile, then asked about Little Red Riding Hood Riding Hood.
"She'll be here soon." Lotta chirped, "You don't know, everyone in the territory respects Ridgelove now, because she is a doctor and knows how to grow crops. Even I admire her!"
After all, she was the first druid in the territory, and she had experienced the brutal attack and defense against the beast tide. Rigidref's character grew little by little, and Ye Zhi saw it all.
Ziying from the Witch Society is even more shy than the previous Rigidreve. Ye Zhi plans to let Rigidreve be responsible for teaching Ziying, and believes that the two will have many common topics.
Arriving at the main entrance of the main building, Yeats dismounted and handed the reins of Carrot to Lota.
"Robot looks even more majestic now." Lotta stroked the mane of the snow-white warhorse.
"Yes." Ye Zhi said, "Luo Bo is already a three-ring commander-level magical pet."
Lotta was stunned and asked in surprise, "Ah?"
Radish glanced sideways: "Woo~"
Make a fuss about nothing.
Not only do I have three rings, I can also fly!
Lotta led the warhorse to the stable.
The castle is equipped with complete facilities such as stables, kitchens, storage rooms, warehouses, bakeries, and wooden houses for servants to live in.
Once Delphinium of the Witch Society becomes familiar with these duties, she will officially take on the role of 'housekeeper' and have her own room in the main building.
The lord's relatives, clansmen, and family knights often have separate rooms in the castle, and Fokasi and Gray are among them.
The lord's bedroom is located on the upper floors of the main building with the best lighting.
In the bedroom, Yeats stood by the windowsill, opened the glass window, and looked out at the Morning Frost Ridge, which was covered in fresh green in the summer, and a feeling of satisfaction arose spontaneously.
"Take some time to go to the fields and play a Faun afternoon song or two."
Ye Zhi thought: "Chili peppers, cocoa beans, corn, these rare crops in the southern continent can all be cultivated in Morning Frost Ridge!"
It is said that this continent has boundaries and the fog wall blocked the fleet's exploration, so the New World has never been discovered, let alone a circumnavigation of the world.
Maybe this planet is really flat.
However, New World crops, such as tobacco, tomatoes, etc., have been discovered in the southern continent.
At Yeats' suggestion, potatoes, which originated in America, are now thriving in the cold zone of Morning Frost Ridge, greatly alleviating food pressure.
In this era when ordinary people have a hard time even getting enough food, a territory with sufficient food supply can easily attract population migration.
In addition, with frequent trade activities and the gradual expansion of road networks, the population of Morningfrost Ridge has also been growing steadily.
The summer breeze blew, and the scenery of Morning Frost Ridge came into Yeats's eyes by the window, and he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"It is full of vitality, and everything is flourishing."
That night.
The lord's welcoming dinner was held.
All the extraordinary people from Morning Frost Ridge were present.
Even Richie, who usually stayed in Whitefish Harbor, set out half a day early and arrived as scheduled.
The dinner was quite luxurious: smoked salmon, roast pigeon, roast wild boar, stewed venison, cream stew, cheese, honey cake, and the specialty of Morning Frost Ridge, 'whiskey'.
This is a real strong drink, amber in color, with a rich smoky flavor.
"I, I can still drink..." The dwarf craftsman Barend Hightower wanted to bury his head in the wine barrel and drink it. His face turned red and he was already unconscious.
Lena saw this and was secretly shocked. All dwarves are addicted to alcohol, and among all kinds of alcohol, Barend has a special liking for this kind of alcohol, which is enough to prove that there is a huge market for this product.
The wolf girl tasted the whiskey herself, Jin Tong's eyes widened slightly, and his chest felt hot as if on fire.
"It's feasible!" Lena was excited. "Cooperation with Ye Zhi will be the key to the revitalization of the Starlight Chamber of Commerce!"
The music played at the banquet was the local country music of Morning Frost Ridge, which was appreciated by both the elite and the masses. Amid the cheerful drum beats, Yeats found the dusty Richie and said in surprise:
"What's wrong with you? Your cloak is almost torn. Are you in trouble?"
Li Xi was stunned, and shook his head, saying, "On the way here, I encountered a wild boar, which happened to hit my mount. The mount was frightened and I fell off the horse..."
"Then," Lixi pointed at the golden and crispy steaks on the dining table, "I brought the wild boar meat here."
Ye Zhi: “…”
Seeing that the military advisor is still as unlucky as before, I feel relieved!
"By the way, Lord." Li Xi looked directly at Ye Zhi, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "There is something that may be related to the future direction of Morning Frost Ridge. I think it is necessary to inform you as soon as possible."
"What is it?"
"Duke Thomas of White Night City, he converted to the church."
"What did you say?" Ye Zhi was surprised.
"Now, Duke Thomas is vigorously promoting the Holy Light Faith in the northern provinces. If the lord does not accept the conversion, he will raise an army to attack."
Li Xi frowned slightly and said, "Most of the northern provinces are under the control of Duke Thomas, and with the help of the church, his rule is unexpectedly stable."
Ye Zhi hissed.
The mainstream belief in Morning Frost Ridge is polytheism, with many gods being worshipped.
Whether it is Minerva, the god of war or the goddess of moonlight, they essentially belong to the category of gods.
Holy Light is a typical monotheistic religion, and all religions other than this are heretics. Thomas just happens to be conquering the world in the name of missionary work.
When Thomas completely controls the northern province, he may turn his attention to attack Morning Frost Ridge outside the Great Wall!
"He was not really converted, but he wanted to expand his influence by making a powerful claim to preach," said Yeats.
"I have a plan." Richie said, "Why not join the Protestant Nobles Alliance? Protestantism and the church have the same roots, and Thomas can't use the excuse of preaching to conquer Morning Frost Ridge."
"The Protestant Aristocratic Alliance?" Yeats asked.
"It is an organization founded by the Golden Lion nobles who believe in Protestantism and the gods. It is the main aristocratic force that is fighting against the church in the kingdom today." Richie said.
Yeats was in a delicate mood.
This is really the rhythm of the "Thirty Years' War", the Catholic League versus the Protestant League!
Ye Zhi thought for a moment and said that it would be better to give up the alliance and enhance the combat power of the territory and the extraordinary people, which is the top priority.
Please...collect 6...9...books...!
"Since the battle with Thomas is inevitable, let's fight..."
Yeats's eyes were deep.
If I can win, even White Night City will be my territory! White Night City is the lifeline of the Great Wall. If we take White Night City, entering the pass will be a breeze! When the world changes, if we advance, we will enter the pass, and if we retreat, we will defend it. We will still be heroes! "But Thomas defeated the Duke Hudson, who has a deep background, and he is also a high-ring knight." Richie expressed his concern, "When he finishes integrating the northern provinces and frees up his hands to deal with Morning Frost Ridge, we have almost no chance of winning!"
"If we can't win, we have to fight even more." Ye Zhi said, "Besides, we have more allies than you think."
Li Xi was slightly stunned, looked at Ye Zhi, and guessed:
"Are our allies not in the Golden Lion, but in... the North?"
Whether it is the five-ring combat power of Hilde or Ye Zhi's old friend in the North, they may become the key to rewriting the war situation.
"Although this time it's the Baron against the Duke, the advantage is mine—"
Ye Zhi said, "Thomas won't have time to pay attention to Morning Frost Ridge for a year or so. Now it's summer, the morale of the Snowmen is low, and we need to hurry up and expand."
Li Xi nodded vigorously: "My Lord, that's a good idea!"
*Three days passed quietly.
The march into the snow forest is scheduled for midsummer July, when the snow will melt and the fighting power of the snowmen will be weakened.
Before this, Yeats asked Beowulf to send his magical pet lynx to scout the snow forest, and sent a snowy owl to take a bird's eye view from high in the sky, and quickly draw a map of the snow forest.
Intelligence is the key to war.
Although the Yeti are brave and can fight ten human soldiers at a time, their intelligence is still far inferior to that of humans.
Nevertheless, the Frostmaw Clan, the most powerful among the Yeti, is likely to have high-level warriors and should not be underestimated.
The snowmen have crude forging and smelting skills and can use the metals in the Snow Forest Silver Mine to forge armor and weapons. Yeats was surprised to learn from the information sent back by Beowulf that this silver mine is very likely to contain a very small amount of mithril!
Mithril is an extremely precious rare metal with a high affinity for magic. It is extremely light and emits a beautiful silver glow. Mages will fight over this expensive enchanting material!
With the Snow Forest, the territory's output and income will be greatly increased! The plan to march into the Snow Forest was being prepared in full swing.
on the other hand.
The Starlight Chamber of Commerce left the territory with great confidence, bringing the new product of Morning Frost Ridge, 'Whiskey', and passed through the sea route of Whitefish Port. Three days later, it was a great success at the market in Edinburgh.
As a partner, Yeats also received a very lucrative dividend.
at the same time.
Yeats got the news from Lena that the unicorn horn he wanted to buy appeared at an auction in Edinburgh, the capital of the north.
With Yeats's approval, Lena bought the unicorn horn at a price 30% higher than the normal price, and sent her men to escort it to Morning Frost Ridge.
Sword Winter Castle, Lord's Hall.
In the summer, the climate in Morning Frost Ridge was very pleasant. Yeats and Lisi sat opposite each other at the table and talked about Kelya's past.
"You were working for Duke Hudson at the time. When you summoned Kylia for him, did you know Kylia's background?" Ye Zhi asked.
Hearing Ye Zhi talking about this, Li Xi was a little surprised and shook his head: "I was only responsible for summoning the Undead Knight. At that time, I didn't know which knight would be summoned... Lord, why do you suddenly ask this?"
Ye Zhi stared at Li Xi for a moment, confirming that he did not seem to be lying, and said:
"Kelya is not afraid of the Holy Flame and can even absorb the Holy Flame for her own use."
Hearing this, Rishi's face showed deep shock.
"There is such a thing?!"
His reaction couldn't be false. It seemed that Li Xi really didn't understand the inside story. Ye Zhi rubbed his eyebrows and said:
"I was also surprised at the time. After all, this goes against common sense."
The shock in Li Xi's eyes had not yet dissipated, and he nodded repeatedly:
"Undead creatures are most afraid of the Holy Fire! This is the first time I've heard of an Undead creature that can absorb the Holy Fire!"
"This is no longer contrary to common sense, it subverts the [rules] of the creative field!"
"What rules?"
"The elemental energies in the realm of creation are mutually restrained. This is a truth summed up by countless sages, and it is impossible for the Undead Knight to subvert it."
Li Xi paused for a moment and said, "Unless there is some kind of blessing on Kailya that can transform the holy fire into undead energy..."
As he spoke, Rishi frowned.
"What do you think of?" Yeats asked.
Richie smiled bitterly and said, "This speculation is extremely crazy - I guess you have also heard about Saint Jeanne."
Yeats nodded...Jeanne was the saint who was captured and beheaded by her ancestor, the little Joan of Arc from another world.
"Jeanne was sent to the gallows as a witch," Richie said seriously. "And according to my teacher, at that time, Jeanne was indeed blessed by the god of death, which allowed her to have such amazing combat capabilities."
"But, after her death, Jeanne was crowned with the title of Saint. It is said that the Holy Light blessed Jeanne—"
Li Xi said: "Kaylya is not afraid of the holy fire, and there are cases of death breath, which makes people suspect that there is a connection between her and Jeanna."
Ye Zhi was slightly stunned.
Wow, Kaelya also has a personal main storyline to enhance her own combat power, right?
It's actually related to the legendary saint... Ye Zhi shook his head... I don't have time to update the version for Kailya right now. The key is to take down Xuelin first! "My Lord."
The head maid, Delphinium, was wearing a Victorian-style floor-length maid dress and had long emerald green hair that reached her waist. She walked to Ye Zhi's side and said meticulously, "Lady Lena from the Starlight Chamber of Commerce, the package sent to you has arrived. Do you need to check it now?"
Ye Zhi's eyes lit up: "I guess the unicorn horn has arrived, Delphinium, bring it to me."
"Yes, sir."
After a moment.
Li Xi saw Ye Zhi take out a silvery-white unicorn horn from the wooden box and asked curiously:
"If I remember correctly, this should be the material for a fourth-ring potion... My Lord, are you planning to make a potion?"
Yeats nodded.
"I plan to cut the part of the mandrake that looks like a human into pieces."
"Then cut the unicorn horn into sections and throw it into the pot with the mandrake to stew."
"This potion is called [Unicorn Horn Stewed Mandela Herb Soup]!"
Rishi: ??? You call this a potion?
"Such a long name!" Zuanya complained:
"It's obviously pork ribs stewed with carrots!"
(End of this chapter)