The world is full of white snow and frost. This scene has lasted for nearly three years. Everything has withered, and even traces of animal activity are difficult to see in the mountains and forests.
On the frozen lake, several locals wearing thick winter coats and covered with snowflakes were pounding the ice with hoes and picks to dig out large holes.
Coming out in such cold weather is also because there are frozen fish at the bottom of the lake, which can be used as a scarce food source today.
Breathing out white breaths, they had been working like this for several days, but the harvest was never enough. There were too many people in the villages and towns who needed to be fed. Some old people could not survive the long winter and died silently one night.
"Phew, we can't dig anymore." A villager collapsed on the ground tiredly. His voice sounded relatively young, probably in his twenties.
"You can't do this, Barron, haha." Although the conditions are difficult now, the uncle on the side still laughs...
"When I was young, I experienced a worse situation than now. At that time, migrating winter wolves came to the territory. I fled into the mountains and almost got lost and died there."
"When you are so hungry, you will even chew grass roots and tree bark. How can you care so much?"
"Although there is a shortage of food now, at least we still have fish and we can persevere."
"Can you really survive by eating grass roots and tree bark?" The young man was a little disbelieving, and then looked at the big fish dug out of the ice pit.
"It's getting harder and harder to dig for fish. The shallower parts have been dug out by people nearby, and the lower parts are all covered in mud." His voice was worried and lost.
"When will days like this end?" He held his hands on the frozen lake and looked up at the faint sun, with gusts of icy cold wind still blowing around him.
Hearing him calling like this, several people working nearby were also infected by the depressed mood. They slowly stopped and sat aside to rest.
Yes, when will this situation end? Do we really want to freeze to death and starve to death on this land?
"If, if the south is really as warm as everyone says, why don't we go there." One of them murmured.
"Don't think so wildly. This place is also owned by its owner. If we run there, it will be almost like starting a war." The uncle put an end to this dangerous topic.
"Oh, people are going to die, how can we care so much."
"If the empire cannot solve the problem in the north, then we will have to solve it ourselves."
The young man clenched his fingers into a fist and smashed it against the ice beside him.
"Isn't it the Southern Territory? It wasn't conquered by our ancestors. When we conquered the Kingdom of Oz, we, the remnants of Everdark Island, were at the forefront. But in the end, when they were rewarded, the fertile Southern Territory was given to them.
The royal family’s own people, and we can only end up in this poor and barren place in the north.”
The major nobles in the north, headed by the Trey family, are basically the survivors of Everdark Island, that is, the descendants of the former Mercury Dynasty. In order to gain recognition from the upper echelons of the mainland, they returned to this colorful world. As a will, they
The most courageous and disciplined army stood at the forefront of the army and fought fiercely with the army of Oz.
The iron-gray flag, the everlasting wisteria and crescent moon, and the warriors who looked back upon death represented the legacy and inheritance of the Mercury Dynasty. It was under these undead-like gray armies that the ground forces of Oz were defeated step by step.
In the end, the great witch of Oz was also nailed to the city gate by the knights of the Trey family.
"Don't talk about the past." The uncle waved his hands slowly.
"We are outsiders after all, and the upper echelons of the empire were full of distrust and wariness of us at that time. It was because our ancestors' fiefdom was in the north, and the bloodline of the Trey family had withered away in large numbers during the war, and they were almost extinct. That's why
The empire gradually feels relieved."
"The Northern Territory cannot be said to be very good, but at least over the past few hundred years, everyone has gradually become accustomed to such a stable life."
What he said was not unreasonable. Others didn't know how to refute it for a moment. There was a brief silence among them. The uncle also took out the remaining tobacco in his arms and lit it, smoking slowly in the cold wind.
, it seems that in this uncomfortable life, just this short moment can make him relax and calm down.
The sun slowly reaches the noon position, but it is still cold here and there is no joy.
Just when these people were taking a short rest, a burst of rapid horse hooves came across the road by the lake, galloping towards the town not far away.
"That is?"
"It looks like he's from the south. With his clothes and appearance, he should be a messenger or a cavalryman."
"Are you in such a hurry? I think the horse is about to run to death."
"Maybe something happened."
"How about we finish work early today and go back and take a look?" One person suggested, and the others nodded after hesitating for a moment, and all agreed.
In this depressing and difficult environment, there is always hope for some changes, and things cannot be worse than they are now.
Soon after, the group used a snowmobile to drag the fish out and began to return.
It wasn't until more than an hour later that they arrived in the town again, and the street was noisy, completely different from its usual deserted appearance.
"There's a rebellion in the imperial capital?"
"No, it seems that the new emperor has ascended the throne."
"What about the regent and queen?"
"You should be dead. After all, you are seizing power, so of course you have to be ruthless."
"Why does the empire feel like it's going to end?"
"Well, who says it's not the case? We in the north can hardly survive anymore. I hope the new emperor can allocate more food this time."
"I don't think so. We have just changed the throne, and we will probably have to fight against the rebellion again. The food has been given to the army, so how can it be provided to us. Besides, the south has been lost, and the royal family probably won't be able to support itself."
Everyone was talking on the street about something unfamiliar to these people. After asking around for a while, they found out that there had been another coup within the empire.
"The internal affairs of their royal family have nothing to do with us. But this time it depends on whether the Treyi family can get food from the new emperor, otherwise we will not be able to survive on our own." Several villagers said.
Discussing like this.
Unlike other places in the North, the relationship between nobles and commoners is very harmonious because they need to unite to fight against the harsh natural environment and climate.
Many nobles would even personally participate in spring plowing on weekdays, because it is indeed very important to produce more food.
Unlike other places, this place is vast and sparsely populated. If the nobles treat the common people badly and they run away, no one in the territory will even pay taxes.
No one will immigrate here. If they really want to immigrate, most of them will choose the rich eastern border, or the prosperous central and southern regions.
Although such an environment allows the people in the north to live in poverty, they are also relatively stable, and neighbors often help each other, because no one knows whether they will suffer the same disaster in the future.
Cold wind, magical beasts, barrenness, desolation, frost and snow, these together form the impression of the North for most people in the empire, and the people from the North also have different characteristics from other parts of the empire.
Most of them have black skin, speak with straight accents, pay more attention to commitments, are very united outside, respect witches, believe in fate, have a strong attachment to their homeland, and rarely wander outside for the rest of their lives.
The villagers in the town were talking about this important event, and Hanye Territory was already the most remote place in the northern part of the empire. If they all knew about it, it also meant that basically all the towns in the north had received this message.
In a castle in the mountains, a man in armor was packing his luggage, and his wife beside him was still trying to dissuade him.
"Hetlin, do you really want to go?"
"Yes, I will go."
He answered almost without thinking, slowly put on the black knight's helmet, then straightened it and tied it tightly in front of the mirror.
"Her Majesty the Queen has been kind to us. You should never forget it."
A year and a half ago, he received the order from the lord and went to the south with a group of companions to purchase food. They encountered many difficulties, but fortunately, they finally obtained enough food from the western border.
But even so, when they returned, they still encountered difficulties that were difficult to resolve. Some greedy nobles set up checkpoints in the fiefdom, requiring them to hand over half of their food before they could pass.
Because of such difficulties, they fled in embarrassment several times and had to change directions again and again, hoping to return home safely.
However, such actions also led to the constant loss of transported food, and time gradually ran out.
Hanye Territory is located in the remote northwest corner of the North, with almost no food-producing areas around it. If they return late, I am afraid that a large number of people in the territory will not be able to survive that winter.
At that time, not only the lords will be furious, but the people in the territory will not forgive them. This situation will almost push them into a desperate situation.
Fortunately, in the end, a ceremonial officer brought Her Majesty the Queen's order and opened the way for them. Then they were allowed to go in a straight line and rush back to Hanye Territory in the shortest time, relieving their urgent need.
"Now, I have received news that Her Majesty the Queen and the Prince are fleeing to Needle Forest County in Langxiao Province, so I want to rush over to support them."
"Are you crazy? Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and controlled the center of the empire, even Duke Raven has acquiesced in his identity, and you are still jumping out at this time!?"
"Her Majesty the Queen's dignity comes from her husband and children, but now that the Aimanke brothers are gone, the little prince cannot ascend the throne. If you go to save them, what can you change by yourself? It is simply... it is simply self-destruction.
, don’t you care about everything at home?” The wife’s voice was full of earnest persuasion. She wanted to stop this foolish, loyal and crazy man from fearing the future.
But the knight still kept moving, putting on the black knight's armor one by one, went to the bedroom, opened the bed board, and took out the fine weapon wrapped in oil paper under the bed.
Slowly wiping the blurred and blunted sword blade, re-sharpening it to a shine, the man tied the scabbard firmly, and then pushed open the door. The cold wind and snow particles from the outside blew in, and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.
.
He took his only remaining old friend, his war horse, and climbed aboard, while the wife rushed out of the house with the child in her arms, letting the child grab his cloak and saddle.
"No, don't go, Dad." The child made a childish voice, and his movements finally slowed down.
"Look, he is only 5 years old. Can you bear to have a child without a father?" The wife's voice was already a little hoarse.
Scattered snow particles were falling in the cold wind, and the man sat upright in the saddle, silent and silent, like a statue.
He did not look back, looking at the snow-covered mountains, houses, frozen lakes, and the withered and lonely world outside.
After a long time, he finally spoke, his voice full of difficulty, like a frozen river.
"No, he will have a father who is brave and keeps his promises."
After he finished speaking, he shook the reins, and one man and one horse, like black steel, sailed towards the vast world covered with frost and snow.
The iron-gray flag trembled rapidly in the cold wind. The group of people waited quietly at the intersection, waiting for their comrades who were rushing to death with them.
The black war horse hurriedly stepped through the snow, bringing with it splashes of snow powder and mud. The arrival of this last companion made the group no longer stop. They also got up and started heading south along the road.
This group of people did not have any organization, nor did they have the name of a legion. The only thing they had was the iron-gray old flag, which was the flag waved by the survivors of Everdark Island when they returned to the mainland.
On the gray and barren island, there was no paint and no rare water source to wash it. We could only use the dirtiest gray as the base, dye it with precious purple vine juice, and roughly draw the shape of the crescent moon.
Yes, people on the mainland did not trust them, and the empire was wary of these remnants and asked them to engage in the most arduous and dangerous tasks. But it is undeniable that the empire kept its promise in the end, giving them land to live in for generations, and doing its best to stand out from the crowd.
It is proposed to make the Necronomicon Sequence, this extraordinary sequence that has been despised and slandered, be accepted by the world again.
Giving these survivors who have made military achievements a noble status, allowing them to gain dignity and recognition, is the kindness bestowed by the upper echelons of the empire.
These things have never been forgotten by the people in the north, so they have stuck to this cold and barren land for generations, built ships in the cold land, and cruised the North Sea to guard against the ice elves who might move south.
Nowadays, even if the master of the empire changes, this oath will still not change.
The North will not betray the empire, but they cannot forget the past favors of the royal family. Some knights began to break away from the Northern Legion or their past identities.
They will no longer belong to any family or any force. They will just scream for the promises of the past and rush towards the road of death.
After the coup at the top of the empire, many great nobles in the north kept silent about this, but they would not stop these subordinates or knights from leaving and running to an agreed-upon location. This is the tradition of the north, and countless people believe and follow it.
ancient tradition.
Promises must be kept, even if they face visible death.
In the long wind and snow, these soldiers gradually gathered, and the iron-gray old flag became their only common symbol.
With gray battle flags and spears, these well-trained warriors are like cold steel, constantly advancing in the wind and snow. They are living machines, warriors who will become undead, and the setting sun of the Mercury Dynasty.