After only a few days like this, Roger couldn't stand it anymore. Although he ate well and slept well every day, there were too many rules and regulations, and he couldn't find any new ways to pray. Roger, who was in high spirits at first, finally got tired of it, including

Father, everyone wants to leave.

So while we were resting, the coachman first suggested: "When should we leave? I checked outside and found that there is no way for cars to pass if you go west on the mountain road."

The ranger also said: "Yes, only people and horses can pass by, cars cannot pass."

"Are we going to go back?"

"That's not true," said the coachman. I asked and there is a road that goes directly to Taormina and is wide enough."

"Taormina is only so far from Santa Teresa de Riva. Doesn't this mean turning back?"

"I wonder if the ship has left?"

"It's time to go, it's been so many days."

The baron couldn't stand everyone's chattering, so he said boldly: "At worst, we have to fight with them."

No one spoke, expressing their stance with silence.

The baron started scratching his head again, and Roger couldn't stand it anymore. He asked: "Baron Rollo, how many knights do you have?"

"12."

"Then why are you hesitating? Send a letter to summon them. It's enough to beat those crew members."

"Alas," the Baron sighed, scratching his head even more, "he's not even here."

Roger didn't understand, and the priest answered his doubts: "It's either in Jerusalem or in Antioch."

Roger understood immediately, it turned out to be the same as his father. But his father went crazy and tried to force himself through it, and this guy knew how to do it on his own. No wonder there were no guards except for a few die-hard brothers when they went out.

Roger didn't ask why the Baron came back from the Holy Land first. He asked, "Which way is closest?"

The ranger said: "The mountain road is close. After climbing a few hills, we will reach the baron's territory. After passing a few villages in the mountains, we can return to our valley."

"But we can't pass the car," the coachman emphasized.

Roger found a new focus: "Does Baron Rollo's territory also include villages in the mountains? I thought it was just villages along the river."

"Yes, there are five directly governed villages in the mountains, three directly governed villages by the river, and 12 have been sealed off." The priest said with emotion, "They haven't paid the tithe for a long time."

"You have the nerve to collect taxes from others, but you don't want to think about how long it has been since you went to preach?"

The priest looked embarrassed when he was retorted by the coachman. He tried to cover up and changed the subject: "Then they should at least pay taxes to the baron. They owe it to the lady from the time she was called until now."

Roger thought it was no wonder the baron was so poor, so he asked the baron: "Why don't you collect taxes?"

The Baron scratched his head, and Roger guessed that he probably wanted to have the same haircut as Dean Benedictine.

After scratching wildly for a while, the baron said decadently: "I don't know how much I should charge. In the past, Christina helped me figure it out. I just charge it."

Roger looked at the Baron with disdain. He thought, the physical education teacher only teaches you physical education but not mathematics, right?

But there is nothing Roger can do now. He has no account book and does not understand the actual situation. Even if he is confident in his mathematics, he will not be able to help the Baron for the time being.

So Roger had an idea, and he said, "How about taking a mountain trail, just in time to visit a mountain village."

Roger's suggestion was approved by everyone. Only the coachman had an objection: "But you can't walk in the carriage."

In the end, it was the Baron who made the decision. He asked the coachman to take the road back, while the others took the mountain road.

The coachman still didn't give up and asked, "What about the caravan? I can't drive two cars by myself."

The baron waved his hand: "I donated it to the monastery. I have to give it to the monastery for a few days of food and accommodation. I have to show something."

Roger felt that the baron was reluctant to part with his horse and cart.

The coachman was a little reluctant to part with the caravan, but he hesitated and agreed. He said, "That's fine. The caravan is too conspicuous. It's safer for me to drive the caravan alone."

So everyone agreed to leave early the next morning and dispersed.

After leaving the monastery and heading west, the mountain road became narrower and narrower, and gradually there was no road. Sometimes they waded through weeds, and sometimes walked through the forest.

Roger seemed to have entered a new world. He saw a black and white great spotted woodpecker foraging on the trunk of the tree. It jumped up from the middle and lower parts of the tree, and from time to time it would quickly peck at the wood with its tongue.

Hooking the bug out of the hole in the tree, it found Roger looking at it, and instead of flying away, it went around and hid behind the pecked tree, like a child playing hide-and-seek.

Roger also saw a bearded vulture soaring in the sky. Sometimes it flew high and became a black dot, and sometimes it came down with the wind and showed Roger its black beard hanging under its mouth and its

It has rusty white feathers on its head and neck. There is a circle of long and black eyebrow-shaped markings around its eyes, as if it is wearing a pair of glasses, and it looks like a trendy person wearing beauty frames. Roger knows that its eyesight is actually extremely good.

OK.

The blacksmith also noticed the bearded vulture. He pointed at its white feathers that had turned into rust color and said: "There may be iron ore where it nests."

The baron was a little surprised: "If we follow it, we will be prosperous if we find iron ore."

The ranger poured cold water on it and said, "This bird has flown quite far. Maybe its nest is on the other side of the strait."

So everyone continued on their way. Roger looked around and saw green trees and grass, and endless hills. He could not tell the direction for a long time, but the ranger who led the way seemed to have returned to his own home.

He introduced to Roger in a tone that was like introducing his family to a guest who came to the door for the first time: "This is an oak tree, this is a birch tree."

Roger had never found a ranger to be so talkative before.

Their conversation alarmed a group of chaffinches. These little black and white birds with a touch of orange on their breasts flew out of the birch forest with a roar. There were hundreds of them in a dense crowd, shouting "chuee, chuee".

The ranger asked everyone to wait a moment. He found a birch tree and climbed up it in a few moments. Roger noticed that on a 3-meter-high branch close to the main trunk, there was a cup-shaped tree made of withered grass and birch trees.

The nest was made of tree bark. The ranger reached out and touched the nest and took out two green eggs with reddish-purple spots.

Two chaffinches came back and protested to the ranger with "zweee, zweee". However, this intruder was so shameless that he jumped down from the tree and handed the eggs to Roger: "I'll add some vegetables later.

"

Passing by a chestnut tree again, the ranger picked a chestnut, broke it open, and showed it to Roger: "The chestnuts are not yet ripe, but they will be edible in a month or two. Throw them in the fire and wait until they are ripe."

When it pops open, take it out and eat it, it’s so fragrant.”

Roger's mouth watered when he heard this. He was a little dissatisfied with the ranger teasing him with immature chestnuts, so he said: "Chestnuts are delicious when fried with sugar. Heat a wok, fill it with sugar, and put the chestnuts into it."

Put it inside and stir-fry constantly. The fried chestnuts are fragrant, glutinous and sweet, and they are delicious."

Now everyone was not calm. The baron asked: "The count is so rich? Why do you use so much sugar to fry worthless chestnuts?"

The priest sighed: "It's too luxurious."

The blacksmith couldn't help but ask: "Is it really that delicious?"

The ranger is wiping his saliva.

Roger felt that he had gone too far, so he hid it: "No, I just heard that the Arabs who sell sugar have this way of eating it."

The baron was a little yearning: "I have never heard of eating like this in the Holy Land. It must be a style spread from the Arab palace. When we get rich, we will also buy some roasted chestnuts with sugar."

Everyone said they were hungry, so the ranger suggested taking a rest.
Chapter completed!