Lord Highlander

   Chapter 214 213. It's you

Wall Village is located in the depths of the Paglos Mountains, separated by two steep mountains. The mountain roads are rugged and difficult to walk. It can be regarded as the outermost area of ​​the Hailansa Territory. If you go deeper, you will enter the barrenness of the Paglos Mountains The land lacks all the resources needed for production and life, and human beings cannot survive there. Not only that, even monsters rarely appear in that area.

It took almost a day to ride horses from Highlandsa City to Wall Village. Bird Tax Collector rode a short four-legged brown stallion, and kept complaining that the highlander city patrol team would only have four horses. Pan Yang rode away, so that he could only ride a short-legged stallion.

   This kind of stallion is not suitable for walking on mountain roads. Only pan sheep can walk on rough mountain roads as if walking on flat ground.

Bird tax officer is not tall, but his pampered life has given him a belly bigger than a pregnant woman. His legs are very thin, which made Suldak a little curious. His legs are so thin and short. , How did he support his tonnage-level body in normal times.

   This small stallion looks very stocky, and Bird Tax Collector rides on the stallion, as stable as a rock.

The two entourages of the tax official were riding ancient horses, and one of the entourage was assigned by the tax official to go to Wall Village first to inform the village chief of Wall Village that they and their group would meet at dusk. Arrive at Wall Village and ask the village head of Wall Village to prepare a temporary residence and dinner for him.

Suldak walked slowly on the mountain road with Byrd tax collector for most of the day, thinking in his heart, if he walked with that entourage, he could almost reach Wall Village by now, but unfortunately he had no foresight, so he could only Follow Bird tax collector to walk slowly among the mountains.

   After turning over the first dangerous mountain, the lush trees all over the mountain became more and more sparse.

There are large areas of green grass and large rocks exposed between the mountains behind. After turning over the second steep mountain, you will find that there are only a handful of trees in the mountains, and the green grass can only be seen in some gullies. can see.

  The north **** of the distant mountain wall is full of gravel and gravel. The whole mountain is like a complete huge mountain rock, but after years of weathering, these rocks have mottled cracks.

   I didn't expect that after walking out of Hailansa City and entering the mountainous area, the difference between the landform here and the surrounding area of ​​Hailansa City would be so large.

  Suldak didn't have any expression on his face, like a wanderer who had been away from home for many years, standing at the door of his house and not daring to walk in easily.

After walking for nearly a day on the mountain road, Bird Tax Officer sat on the saddle, twisted his buttocks unnaturally, pointed at the mountain pass in front of him, finally let out a long breath, and said to Suldak: "We are almost there! , After passing this mountain pass, you should be able to remember it!"

Suldak rode on a horse and gave a knightly salute to Tax Officer Byrd. He couldn't wait to rush to the front for a look. mountain pass.

  Under the afterglow of the setting sun, a village with only dozens of stone houses appeared in the mountain depression in front of me. This mountain depression seemed to be the only green trace among the nearby mountains.

He remembered that on the battlefield, when the members of the second team were resting on the bed ballista, Suldak told him about his childhood life in detail. The beautiful village gradually overlapped with the village in front of him. He couldn't help but He got off his horse and knelt on one knee on the avenue of the mountain pass, propped his hands on the ground, and put his head close to the ground to smell the fragrance of the soil.

  Bird tax officer chased up from behind, looked at the deserted village in front of him, let out a long breath, and said with a relaxed face: "I finally don't have to come here to collect taxes in the future, it's really great!"

  Suldak looked at Tax Collector Byrd in astonishment, not understanding where his joy came from.

   Bird Tax Officer walked up to Suldak, reached out and patted his thick shoulder, and said to Suldak earnestly:

   "To be honest, Knight Suldak, since you have become a knight, Wall Village will be your territory in the future. Although the official certificate of knighthood has not yet been issued, it will be a matter of time."

"Speaking of which, I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have to walk so hard four times a year. Every time I come to such a poor mountain village to collect taxes, my heart is full of heavy guilt. feel."

  Suldak didn't expect Bird tax collector to be happy because he didn't have to go to Wall Village to collect taxes in the future.

  It seems that Wall Village is poorer than imagined.

Suldak asked the Bird tax officer: "Isn't it necessary to wait until I get the knight certificate before I will be distributed a fief? Will this village be assigned to me? Then how do other people in the village here live?" ?”

  Suldak was a little worried. If his arrival was more like a disaster to the other villagers in Wall Village, that would be the worst.

   "Ah, that's right!" Bird tax officer said, and then explained:

"However, according to the usual practice, I think it is to allocate a piece of land to you in the vicinity. After all, you cannot deprive other villagers of their land, even if the land belongs to you in name, and you have to continue to lease it in the form of lease. For these villagers, the annual rent increase cannot exceed 5% of the total rent amount, and you can’t take the land back unless they don’t want to continue to cultivate the land.”

  It turns out that the Imperial Code also has some protection policies for civilians, so who will compensate for this part of their losses? Suldak thought indiscriminately.

   "...so the above will allocate a piece of land that really belongs to you." Bird tax officer continued.

  Suldak curled his lips and asked, "Wasteland?"

Tax Inspector Byrd did not expect Suldak to speak so bluntly. Considering that he is a knight who has never been to an academy and has not received systematic knight etiquette training, Inspector Byrd feels that he can forgive his recklessness. , so he explained: "This...indeed...needs to be cultivated with your own money and people."

The most indispensable thing around Wall Village is probably these unowned wastelands, and they are still wastelands full of rocks and gravel that cannot be reclaimed. In this way, it makes no difference whether the land is divided for oneself. Even if the land is not divided, for Couldn't he take the initiative to reclaim the wasteland around the village?

   "...How do you feel that becoming a knight doesn't seem to have any benefits." Suldak muttered.

Bird tax collector mounted the stallion again, waited in front of the mountain pass, and said to Suldak with a smile: "The good territory has long been occupied by people, so the Grimm Empire only encourages knights to go to other rich planes now." Open up new territories."

  Suldak turned over, got on his horse, and chased after him.

   "I heard that the land in the Warsaw plane is very fertile?" Bird tax officer asked Surdak curiously.

  Suldak nodded, and the scene of the forest camp appeared in his mind: "It is indeed quite fertile. There is a large grassland in Handanar County, and the alfalfa grass there can grow almost to waist height..."

   "That's really a piece of fertile ground." Bird tax collector said full of longing.

   At this time, Suldak added: "It's just that some evil spirits will come out from time to time."

  Bird tax officer's face immediately changed, and he forced a smile and said, "Uh... Actually, I personally think that Hailansa City is still very good."

  …

  A meandering river flows out of the dark gray stone, and flows along the valley into the big mountain depression, dyeing the world into a piece of emerald green.

The small Wall Village is built in this mountain depression. Those stone houses are not neatly built, and small roads are distributed in the village. Wall', looks a bit blurry already.

  At the entrance of the village stood a group of villagers wearing linen clothes. They were looking forward to it under the afterglow of the setting sun, and the figure of Suldak was stretched long in the setting sun.

As Suldak and Bird tax collector got closer and closer, the young people in the village began to cheer and jump up, and even everyone began to sing the triumphant song in unison. Those villagers welcomed the people in their hearts with the most simple singing hero.

   At this time, Suldak was very anxious. After approaching on horseback, this feeling became more and more intense. He looked at the woman standing at the front of the crowd with some anxiety.

  Some people shouted from time to time: "Suldak, good job..."

  At this time, a girl in a long linen skirt and a turban ran out from the group, shouting: "Brother..."

  Holding the hem of the sarong with both hands, she ran very fast, with youthful breath in her steps.

Running in front of Suldak, his face had already turned red, and a pair of maroon eyes stared at Suldak, but the surprise in his eyes gradually turned into surprise and doubt, standing in front of Suldak, like Stare at a stranger.

   "Are you Rita?" Suldak quickly dismounted from his horse, put down the rein, strode up to the girl, and looked at her seriously.

What Suldak said is right, he has a very beautiful younger sister, that fair face is three points similar to Suldak, but there is a kind of softness in his bones, bright and energetic eyes, water chestnut shaped The ends of the lips are slightly raised, and it seems that the bones are full of pride.

Rita looked at Suldak suspiciously, facing the handsome knight who could call out her name at a glance, she really wanted to find some shadows of her brother in memory from this man in front of her, some places were very similar, some places Absolutely not like that, the girl became a little confused at this moment, she lightly opened her lips and said:

"Who are you…"

  Before the next words could be said, a group of joyful villagers rushed up behind them. They lifted up Surdak involuntarily, threw him into the air and caught him again. This was repeated three times, and the cheers still did not stop.

   "Dak, your appearance has changed so much that we can hardly recognize you." A young villager punched Suldak in the chest and said with a smile.

  Surdak stretched out his hands, hugged the young villager who looked a little thin, wore a leather apron, and smelled like sheep, and said, "You are still the same... Hood!"

  The young villager named Hood hugged Surdak fiercely in excitement, and shouted at the surrounding villagers:

   "I just said that Dak will not forget me. If I meet you in the city of Hailansa, I will not dare to say hello to you. I haven't seen you for five years, and you have become so strong."

  A villager in the crowd asked: "I heard that you have made great achievements on the battlefield, and you have been made a knight by the nobleman?"

  Several young people surrounded Suldak and shouted excitedly: "It's great that you're back, this time we will definitely beat the **** out of those grandchildren in Guta Village."

  Suldak showed a faint smile on his face. Facing these strange and enthusiastic villagers, he really didn't know what he should say.

A boy wearing linen bloomers and a top with cut sleeves squeezed into the crowd, hanging on Suldak's lap like a monkey. Suldak patted the boy's back and asked him Said: "Are you Peter?"

Peter blinked his big smart eyes, and said to Suldak in a childlike voice: "Dad, mom said you are my dad, that's great! I finally have a dad, I'm really afraid they will say I'm the same as Jim , are wild children."

Peter's innocent words set Suldak's heart on fire. He reached out and gently stroked the soft long hair on top of Peter's head, put his hands under his armpits, and lifted him above his head with ease. , and put little Peter on his shoulders.

  Peter grabbed Suldak's hair with both hands, sat on his shoulders and giggled non-stop.

All the villagers gathered around Suerdak, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. On the contrary, Suerdak's family members stood outside the crowd, watching everything in front of them without saying a word. Natasha looked at the old man worriedly. Sheila, asked softly: "Sheila..."

  Which mother in the world would not know her son?

No matter how this person changes his appearance, some small habits on his body will never change. Sheila looked at the strong young man in front of her, at most five points similar to her child Suldak, but she was sure that surrounded by the crowd It must not be Suldak, because his smile is so strange, and so are his eyes.

   But who is this young man who can be sent back by the Byrd tax officer in person and has the status of a knight?

  The wrinkles on Old Sheila's face were almost squeezed together, but she still couldn't figure out these things.

  Hearing Natasha calling her, old Sheila's loving eyes fell on Peter who was on the shoulder of the knight who was laughing heartily, and she just whispered to Natasha: "Go home first!"

  The setting sun had already set, the blue-purple sky gradually became darker, and the light became increasingly dimmer.

The villagers surrounded Surdak and walked towards his home. Surdak kept looking for an opportunity to talk to his wife, but unfortunately he couldn't find a suitable opportunity, so he could only hold the Little Peter walked home with the crowd.

Lord Bird Tax Officer did not follow, the village head had already arranged dinner and accommodation, Bird Tax Officer was exhausted all the way, thinking of going to bed early, and returning to Hailansa City early tomorrow, this time and again, Even riding a horse is a kind of torture for a fat man like him.

Walking along the dirt road in the village, when he saw the low stone house in front of him, Suerdak recognized it at first sight. It was the home that Suerdak had described countless times. The one in the middle is a bit worn out, but it's exactly the same as what he said.

  The small chestnut tree at the door has grown very tall, and the tree is full of fruits.

  The stone mill in the yard looks like it has not been used for a long time, and a small half of it has been buried in the soil.

   I remember that Suldak once said that this stone roller was often used to crush ears of wheat, and only he could pull this stone roller back then.

Suldak walked past the crowd to the gate of the yard. He put Peter off his shoulders, reached out to touch the chestnut tree at the gate of the yard, found a few crooked letters carved with a knife on the trunk, and then went into the yard again. Squatting in front of the stone roller, embracing both ends of the stone roller with both hands, squatting slightly with both legs, the veins on the forehead popped up, and only shouted "get up", the half-buried stone roller was instantly crushed by Su Erdak pulled himself out of the mud.

  Walking to the edge of the wall, he touched the wooden man practicing swordsmanship that was leaning against the wall with nostalgia.

  He turned around and just smiled at these people.

The villagers standing at the door wanted to enter the yard, but they were stopped by the old man who looked like the village chief, who drove all the villagers away from the door like driving cattle, leaving only a few people from Suldak family…

  (end of this chapter)