A caravan carrying a large amount of goods crossed the Alps and walked on the edge of the desert to the city of Gardinerras. It took nearly three months one way. Along the way, it had to overcome difficulties such as heavy snow, ice breakage, and water supply.
It can be said that it has been a difficult journey.
But for Chris, who set off lightly and traveled with a horse, it was a pleasant journey.
The sadness of being far away from your loved ones and hometown will be blown away by the biting cold wind when you are galloping; the endless desert is golden during the day, but at night it is like mercury bursting to seal the world, making people can't help but sigh at the magic of nature;
There is the figure of the sand lizard man wandering around the edge of the desert in search of food. He hurriedly ran for his life into the depths of the desert as soon as he heard the sound of horse hooves...
Everything made Chris feel that the world outside Eaton's territory was very novel.
Even the food and drink along the way have a unique flavor.
Seeing Xian in his eyes, his novelty and stupidity, which he had never seen before, did not disturb him.
After all, he is a young man, and it is inevitable that he has a heart that longs for freedom and longs for the distance. Even the eyes that fall on Chris occasionally flash a hint of worry.
It is a kind of worry similar to that of parents when they let go of their children.
His duty is only to escort Chris to the city of Edin of the Ainske family in the south. Chris will have to explore the rest of his life alone.
Although this big boy he watched grow up has good qualities and a certain ability to protect himself, he is as pure as a piece of white paper and is ignorant of the dangers and evils of the world. He is worried that this big boy has not grown up yet.
The warrior at his peak has already been swallowed up by the sinister human heart of the world.
Of course, he didn't intend to interfere too much.
Growth inherently comes at a cost.
The young bird that has been sheltered under the wings of its elders will never have its own sky.
What he could do was to make Chris as familiar as possible with the world outside Eaton territory during the journey south, so that he would suffer less in the future.
The road along the desert on the west side of the Alps was sparsely populated, and the two of them did not stay too long. It only took about a month to arrive outside the city of Gardinaras, an important town in the southwest of the empire.
This city is located between the remnants of the Alps and Lokidaran mountains. A few hundred miles ahead is the terrifying swamp where the snake people live. Behind it is the plain that can reach the imperial capital in a short distance. It is the Holy Empire's defense against snakes.
Man's only line of defense.
The garrison is extremely powerful, with 50,000 imperial elites stationed all year round.
Among them, 20,000 troops came from the Griffin Legion directly under the royal family.
Chris, who had just arrived outside the city, was first shocked by the thirty-meter-high city wall, and then looked at the flag embroidered with a gryphon pattern and was speechless.
There were no knowledgeable scholars in Eton territory, and he did not have the opportunity to read many books.
But when he was very young, his grandfather Henry Sr. told him the history of the Eaton family; his father Kafka also told him the past of the establishment of the Holy Empire and the origins of the major lords and the family as stories.
So he also knew that more than a hundred years ago, it was this flag embroidered with a gryphon that never appeared in the Alps, which led to the Eaton family being shamed as "traitors of mankind"!
He was spurned by the Ice and Snow Goddess Cult, and verbally criticized by the lords of the Northwest Plains!
Especially to this day, the Eaton family still pays a heavy tribute to the empire every year.
"The Empire has long abandoned the Eaton Territory, so we cannot give up on ourselves."
He silently repeated in his mind the words that his grandfather often said.
Immediately, he quietly added, "So, I must become a strong person. Only with enough strength can the Eaton family control their own destiny."
Xien, who had a dusty face, smiled when he entered the city.
Just when he was about to turn around and introduce the history of this city to Chris, he happened to see Chris looking at the gryphon flag in silence. He was a little surprised for a moment. But after thinking about it for a while, he knew the reason as he had long been integrated into the Eaton family.
.
"Come into town, Chris."
He jumped off the horse vigorously, pulled the reins of the horse and said softly, "We don't have enough dry food, and the horses need to rest. We just need to go to the city to rest for a few days."
"good."
Chris, whose thoughts were interrupted, returned a smile.
When he dismounted and started walking, he asked curiously, "Why did we dismount here? Is it a ban in the city of Gardinanras?"
"Yes, Chris, you are very observant."
Xion nodded with some relief, "Whether you are a noble or a commoner, you must walk three miles away from the city wall. Otherwise, it will be regarded as an attack, and the soldiers on the city wall can be shot directly without notification."
After explaining this point softly, without waiting for Chris to ask questions, he took the opportunity to tell more things about the city of Gardinaras.
The city of Gardinanlas is a city directly under the jurisdiction of the Griffin Legion, so it is also the most orderly place in the empire's territory, and the place with the least sense of status and inferiority.
Here, nobles cannot enjoy immunity even if they commit crimes.
In the same way, this is also a place where no lord can enforce laws and impose punishments.
Therefore, countless people who could not survive in the heart of the empire gathered here, such as bandits, mercenaries, thieves, escaped slaves, wanted criminals, or farmers who could not pay the rent, etc.
And the city of Gardinanlas welcomes everyone to come.
As long as you can afford to pay the city gate tax - regardless of gender, no matter children or old people, the city gate tax for one person is ten silver coins!
It's not expensive, it's just a hundred times more expensive than other cities...
This is not a private increase in taxes by the Griffin Legion, but a high amount set by the empire as a last resort in order to alleviate the financial difficulties of supporting the city's huge army.
Of course, after collecting the expensive city gate tax, the Griffin Legion is also responsible for protecting everyone's safety.
For example, killing is not allowed in the city.
If there is really going to be blood, both parties can run outside the city to settle the matter and then come back; if one party is unwilling to go out, they can stay in the city, and the Griffin Legion will continue to protect your safety, allowing you to be arrogant in front of your enemies.
.
If one party can't help but kill someone in the street~~
Very good, the Griffin Legion will avenge the victim as soon as possible, and will accept all the property of the perpetrator!
As for fighting, please feel free to do so as long as it does not disturb order.
But remember that if something is broken during the fight, you will have to pay ten times the price for compensation.
After all, every shop has paid protection fees to the imperial army...ah, after paying the taxes, the shop also regularly provides extra money to reward the loyal griffin army that protects them.
Chris and Sion went to the city and spent fifty silver coins.
Both horses also had to pay taxes, which made Chris feel a little sad.
Fifty silver coins are half a gold coin, enough to cover the expenses of a farmer's family in the Eaton Territory for a year.
But after entering the city, he realized how poor the Eton Territory was.
Because this is also the most famous city for selling stolen goods in the empire. Except for particularly high-end goods that are traded at auctions, things worth hundreds of gold coins are sold directly on the street. And many people use gold coins or rubies when trading.
Hardly any payment was made in silver coins.
As for the copper coins~
After entering the city for half an hour and walking through four streets, Chris was nowhere to be seen.
The various wonderful expressions on his face also fell into Jack's eyes.
He is a person who lives in the city and is also one of the city's brokers. He serves as a guide for people coming to Gardinanras or as a middleman for caravans to facilitate transactions.
His many years of experience gave him a sharp look in his eyes. Not only did he notice the aristocratic crest on the button of Chris' cloak, but he also determined that this person was a young bird who had never seen the world.
Nestlings need brokers the most.
They are also the easiest to be tricked into spending money to buy a bunch of flashy things, making it easy for brokers to earn a lot of intermediary fees.
"Good day, both noble lords."
Jack, who seemed to hear the sweet sound of gold coins colliding, trotted up to Chris, nodded and bowed to promote himself, "I am Jack, a broker who is very familiar with the city. Is this your first time coming to Gardenanlas? If you
Hire me as your guide and I can save you a lot of money in this city!"
If God gave Jack a chance, he would never go to Chris to recommend himself.
But there are no ifs in the world.
Since he was fifteen years old, Jack has been a donor for almost ten years. Jack has experienced many ways of being rejected.
Some people politely said no need, some held their heads high and ignored him, some cursed him rudely, and some even spit on him viciously...
.
But I have never seen anyone draw a sword directly!
So today he has learned a lot.
Chris responded to Jack who suddenly stood in front of him, and quickly pulled out a long knife and put it on his neck.
The one-meter-two-meter blade shone with a cold light, and the cold air stirred up goosebumps all over Jack's body. Jack suddenly felt that his legs were a little weak, and he quickly begged for mercy with a cry, "Sir, please forgive me... I don't mean any harm~~"
I just wanted to ask if I need a guide. What a big deal!
As for drawing the sword?
Jack was extremely heartbroken at this moment.
"Don't be impulsive, Chris."
Si En, who was on the side, quickly patted Chris's arm and told him to put away the knife, "He is just a broker, not an assassin. Also, don't draw your knife in the city."
Yes, Chris mistook Jack for an assassin.
Since the Eaton family was spurned by the Snow Goddess Cult, fanatical believers often sneak into the territory and try to assassinate anyone with the surname Eaton.
broker?
Who is he?
Chris was a little confused, but he also put away the long knife.
Every street in the city was patrolled by imperial soldiers. Xion's reminder reminded him of the city's no-blood rule, and his behavior could easily be misunderstood by the soldiers as a vendetta.
"Indeed, we need a broker."
At this time, Zion had walked between the two people and asked Jack in a very gentle tone, "How did you charge?"
Because he knows that if there is no broker to lead here, it will indeed cost a lot of money.
Jack was just frightened and no longer wanted to do business.
He felt that he could not afford to serve this kind of master who was always ready to draw his sword. Even if he made money, he might not have the life to spend it.
"Two Sirs, I won't do it..."
He moved his steps slightly and refused with a frightened expression, "Well, I'm sorry, I suddenly feel a little uncomfortable. You'd better find someone else."
"Stop pretending! Tell me, how much does it cost?"
Zion grabbed his arm, glared and threatened, "If you continue to shirk, I will take you to the Sheriff and tell you that you just tried to steal my money bag."
I'm a broker, not a thief!
Jack blushed visibly and was about to retort, but when he saw the mace on Sion's back that was about the same size as his own head, he couldn't help but swallowed and whispered, "Ten silver coins a day...
..”
“So expensive!”
The one who spoke was Chris, who was still a little aggrieved about the city gate tax he paid when entering the city, "Why don't you go and rob it!"
"this is the lowest price!"
This time, Jack finally couldn't help but call out to Qu.
In the conscience of heaven and earth, in this city, ten silver coins a day is really the minimum fee for a broker.
But he soon changed his words with a sad face, because he found that this beautiful chick seemed to want to draw the knife again, "Five, it is five silver coins! I just reported an error."
"make a deal."
Zion let go with satisfaction and motioned to Jack to lead the way, "Take us to a clean tavern, one without dancers."
There are only two places in the world where you can spend the night.
One is a tavern with dancers serving, and the other is a tavern where you can simply eat and spend the night.
"Yes, Sir Sir."
Jack, whose heart was full of bitterness, turned sideways and stretched out his hand to guide, "I know a tavern in the south of the city. There are no dancers. The place is small but the price is very reasonable and the food is delicious. The south of the city is where the garrison families and locals live.
No one doing serious business dares to cause trouble there."
He had already experienced the savagery of the two people in front of him, and he directly pointed out that it was the cheapest tavern that did not ask for commissions.
You know, as long as you take the employer to other taverns, the tavern owner will privately give the broker three silver coins as a reward... three silver coins per person!
Alas~~
Jack wasn't lying.
Chris and the two followed him along the road. The rows of shops gradually transformed from pubs, casinos, romantic venues, etc. into small grocery stores, blacksmith shops, bakeries, etc. The pedestrians also changed from fierce men carrying swords to...
Laughing children running wildly on the street.
The selected tavern is very small, only two stories high, and you can tell at a glance that it was renovated from your own place.
The front door was very clean. A wooden stick was stuck diagonally under the door eaves holding a coarse cloth, and two big characters were written in the common language of the empire: Tavern. There was still a door on the other side of the house, which was closed. From time to time, there were sounds coming from inside.
There were a few sounds of cattle barking, it must be the stables.
"Aunt Hera, are you at home?"
As soon as he reached the door, Jack shouted at the top of his lungs, "A distinguished guest is coming. Come out and settle the horses quickly!"
"Is it little Jack? I know, I'll come out right away!"
A loud sound like the roar of a ferocious beast came from the tavern, frightening the winter finches on the roof to fly away, making it very lively.
It seems...Jack called her aunt, right?
Chris and Sion looked at each other, their eyes full of doubts.