Chapter 74: Prince Kongdai, a Secret Visit

In the scorching sun at noon, the falcons raised by the nobles were still flying between the tall towers.

About one-third of the way up the tower, there are layers of red roofs of varying heights.

Fences and low walls formed streets between the crowded wooden and stone houses.

On the bumpy road, refugees, cattle and horses mixed together, all of them the same shit-yellow color.

When they stand side by side, it is hard to tell who is the human and who is the animal.

In the concentric circles centered on the High Castle Church, apart from the residential houses in the inner circle, the outermost circle is filled with various workshops.

Including paper workshops, leather workshops, blacksmith shops, grocery stores, and the most numerous are dye workshops and wine brewing workshops.

Thousand Valley alone exports more than 50% of the Kingdom of Leia's dyes and is the second largest exporter of the kingdom's liquor.

Sandwiched between these workshops is the crooked Mermaid Tavern.

Guild masters who have some spare money during their lunch break would come to this tavern to take a nap and drink.

The one standing and drinking is an apprentice who has just entered the industry, the one wearing black clothes is the papermaker, the one wearing blue clothes is the winemaker, the one wearing colorful clothes is the dyer, and the one with bare chest is the blacksmith.

In the dim sunlight of the tavern, they leaned against each other, talking loudly about anecdotes and complaining about their wives and children.

"There are more and more refugees on the street." The blacksmith who had just entered the tavern couldn't wait to grab a glass of wine to moisten his throat and said to the boss, "Bacon and meat rolls, Lao Deng."

The innkeeper smashed the fried bacon and meat rolls onto a plate, poured a spoonful of sauce on it, and threw it casually in front of the blacksmith.

"Things are becoming increasingly unstable lately." Segar, the well-fed grocery store owner, said vaguely as he ate a piece of pig's blood pudding with a small spoon.

The tavern owner, Lao Deng, was still collecting the empty glasses: "That's right,"

"Hey, have you heard about that fake pope in the Gulag?"

"Didn't Archbishop Barnifors send nearly a thousand men to suppress the bandits?"

Ever since the news spread that someone claimed to be the Pope, the citizens of High Castle have been laughing at this joke.

The guest lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "We lost."

"Defeated? Who said that?"

"Tsk, the rumor has spread among the refugees, saying that the Gulag Pope is the real Pope, the Pope of the Thousand River Valley people."

When talking about this topic, the drowsy laborers and craftsmen who were leaning on the counter or table no longer felt sleepy.

Even the guests sitting near the door closed the door of the pub tacitly.

"I tell you, this news came from refugees and public servants who escaped from the Gulag. They said they saw with their own eyes that the church's army was wiped out in an instant."

"real or fake?"

"It's true. It's said that every one of those Gulag rebels has a lightning rod given by Myrcella."

"I've heard about it, too. It's said that the lightning stick is very powerful. Just by waving it, it can send out a bolt of lightning that can kill someone instantly."

"That's nothing. Let me tell you, those rebels in the Gulag even raised a little frost giant."

"what is that?"

"It is said that the frost giant's cub is as tall as two adults before it is ten years old."

The grocery store owner Segar said unhappily, "Aren't these just rumors?"

"It's hard to say." The tavern owner pushed a glass of beer to a new guest in black. "This morning, I saw the guards arrest two talkative refugees. I was not sure before, but now I believe it a little."

"Do you know what's the worst?" The blacksmith in the leather vest stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth and said mysteriously, "When I went to church today, I asked Father Vestal, do you know what he said?

He told me that this was just a rumor, that it absolutely could not happen, that it was absolutely false news, and he told everyone else that.”

"Oh my God." "Does the Chosen Pope of the Thousand River Valley really exist?"

"How could such a thing happen?"

"I don't understand." The middle-aged man in black robes who was sitting and drinking quietly suddenly turned sideways and said, "Didn't the priest say that this didn't happen?"

“Oh hahaha, my friend, this is what you don’t understand.” The dyer sitting in the corner wearing a red folded hat laughed, “Only what the church denies is credible.”

"My friend, you have to know that some things that are impossible to happen may actually happen after the church denies them."

“It’s the experience gained over many years.”

Everyone in the tavern burst into laughter.

Unlike other places, High Castle City is still under the management of the church, rather than being managed by the city council like the Free City of Ayr.

Therefore, the craftsmen here have some good feelings towards the Pope, but they are very disgusted with the local church.

"Who cares? Once Prince Condé's paladin arrives, they will be crushed to dust." Segar has always hated the secret party. "I just hope Your Highness can be quick. If this continues, I will go bankrupt."

"Our Guardian (Barneyforth's nickname) is in trouble now." The blacksmith poured the black beer into his mouth and wiped the foam from his beard. "I wanted to show my face in front of His Royal Highness, but ended up showing my butt."

"Hahahahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter, and the store was once again filled with a happy atmosphere.

"No need for change." Throwing a dinar on the table, a middle-aged man wrapped in a hermit's robe and hood pushed the empty cup and plate away, stood up and was about to leave.

But the tavern owner stepped forward and grabbed him.

"Hey, who told you one dinar?" The tavern owner knocked on the fir table with his thick knuckles. "Two dinars."

"Wasn't it this price before?" the middle-aged man asked with a worried frown, not knowing why.

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. Look at this flood, where is the wine? You think it's expensive, and I think it's too expensive too."

As if admitting his bad luck, the middle-aged man rummaged through his pocket for a long time before pulling out thirty copper coins: "These are all I brought..."

"Oh, this is not enough for a dinar. I am unlucky." The boss snatched the copper coin from the middle-aged man and waved his hand impatiently to drive him away. "Give it to me next time. Get lost."

"By the way, Segar, your distant nephew is called Horn, right? Is he back?"

"I'm so worried. His house is right next to the Gulag Monastery. It might have been washed away by the flood. I was counting on him to take care of me in my old age."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Segal. Maybe he has been captured by that fake pope."

"Hahahahaha!"

Ignoring the vulgar words of the craftsmen behind him, the middle-aged man in black walked out of the tavern, and a guard also in black came over.

"Your Highness, the wine and food are worth only one dinar. These people are clearly insulting you. How about I..."

"What do they know?" Prince Condé interrupted the guard and looked up at the scorching sun. "This year's season is really abnormal. There are heavy rains in the summer, and the autumn is like summer."

Putting on his hood to cover his face, Prince Condé held the guard's shoulders and said, "Let's go to the church to see Barniforth."

A small town of two or three thousand people obviously could not support a small army of eight thousand people, so Prince Condai ordered nine imperial companies to camp in the wild.

He himself rode an old horse and arrived at the High Castle ahead of time with only two guards.

After all, this place is half his hometown, and Prince Kongdai has quite some feelings for it. He doesn't want to destroy it and ruin his reputation here.

“Go and inform Barney Foss first and tell him not to make it public. I suspect there are secret party spies in High Castle City.

Tell him to prepare all the information about the Gulag rebels in advance, and I will take it and leave.

Also, tell him that I won't spend more time with him, and I have no interest in the banquets he prepared."

(End of this chapter)