The cold wind mixed with snowflakes fell towards Blackhammer Castle. In this midwinter, except for the continuous mining of underground mines, other work has basically stopped. Whether it is hunters, lumberjacks, blacksmiths, construction
After working, etc., they all returned to their homes to escape the raging wind and snow.
Charcoal and braziers, fireplaces and coals are a necessity for every household. No matter how poor people are, they must have these at home, otherwise, it will be difficult for them to survive the long winter. If the only person in winter is still alive
The work that is done outdoors is undoubtedly that of a chimney sweep.
In the cold winter of the old world, whether it was distant Bretonnia or the vast area north of Altdorf in the Empire, people needed to burn coal to keep their houses warm in order to survive the long winter. However, burning a large amount of coal caused the chimney to
When a large amount of smoke and dust is blown out, there will inevitably be some blockage problems over time. Therefore, the hard outdoor work of chimney sweeps came into being.
As far as Rhodes knows, most of the people who do this work in the empire are children from the slums. They are small and can move freely in the narrow chimney pipes. Every time the chimney is cleaned, the owner of the house will
They will be given a few copper coins as a reward for their hard work. However, this work is still dangerous. Every year, due to poor safety measures, there are many cases of cleaners falling from the pipes and dying.
Since there is no insurance industry, the families of these children cannot receive any compensation after their deaths, and they can only cry secretly. Some people are even more hateful, adopting orphans wandering in the society, gathering them together, and letting them engage in some highly dangerous jobs.
If you obey, you will fight with fists and kicks, which can be described as a miserable world.
In Rhodes' territory, child labor is prohibited. Chimney sweeps can be done by thin people. As long as the broom is made longer, it can also clean up the smoke and dust.
In the cold winter, thick snowflakes cover the roofs of every house, and the low chimneys emit continuous white smoke. Looking down from above the castle, the entire town outside Blackhammer Castle,
Just like a fairy tale village, quiet and peaceful.
However, Rhodes felt a little uneasy. In the past, the cold winter season lasted for at least three months, which meant that during these three months, the income from fur and wood was almost zero. The quarterly financial balance of Black Hammer Castle
Rhodes has seen it. Since the Norscans joined, fur income has been an important source of income. Moreover, it is because of these Norscans wandering in the forest that timber income can be generated. Like fur income, timber income
Income accounts for a large part of the quarterly income. Now, these two incomes have to be wasted for three months. This is really a drag on the economy of Blackhammer Castle.
When he had nothing to do, Rhodes practiced his Thunder Dual Axes on the castle grounds. This ax has not been studied carefully since it was obtained from the dwarves of Dulong City. The rune craftsmen of Dulong City seem to be
These two weapons were built according to Rhodes' body proportions. Because "Thunder" looks from the appearance alone, it is no longer a one-handed axe. At least for dwarves, it can indeed be used as a two-handed axe.
Rhodes held it in his hand. The length of the battle ax was close to the length of his arm. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, which could reflect human figures. The ax blade looked extremely sharp, as if just by looking at it, you could feel the pain of the sharp blade tearing flesh. Important
Yes, it is indeed very light, so light that Rhodes can swing it freely, just like wielding two daggers.
Another point is that Rhodes vaguely remembered that when he first came into contact with this weapon that day, he waved lightly, and blue arcs of electricity appeared on the battle ax. But after that, no matter how he tried, it didn't work.
That's the effect.
Maybe it's just an illusion, Rhodes said to himself in his heart... However, it is true that the tomahawk will fly back to the user's hand after being thrown. When no one was around, Rhodes tried
Use this heaven-defying skill. After all, for a melee warrior, being kited is an extremely painful thing, especially when dealing with someone like the Frost Witch who is good at ice spells and has no long-range ability. Before the war begins,
Directly frozen into an ice sculpture...
Facing the archery target in the school field, Rhodes threw the ax again and again. A cold light passed by, and the rotating ax cut through the snowflakes and hit the bullseye directly! And without any suspense, it directly penetrated the wooden target.
, the sharp ax blade cut the wooden target for archery in half like cutting vegetables. When returning again, the tomahawk almost hit Rhodes' head. Fortunately, Rhodes reacted quickly and retracted it in mid-air. The power
It was so big that when I held the handle of the axe, the Thunder Battle Ax was still trembling slightly.
It is powerful, but its use is risky. Rhodes knows that this is true for any powerful weapon. While it hurts the opponent, it may also accidentally hurt itself. Just like a cavalry, while impacting the enemy, it may also be knocked away by the strong recoil force.
.As for Thunder, his familiarity with it has just begun. Just like the use of a long sword by a knight requires a long process. After becoming a berserker, Rhodes knows that he still has a long way to go. At least, he knows how to control it.
Inner anger is not an easy thing.
He tried again, this time, Rhodes aimed at the stone wall next to the school grounds.
He controlled his strength and threw the tomahawk again without accelerating. The thunder roared in the air, with the sound of tearing the air, spinning and hitting the wall. Shockingly, the tomahawk
After hitting the stone wall, it penetrated directly into the rock! And the rock wall actually split several cracks during the chopping of the axe.
It is conceivable that if there was a person standing in front of him, then his body would have been separated, and his blood and flesh would be scattered everywhere... Looking at the deep cracks and dents in front of him, Rhodes knew that he would have to call someone to repair the wall tomorrow. And
From now on, it seems that the targets for my practice can only use hard objects such as stones, instead of just targets made of wood...
Just as they were preparing for the third test, the guard's report sounded outside the school grounds.
"My lord, the queen's messenger."
The guard reported, but before Rhodes could agree, the knight wearing exquisite armor broke in.
"Lord Rhodes of Blackhammer Castle, the Ice Queen has ordered you to assemble your troops before the 25th and join the large army outside Erengrad City."
The kingdom knight from the capital said, and then handed the parchment scroll to Rhodes's hand, his arrogance was beyond words. Judging from the title, the status of the knight is still lower than Rhodes. No matter how bad Black Hammer Castle is, it is still a frontier.
The Lord of the Castle and Blackhammer Castle is also considered the Baron of Kislev. He belongs to the nobility and owns his own land.
As for the knights of the kingdom, to put it bluntly, they are just warriors under the noble lords. But the knight in front of him is directly loyal to the Ice Queen Katarina... Therefore, although he is only a knight, his actual status may be far higher than those of these border lords.
Maybe he still has his own manor and land in the capital, so his arrogance is not difficult to understand.
"Can I ask what happened to Erengrad?"
Rhodes took the parchment and asked the knight calmly. The latter glanced at Rhodes and became impatient——
"Don't you know what happened? The people in that city betrayed the Snow Queen. Now, the entire country will regard them as enemies. Until the Snow Queen takes back the rule of Erengrad. As the Lord of Blackhammer Castle
, you have an obligation to take your troops to that city of riots. Am I clear enough?"
The knight said this and turned to leave.
"Don't you want to spend the night here? It's getting late and there are many wild animals outside. I think you should stay here for one night and set off again tomorrow morning."
Rhodes stopped him. He winked at the guard, and the guard immediately went down smartly and arranged the meals and accommodation for the kingdom's knights...