nycdaug Chapter 66 Homeless People
Chapter 66 Homeless People
As Anya followed the guard in chainmail through the main gate, Rogge and his group were stopped.
Since they couldn't enter the main castle, they settled the troops in the square.
Rogge, Gold, and Virgil returned to the lower city and planned to take a stroll around the area.
The lower city, or rather the outer fortress,
This is the largest and busiest area in the castle, where merchants, artisans, and ordinary residents lived and worked.
While the entire Ganders fortress is equipped with comprehensive military facilities, it also feels more like a small town full of life.
Walking along the cobblestone streets of the Lower Town, you'll find mostly residential buildings, with a few permanent shops and workshops.
A few bakeries, tailor shops, carpentry shops, etc., can be found.
These shops were all run by artisans who had received special permission from the lord, and the lord's mark was displayed above the door; they were essentially the lord's private property.
Many people mistakenly believe that commercial activities only occur in cities, which is a misconception.
There is indeed commerce in the castle, but it is fundamentally different from commerce in the city.
The city's commerce is independent; merchants pursue profits and cater to all coming and going customers.
The businesses within the castle were subordinate, primarily serving the lord, knights, garrison troops, and the castle's inhabitants.
The small merchants and artisans in these castles had no autonomy and were completely ruled by the lords. They were often unable to exchange goods for profit like merchants in big cities.
As they continued their journey, military logistics facilities gradually came into view, such as stables and granaries, all guarded by dedicated personnel.
Rogge and his two companions did not approach; they merely glanced at them from afar before turning and leaving.
Spying on someone else's military situation on their own turf is undoubtedly a foolish act.
The outer edge of the fortress was home to ordinary residents, mostly low and simple two-story wooden houses with thatched roofs.
These houses were very simple, with no windows and only a small opening covered by wooden boards.
Roger could almost picture the interior: dimly lit, smoky, and extremely unsanitary.
Continuing along the cobblestone path leading from the castle, away from the hustle and bustle,
A familiar smell mixed with charcoal wafted into the three people's nostrils.
Turning a corner around a stone wall, a blacksmith's workshop suddenly appeared before us.
"Master Baron, my son is very strong. Please take him on as an apprentice... just give him a meal!"
An old woman's voice reached his ears. Roger looked up and saw the old woman with a longing look on her face, and a tall, thin young man beside her.
The young man was pale and thin, looking like he was starving...
"Go! Go! Go!
"Master Baron has enough apprentices! Don't hinder the master's forging!"
A shirtless young man chased the old woman and the tall, thin young man out, looking displeased.
The old woman led the dejected young man past Rogge and his companions, her expression filled with loss and despair.
Rogge and his companions approached the blacksmith's shop.
"Clang~ Clang~ Clang"
The rhythmic sound of hammering metal came from inside.
Rogge and his two companions stood at the doorway and looked inside.
A burly man, shirtless, was standing beside the red-hot forge.
His skin was dark, his muscles bulged, and it was covered with sweat and charcoal ash.
He held a long pair of iron tongs in his hand, clamping a piece of iron, and turned it over and heated it in the furnace fire.
The two young men strained to pull the bellows, and with each pull, the fire in the furnace instantly brightened a little.
Six shirtless young men surrounded the blacksmith, all drenched in sweat; clearly, being an apprentice was no easy task…
The walls of the blacksmith's shop were covered with all sorts of tools.
Hammers of various sizes, sharp chisels, pliers, and so on.
On the right wall hung many unfinished products.
There were longswords that were half-finished, and arm guards with their plates already attached.
The most eye-catching item was a set of unfinished plate armor placed on the table.
The plate armor had already been engraved with simple patterns and was taking shape, but the overall texture looked very heavy, and it was covered in dust, obviously having not been touched for a long time...
Roger's eyes lit up, and he led God and Virgil inside.
"Boss, how much is this sword?" Roger asked, pointing to an ordinary longsword on the wall.
Upon hearing this, the burly man curiously turned to look at Rogge and the other two, then turned back to continue forging.
Roger didn't realize that the moment he opened his mouth, his outsider nature was exposed.
The burly blacksmith wiped the sweat from his face with the towel draped around his neck and said calmly:
"That sword, two hundred silver dinars!"
"What?"
Two hundred silver dinars?
Gold exploded on the spot, exclaiming in surprise.
"This ordinary iron sword would cost at most fifty dinars outside! You're robbing us!"
"Outside is outside, this is Ganders Fortress." The blacksmith sneered, shoving his tongs against the furnace.
"Take it or leave it, I have plenty of people buying it!"
"This is the price here!"
If you'd like to order custom weapons, I'm sorry, the order book is already two months ahead!
"Why don't you forge it yourself if you're so capable?"
Gold was about to say something more when Roglar tugged at his arm.
"Excuse me!"
The three turned and walked out of the blacksmith shop, with God still muttering to himself:
"These people are so greedy!"
"Two hundred dinars for a worthless iron sword, how dare he?"
Virgil said calmly, "Not surprising. There's only one blacksmith shop in the fortress, monopolizing the supply of all weapons and ironware..."
"Weapons are scarce to begin with, so no matter how high the price he sets, there will be people willing to pay it."
Rogge nodded, thinking of the weapons he and his companions sold in Broken Amber Village. They were meticulously forged, and each one sold for only one hundred silver dinars.
At the time, he thought the price was already fair, but now it seems that the three of them set the price too low.
On this continent, at times, weapons and equipment are a form of hard currency that is even more valuable than money!
Roger took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
Their top priority is to improve themselves and the team's combat effectiveness as soon as possible!
Roger looked up at the sky; it was now completely dark.
"Let's go back and take a look!"
The three of them returned along the same route, but as soon as they stepped into the open space in front of the main castle, they all stopped in their tracks.
At this moment, many of the conscripted militiamen stood frozen in place, and many were sobbing.
The two girls slumped to the ground, as if their bones had been removed.
"The whole village burned down...everyone's gone..."
In the village of Gonde, Yar'orsen was gripping Ragnar's collar so tightly that he almost lifted the frail boy off the ground.
"You're lying to me! That's impossible!"
Olsen's eyes were bloodshot, and his face was filled with crazed disbelief.
"The village was fine when we set off yesterday, how could it just disappear like that!"
You're lying!
Grabbing him by the collar, Ragnar kicked and pried wildly with his hands and feet, trying to pry open Olsen's large, iron-like hands.
Let me go!
Why would I lie to you? The entire village of Gonde is burning, and there are corpses everywhere!
Several militiamen from Duanpo Village nearby quickly stepped forward to persuade them to stop.
"Osenyar, please stop!"
Ragnar wasn't lying; we all saw it. What good would it do us to lie to you...?
Olsen's movements suddenly froze.
He threw the boy to the ground, causing the boy to cry out in pain.
As if he had lost all support, Olsen slumped straight down on the cold stone floor.
His once bright and piercing eyes were now cloudy, as if covered with a layer of gray. There was no anger, no sadness, only a desolate and lifeless emptiness within them.
He was Yar of Gonde Village, the hope of the entire village.
He was supposed to stay in his territory with the villagers, but because he lost the duel, he followed the conscripted militia to the fortress.
But he didn't expect that the pirates would arrive right after they left.
He took away all the resistance forces in the village, leaving the old, weak, women and children in the unprotected village to the bloodthirsty pirates!
This overwhelming sense of self-blame, so heavy it was suffocating, gripped his heart like a giant hand!
"It's my fault...it's my fault that they're in trouble..."
As Olsen muttered to himself, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.
"Clap clap clap~"
One after another, the crisp sound echoed in the quiet square.
His cheeks were swollen and red, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he seemed not to feel any pain, as if he was about to beat himself to death on the spot!
The two girls beside him, seeing his state, immediately burst into loud sobs, rushing forward to hug his arms as they cried...
Rogge frowned and walked forward. Seeing Rogge return, Ragnar got up and went to Rogge's side.
While rubbing his sore bottom, he grimaced and complained:
"Brother Roger, you're finally back! That mad bear almost strangled me to death!"
Roger didn't say anything, but raised his hand and slapped him on the back of the head, the force neither too light nor too heavy.
"You were the one who went to them first, weren't you?" Roger's question silenced Ragnar instantly.
The commotion at Aosen alerted everyone in the square.
After making some inquiries, everyone learned of this devastating news.
Besides Duanpo Village, a second village has been destroyed by sea pirates!
Panic gripped the entire square.
"Gangde Village is completely gone?"
Could our village be next?
"The pirates have invaded our own backyard! Why isn't the fortress sending troops? Are we just supposed to stay here and watch our families die?"
"I want to go back! My wife and children are still in the village!"
The conscription of militiamen in many other villages began to be loud and increasingly agitated.
They were originally conscripted.
Now that they know the pirates are massacring the village, everyone is even more insecure.
Rogge stood at the edge of the crowd, looking at Olsen, who was slumped on the ground with a blank stare, and then at the indignant militiamen, his brows furrowing.
In the dark square, the lord's main castle, like a giant beast, loomed over the entire uneasy square.