Dusk always comes early in winter, and the afterglow of the setting sun stretches the shadow of the city very long.
Surdak was riding on horseback, leaving a long shadow on the street...
Pedestrians walking up and down the street would occasionally glance at him, but no one paid much attention to him. Everyone was used to seeing young knights like him riding horses.
The fence was built so high that even if he was riding on horseback, he could not see the scenery inside the yard.
The walls of the courtyard are covered with ivy vines. These vines have dried up in winter. Only after spring will these vines sprout branches and sprouts.
There is still some residual snow piled on the street, but the weather is not that cold.
Surdak was a little hungry. This area was a large aristocratic residential area, and there were not many restaurants or food stalls around. He opened a linen bag hanging on the saddle, which contained a few dry baked wheat cakes.
.
He doesn't know when he started to feel that this kind of dry wheat cake must be paired with broth before it can be swallowed.
Life is constantly changing, and so is the stomach...
In the past, even chestnut and multigrain porridge could be eaten deliciously, but now even white bread has to have its outer crust cut off and spread with butter and jam before it can be served to the table.
He took off the water bag that was almost frozen into a lump of ice and took a sip of the cold water. He suddenly felt much more awake.
Surdak originally planned to walk around the aristocratic district along the riverside to see the manors and castles here, but he didn't expect that the aristocratic district in Bena City was so big. After walking around for a while, it was almost evening.
Under the golden setting sun, Suldak arrived at the gate of Marquis Luther's Mansion.
…
Before he could reach the gatehouse and announce his name to the guard guarding the gate, a magic caravan drove quickly from the street entrance, with two black horses spurting out two clouds of white steam as they ran.
The coachman was almost half-crouching on the bench, holding a soft long whip in his hand. There was a very eye-catching Luther family emblem on the carriage.
Seeing the magic caravan approaching quickly, Surda pulled the reins of the war horse and leaned toward the street.
When the magic caravan passed by Surdak, the driver suddenly applied the handbrake, and the four wheels almost stopped rotating completely. Dazzling sparks erupted from the axle friction, and the two strong horses pulling the magic caravan also let out long roars.
With a long neighing sound, the man almost stood up on the spot.
Surdak was also startled by this sudden situation.
He looked at the coachman in front of the magic caravan. The coachman was sitting on the driver's seat, taking off his hat and saluting him.
The carriage door was suddenly pushed open from inside, and Beatrice jumped out of the carriage first, holding her fluffy skirt in both hands and running towards Suldak with excitement on her face.
Surdak didn't expect that he happened to see Beatrice at this time. He quickly leaned over and hugged Beatrice's slender waist, who was rushing toward her with her skirt in hand. He lifted her up with one arm.
Get on the horse and sit her in front of the saddle.
No words can express Beatrice's mood.
She tightly hooked Suldak's neck with her hands, and placed lips as hot as rose petals on his face.
"Dake, why are you here? Didn't the letter say that you are still on the Northern Expedition?"
Beatrice asked.
"The Northern Expedition is over. This time I happened to pass by Bena City..."
Suldak hugged Beatrice and looked toward the car. Hathaway held the door with both hands and stuck her head out to look at him with a smile.
He pulled the reins to the car door, leaned over and kissed her smooth forehead.
"Hi, honey, how are you doing lately?" Suldak asked softly against Hathaway's ear.
"Now that you're here, it feels like the sky has turned blue..."
Hathaway held her hands on her chest and replied in a daze.
Suldak held Beatrice in his arms and rode beside the carriage of the magic caravan. He walked and chatted with Hathaway in the carriage before entering the Marquis Luther's Mansion.
The servants who met the Marquis Mansion along the way stopped what they were doing and saluted him.
It wasn't until the magic caravan arrived at the steps below the castle that Suldak quickly jumped off the horse with Beatrice in his arms, walked to the carriage first, and helped Hathaway open the carriage door.
Hathaway held Suldak and Beatrice in her arms and walked up the steps of the castle.
At this time, a row of servants quickly walked out of the castle, and the central door of the castle was pushed open.
What surprised Surdak was that Marquis Luther actually stood on the high platform of the hall with Lady Marian on his arm.
Marquis Luther was in good spirits. He stared at Suldak with bright eyes and watched him walk off the stage. Then he walked down and stood in front of Suldak, reaching out and patting him on the shoulder.
Shoot, said happily:
"I didn't expect that Chester would actually bring you back this time. I heard that you did a good job in Dodan Town."
"Your Majesty the Marquis, Lady Marianne!"
Surdak made a knighthood.
Mrs. Marian showed a gentle smile and nodded slightly to Suldak.
"I'll go to the kitchen to arrange dinner." Mrs. Marianne said to everyone, and then winked at Hathaway and Beatrice.
Hathaway stared with big eyes, pretending not to understand what Mrs. Marianne meant, and held Suldak's arm and refused to leave.
Marquis Luther could only cough slightly and said to his daughter: "Hathaway, take Suldak, I have something to say to him."
"Can I sit in?" Hathaway still refused to leave and prayed to her father.
Marquis Luther shook his head slightly.
Lady Marianne came over personally and took away Hathaway who refused to leave. Beatrice could only follow behind obediently.
…
Marquis Luther waved to Suldak, turned around and walked out of the hall on the first floor, walking along the side door into a corridor.
Suldak quickly followed him.
Passing through a long corridor, there were several guards holding halberds standing beside the doorways they passed along the way.
When they came to a parliament hall in the castle, the walls were covered with various maps. There were also five sand tables in the center of the hall. Surdak recognized the sand table in the middle at a glance as a map of Bena Province. He first
I recognized the city of Bena, and then found the city of Hiranza on the sand table.
The sand table next to it is the occupied area of the Bailin plane, and the unknown areas around it are covered with black cloth.
Marquis Luther stood in front of a sand table and said gently: "Since Chester can bring you to Bena City, it means that your strength has allowed you to complete such a dangerous task."
"I just broke through the second rank half a month ago," Suldak said.
Marquis Luther was a little surprised, as if he didn't expect Suldak to become a second-level warrior so quickly. He then said: "Chester is quite well-informed!"
Surdak said: "He didn't know it at first. He rushed to Dodan Town to borrow two of my men to join him in the mission. When I heard that he was going to enter the Ganbu plane to carry out the mission, I thought...
I have a lot of personal strength, and my level happened to be promoted..."
"It's actually like this, but... in principle, I am against your participation in this operation." Marquis Luther stood in front of the sand table and said to Suldak very solemnly: "But whether you want to participate in this mission or not, you have to decide
You decide."
"What happened?" Surdak asked curiously.
Marquis Luther walked around the sand table with a strange terrain, and then said:
"This is the terrain of the Ganbu plane. In this operation, you will enter the Ganbu plane through the portal in the teleportation hall of Bena City. The magician who will take you into the Ganbu plane is from the Astrologer's Guild, and is also our main combat faction.
Intelligence agents who infiltrated McDonnell."
He stopped and changed the topic:
"However, we are not yet sure whether the temporary portal established by this intelligence agent on the opposite side is really safe, so this mission is very risky."
Before Suldak could speak, Marquis Luther continued:
"And I think the magician from the Astrologer's Guild is probably a double agent. He will not only reveal the intelligence there to us, but also our intelligence to the other side."
"The House of Representatives is now divided into two factions. The main war faction wants to take the opportunity to take back this plane. As one of them, I naturally cannot object. However, this operation can be said to be extremely risky. You must be fully prepared mentally."
Surdak exclaimed: "How can it still be like this?"
Marquis Luther nodded and stood in front of the sand table: "Well, the purpose of this operation is to enter the Ganbu plane and capture McDonnell. I also want to see if there is a chance to repair the destroyed portal."