Watching the war groups leaving the square with their trophies, Todd patted the melon peel and fruit crumbs on his body and said to Evie: "Let's go."
The latter looked at him listlessly: "Where else are you going?"
"Go to the residential areas. I'm very interested in where the believers live."
At Todd's urging, Evie rolled her eyes, stood up from the ground, followed the other person, and walked forward step by step.
The two found two horses and headed west along the road. Lively markets and crowded crowds of people could be seen everywhere along the road.
What caught Todd's attention was that in a conspicuous location in every residential area, there was a carefully built temple.
The temples vary in size. In large residential areas, they may be as big as a basketball court, while in small residential areas, they are about the size of an ordinary room.
Although the area is different, the structure is similar. From the outside, the entire building has ancient Tyro columns and triangular pointed slopes in the culture of the gods. There is also an "umbrella"-shaped stone sculpture erected on the top; from the inside
Look, the walls are not only engraved with myths and legends in rune characters, but also record important surrounding events. In the center is a lifelike stone statue of a tyrant, with a scale in its right hand and a left hand raised above its head.
Todd took Evie into a temple and found that a ceremony seemed to be going on inside the temple.
Standing near the corner, Todd looked towards the center of the temple.
A trainee shaman holding a cane and wearing a mask stood in front of the stone statue of the tyrant and said to the people kneeling on the ground: "Believers, please reflect on yourselves in front of the true God!"
People immediately started talking about recent events.
Some people say that they work hard and complete more than the scheduled amount of work.
The shaman praised him and gave him a white stone.
Some people say that they persuaded a slave who believed in paganism to convert to the son of the gods.
The shaman praised him again and gave him a white stone.
Another person said that he accidentally hit a friend from the same village because he was drunk, but he apologized afterwards.
The shaman comforted the man a few words, and first gave him a black stone: "It is not a good thing to be drunk and hurt others. You need to stop drinking...or you need to increase your alcohol consumption."
Hearing this, the people around him laughed.
The shaman gave the man another white stone: "Although you have done evil, it can be regarded as a good deed if you can remedy it in time. When your soul enters Asgard, the balance of fate will give you justice."
judge."
Looking at everyone's performance, Todd shook his head in disbelief.
In this scene of introspection and self-discipline, is there any trace of the wanton behavior of the barbarians in the past?
"Belief in gods will affect every move of believers." Ivie leaned against the wall and said, "It is that kind of awe that has brought about today's order."
Todd nodded, turned and left the temple.
Following Todd out of the door, Evie asked: "Where else do you want to go?"
Todd looked back at the tall, heroic Valkyrie, and suddenly suggested: "How about we go to a place you want to go?"
Evie said in surprise: "Where do I want to go?"
"Yes, since you are here to relax, you naturally have the right to choose."
Evie frowned and started thinking, and suddenly her eyes lit up.
"I want to go west to Shoal Harbor."
"Shallow Harbor?"
After determining the direction of the destination, Todd followed Evie and rode all the way to Shoal Harbor to the west of Froststone City.
Shoal Harbor was originally a natural shallow sandy beach, but it was recently transformed into a port.
Duixi City transported supplies to the Froststone Camp, Todd led a fleet to attack the ancient city, and the refugees from the Holy Acropolis arrived in the northern continent. The landing place chosen for these events was this shoal port.
After more than an hour of riding fast, Todd and Evie finally arrived at the beach.
Looking around, the originally deserted beach has now become a busy construction site.
Countless thatched houses and wooden shacks were built around the beach. Slaves in thin clothing, under the command of overseers, carried stones, laid wooden piles, and built the entrances of the trestles.
On the sea in the distance, several cargo ships hung sails from different kingdoms and kept coming and going.
Evie found a clean spot on the beach, put down her sword and shield, looked at the sea in the distance, and began to wait quietly.
Todd looked around and said curiously: "Is this where you said you wanted to come?"
Evie raised her head and glanced at the direction of the sun: "I'm waiting for a ship."
"A ship?"
Evie stopped talking and just looked into the distance silently.
Todd also gave up the idea of asking, sat next to Evie, and waited with her.
More than an hour passed.
Just when Todd was a little drowsy due to the afternoon sun, Evie suddenly stood up.
Todd followed her line of sight and saw a Beidao-style warship appearing at the end of the horizon.
Waiting for the warship to get closer, Todd saw clearly the person standing on the bow.
It was a young and beautiful woman, wearing a pure white feather crown, carrying a long bow and a dagger, and her flowing and smooth blond hair was dancing in the sea breeze.
The other party's familiar attire made Todd frown: "I really want to see it somewhere..."
Evie took off her helmet, with unstoppable sadness in her eyes: "That's Brünnhilde, or should I say... the new Brünnhilde."
Todd was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "The new Brynhildr?"
Evie watched the North Island warship getting closer and said with a wry smile: "I no longer have that glorious name. To my tribe, I am just a complete exile."
Todd looked at Evie's profile and discovered for the first time that in this strong and fearless woman's body, there was actually a soft and sensitive soul.
"I have been entrusted with lofty responsibilities since I was born. Growing up, the sentence I heard the most was - you are Brunhilde, you should live up to the expectations of the gods." The hand in Evie's hand
The helmet fell feebly on the beach: "Over the years, in order to keep this sacred name, no matter what kind of setbacks and blows I suffered, I have persisted and never gave up."
"In Asgard's soul space, I learned that the age of gods was long gone. At that time, I originally thought that I was strong enough to get rid of Brynhildr's shadow, but I was wrong."
"Becoming an exile, I realized for the first time that what I really care about is not the responsibilities of the gods, but the loneliness that comes with it. Once the name Brynhild is gone, my body will look like
I have lost my soul. My past efforts, my lifelong goal, the meaning of existence, everything seems to be leaving me."
Todd sighed and stared at the silver-haired woman in front of him.
She originally had a beautiful face, but she was willing to cover it up with steel; she originally had brocade-like skin, but it became scarred because of fate.
Todd opened his arms, hugged Evie gently, and whispered: "Do you remember what I said to you? A person's life should not only be about fighting and killing. Learning to relax is more important."
Resting her head on Todd's chest, Evie asked in a low voice: "Learn to relax? Will doing that really help me get out of the pain?"
Todd looked at the top of the woman's head, smiled and said, "Why not give it a try?"
Evie stretched out her arms, hugged Todd's waist, closed her eyes and said: "I will give it a try... But now, please stay in this position and don't move, you have a very fragrant smell...
"
As the stars first appeared, Todd returned to the small building, opened the door, and at first sight he saw Deirdre lying on the recliner with her belly covered, a listless look on her face.
Walking forward, Todd asked with concern: "What's going on? Are you sick?"
Deirdre, who was blushing with shame, said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Last night..."
Todd immediately understood what was going on. In the past nights, they were two-on-one, but she was alone last night. Plus, long separation was better than newlyweds. No wonder Deirdre felt so uncomfortable.
Todd touched Deirdre's hair and said softly: "Tonight..."
Before he finished speaking, the latter jumped up from the recliner like a frightened deer and ran upstairs.
Deirdre's reaction made Todd smile bitterly. The latter originally wanted to say "Have a good rest tonight", but he didn't expect that the other party would get it wrong.
In the hall on the first floor, Todd first sorted out his belongings, then finished washing and walked into the bedroom on the second floor.
The bedroom was pitch dark, and Deirdre put out all the candles early and hid on the bed.
Todd shook his head and laughed. He simply didn't bother to light the lamp and went to bed in the dark.
Getting into the fine linen quilt, Todd reached out and touched Deirdre's back.
Wherever you touch it, everything is smooth.
Todd was stunned, and his first reaction was: Why is Deirdre not wearing her hair?
The second reaction was that the person on the bed was not Deirdre.
Just as he was about to jump off the bed to light the candle, a sword blade reflecting the cold light stopped next to Todd's neck.
"No candles allowed!"
A familiar voice startled Todd.
"Evie? Why are you here?!"
Lifting the linen sheets, Evie sat up from the bed, her voice completely lost its previous toughness and resoluteness: "Don't ask me why I came, and don't think about leaving."
Todd looked at the almost perfect outline of Evie's upper body under the moonlight and said in a dumbfounded voice: "But at the very least, can you please move this sword away?"
Putting the dagger by her side, Evie suddenly stood up, grabbed Todd's clothes, and dragged him back to the bed.
Then, Evie grabbed Todd's arms, pushed him against the bed board, parted his legs, and straddled him directly.
Finally, in the darkness, the two of them remained still in this ambiguous and awkward posture.
Looking at the somewhat bewildered woman, Todd asked tentatively: "Have you never...?"
Evie rudely interrupted the other party's inquiry: "I have seen such primitive and barbaric things before, of course I know!"
Todd said helplessly: "Evie, maybe we should talk first..."
Before she finished speaking, another figure slipped from the door to the bed. She put her mouth next to Evie's ear and whispered something.
Looking at that figure, Todd shouted angrily and funny: "Deirdre! Was what happened tonight your idea?!"
The two women ignored Todd's question, and after a quiet conversation, they reached a tacit understanding of division of labor and collaboration.
Todd was about to say something more, but found that his lips were bitten by Evie and he could no longer make a sound, while Deirdre was already unfastening his belt familiarly.
What happened next, apart from the person involved, perhaps only the moon that night knows.