chore: haha
This commit is contained in:
1
.gitignore
vendored
1
.gitignore
vendored
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
|
||||
epubs/
|
||||
datasets/
|
||||
# custom/
|
||||
*.db
|
||||
*.db.bak
|
||||
|
||||
13477
cn_en_wn_dataset.json
13477
cn_en_wn_dataset.json
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load Diff
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 01 - Divine Strength Awakens, Mystery of Qing Shui’s Birth</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>AST: Chapter 27 & 28 – Off to the 1,000,000 Li Mountains</h2>
|
||||
<h2>AST: Chapter 27 – Off to the 1,000,000 Li Mountains</h2>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
61
custom/ast/en/OEBPS/Text/Section0028.xhtml
Normal file
61
custom/ast/en/OEBPS/Text/Section0028.xhtml
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>AST: Chapter 28 – The Line between Life and Death.</h2>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Huh?” Qing Shui inclined his head in surprise, and swiftly after, his expression changed drastically for the worst. A gargantuan shadow blotted out the sun and skies as it savagely zoomed towards him. The might of the wind force generated by the flapping of those huge wings was tremendously powerful, to the point where the huge rocks weighing a few hundred jin on the nearby ground were also chaotically rolling about, as if they were bereft of gravity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui immediately channeled his inner Qi down towards the soles of his feet, rooting him to the ground. The stone hidden in his right hand was also charged to the brim with the circulated Qi from the Ancient Strengthening Technique.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui flicked the stone towards the gargantuan body of the huge flying beast and in the same instant, also executed the Ghostly Steps, speedily retreating to some distance away.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui decided to target the heart of the flying beast. He knew that with only such a small stone as a weapon, there was no way for him to deal huge amounts of damage to the beast; he would at most only be able to slightly injure it. The only solution left was to target the critical weak spots.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Xiu!” The stone created a terrifying sound as it soared through the air, with a speed so fast that it was almost to the point of breaking the sound barrier.</p>
|
||||
<p>“eEeeEKK!” a ear-piercing sound screeched out. Hints of undisguised humiliation and rage filled the cry as the gigantic creature retreated back to the air.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui knew that he had missed the heart of the beast, but looking at the blood showering down, akin to the squirting of a fountain, he knew that at the very least, he had managed to injure it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The current Qing Shui had already retreated to a safe distance away as he took the time to identify the flying beast soaring through the skies. Upon closer observation, Qing Shui was incessantly astonished! The wingspan of this bird was approximately 30-40m wide. The head was similar to a eagle and condor. Its whole body was covered with inky black feathers with only a patch of white on its head.</p>
|
||||
<p>“3rd Grade Desolate Beast, White-headed Inky Jade Condor!” Qing Shui breathed. He had finally identified the gargantuan flying bird.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since that time Qing Hai explained the various professions in the Continent of the 9 Provinces to him, Qing Shui did some light research on the beast tamer profession, and also on the descriptions of the various beasts that inhabited this world.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were a total of 4 levels of beasts. Wild < Ferocious < Desolate < Demonic. And each level could be split into 9 grades. In total, the ranking system for beasts could be ranked from 1st Grade to the 36th Grade. The White-headed Inky Jade Condor in front of him was of the 21st grade, no wonder the aura it emitted was so terrifying.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only desolate beasts who had formed a demonic core would be considered to have stepped into the realm of demonic beasts. Even the weakest amongst the demonic beasts had strength comparable to a cultivator of the Xiantian realm. The longer the demonic beast had lived, the stronger it would be, the disparity in strength between each grade at the demonic level could be comparable to the difference between Heavens and Earth!</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui looked at the White-headed Inky Jade Condor hovering in midair, that gargantuan body was incomparably huge, just the size of the it’s leg could be comparable to the girth of a fully grown human male.</p>
|
||||
<p>He remembered reading in the books he researched previously that the White-headed Inky Jade Condor was prone to nursing grudges. The injury that Qing Shui caused it to suffer earlier was just a small matter. What matters here was the injury Qing Shui had caused to it’s pride! From the cold and evil glint in the White-headed Inky Jade Condor’s eyes, Qing Shui knew that the bird would never give up on him, not unless one of them died. It was just waiting for an opportunity now to catch Qing Shui off his guard.</p>
|
||||
<p>Transferring the stone in his left hand to his right, Qing Shui determinedly stared at the White-headed Inky Jade Condor. Maybe, it was the stone in Qing Shui’s hand that gave it pause and forced the giant condor to act out of caution. Earlier in that exchange, the condor could feel an unnatural strength infused in the stone that injured it. Once bitten, twice shy. Now that it knew of Qing Shui’s strength, it did not want to rush in blindly and possibly suffer injuries or death due to a moment of impulse!</p>
|
||||
<p>Licking his parched lips, Qing Shui felt a great thirst bubbling up from inside of him. He had not drank any water for the past three days. In these three days, there weren’t even any traces of other flying beasts! Now Qing Shui knew why… it was probably because of this huge condor in front of him. The condor must have been the predator that scared everything away.</p>
|
||||
<p>This can’t carry on, he needs water to sustain his life. If there were other beasts around, he could still drink their blood for sustenance. Coldness flashed in his eyes, “ Very well, it seems like today no matter what, I have to think of a way to ensure that this giant condor would not escape.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Despite its huge size, it seemed to be like a fish in water when it was in the air. There was no deterrence to its speed! The aura emitting from it was tyrannical beyond measure, possessing herculean strength, it’s condor claws could split mountains and crush rocks. There was also the pair of jet black wings, being struck by it would be akin to disintegrating into piles of dust. Also not to neglect the beak of the White-headed Inky Jade Condor, a single peck would be sufficient to split a human-being into two.</p>
|
||||
<p>What a majestic presence, what overwhelming strength. Rivulets of sweats were flowing down Qing Shui head, as he was contemplating how best to gain victory against the condor.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui was somewhat nervous, but he was not afraid. Not being able to gain victory today would only mean that it was his destiny to die here. “If I can’t even prevail against a single desolate grade flying chicken, why am I still alive? The promises I made to mother was all just words filled with empty air?”</p>
|
||||
<p>“F*** your mother, this damnable bird is freaking annoying. If you want to fight, get down here and I will be happy to accompany you to the gates of hell. If you don’t want to, just F*** OFF! Why the F*** are you hovering in the air?!” Qing Shui cursed.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, it seemed that Qing Shui’s cursing was ineffective.</p>
|
||||
<p>After a while, Qing Shui knew that this was not the solution, he could not stand there like an idiot enabling this feathery bastard to anger him to death!</p>
|
||||
<p>After thinking for a short while, Qing Shui decided to lie flat on the ground. The remnants of the crumbled 100 jin rocks had been swept clean by the gale force generated by this White-headed Inky Jade Condor when it first swept in to attack Qing Shui earlier. However, in the same instant as he lay down, he also stealthily crumbled a part of the stone cliff, hiding a small stone in his left hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui closed his eyes, and took a risk. He did not believe that the refinement of his current body with the power of only the 3rd level of Ancient Strengthening Technique would be able to defend against the White-headed Inky Jade Condor’s sharp claws and pointed beak. Those were no ordinary claws or beak, very likely, even if it was Qing Shui, he could not withstand a single blow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Patience, Qing Shui did not lack. The fact that he assiduously spent all his free time in cultivating already proved that his will power was beyond the norm. He could be patient if he wanted to.</p>
|
||||
<p>Time passed as the minutes drifted by, Qing Shui squinted his eyes as he peeped out of the corner of his eyes. His body was tensed up, Qing Shui was prepared to to grasp any opportunity that presented itself to perform a one hit kill!</p>
|
||||
<p>“F*** it, is it even still interested in fighting? F*** its mother, staying in the same position, neither coming down nor flying away.” Qing Shui cursed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe, some God heard Qing Shui’s prayers as his curses were gradually beginning to affect the bird. That white-headed inky jade condor slowly begin to circle nearer and nearer.</p>
|
||||
<p>“This cunning feathered bastard, just wait till I catch hold of it!” Qing Shui muttered hatefully.</p>
|
||||
<p>The White-Headed Inky Jade Condor was no fool, it appears that it was trying to test the waters. Circling closer and soaring out of reach. This continued on for quite some time before it apparently decided to go all in. With a burst of speed akin to lightning, it finally flew towards Qing Shui.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the moment he had been waiting for! Qing Shui eyes snapped open, as he flicked both stones in his hands, aiming for the eyes of the White-Headed Inky Jade Condor!</p>
|
||||
<p>The distance of 10m was covered in an instant! As he flicked out the stone, Qing Shui curled up his arms and legs, adopting the posture of a rabbit as the Qi from the Ancient Strengthening Technique circulated and infused his body.</p>
|
||||
<p>“EeEKekK”</p>
|
||||
<p>A shrill voice cried out in shock, but the huge body of the white-headed condor didn’t even slow in the slightest. In fact, the speed even increased by a gear!</p>
|
||||
<p>At the critical moment of impact, Qing Shui’s body was akin to a carp leaping out of the water. Gathering Qi in his arms and legs, and borrowing the force of impact, Qing Shui violently made use of his limbs to bounce away. The rebound was incredible, both his arms felt like they were going to break at any moment.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of that miss, the White-headed Inky Jade Condor was screeching in displeasure.</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui looked down at the red patch blossoming in front of his chest, there was a wound the length of a foot long! Blood was unceasingly flowing out from it. Even though he managed to avoid the full brunt of the impact, as Qing Shui had frantically dodged, the tip of the condor’s claw still managed to pierce his chest. The injury was bone deep! Although he had managed to escape from certain death, he was still inflicted with heavy injuries!</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking at the blood flowing unceasingly from the wound, Qing Shui was shivering from the extreme pain of having his chest sliced open. Feeling bitterness in his heart, could it be that he was really going to lose his life today? In that instant, many things flashed past his eyes, especially thoughts of Qing Yi. Before he left, Qing Shui still repeatedly reassured her that he would take care of himself. He was extremely unwilling to die here just like this!</p>
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui has yet to help Qing Yi fulfil her wishes, he cannot die here. If he is dead, what would happen to Qing Yi? She would be bereft of support, her only flesh and blood taken away from her. Just imagining that scenario happening actually hurts more than getting sliced open. What will happen if others trampled roughshod on her? No, he gritted his teeth, he cannot die here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Despite his will, Qing Shui’s consciousness was starting to get fuzzy, the blood flowing out from his chest dyed his whole body red, and at the same time some of his blood also splashed upon the worn and tattered Yin-Yang Pendant that he always wore around his neck…</p>
|
||||
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 02 - Legend of Hundred Miles City, Peerless and Independent</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 03 - The Resplendent Fireworks, The Mountains And Rivers Like A Painting</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 04 - Beautiful Tears Topple The Kingdom, Twelve Portraits Of Beauty</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 05 - Green Cloud Continent of the Nine Continents, Barging Into The Yan Clan</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 06 - Aura of a King, Sword Pointing at the Dome of Heavens</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 07 - Path Of Martial Saint, Heart Of The Strong</h1>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 08 - The Prosperous Central Continent, The Journey Across It</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 09 - Southern Viewing Continent, Hatred Of The Previous Years</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 10 - Eastern Victory Divine Continent, Exquisite Bell Spirit</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 11 - Storm In The Fifth Continent, The Northern Sacred Lu Continent</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 12 - Stepping On Lion King Ridge, Trampling With Such Force Until The Mountains And Rivers Crumble</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 13 - Arriving at the Four Continents, Hundred Dynasties, Hundred States. The path of a State Master</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>AST 1183 – 1184 Battle, Three Rounds, Two Losses One Win, Strange Woman (Two Chapters Combined into One)</h2>
|
||||
<h2>AST 1183 – Battle, Three Rounds, Two Losses One Win, Strange Woman</h2>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -183,160 +183,6 @@
|
||||
|
||||
<p>They had already gone through with three rounds, getting two losses and one win. Right now, the people taking the stage were also getting increasingly stronger. Even Qing Shui wasn’t very confident now…</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Right now, they were already in a situation where they had two losses and one win. If they were to have another loss, they could be said to have lost all hope. Moreover, the lady on the arena was very strange, so strange that she was very unfathomable.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ll go!” Yan Yueyin suddenly said.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Sister Yueyin, If I’m not mistaken, that lady specializes in spirit energy, especially with that pair of eyes she has… Do you feel confident?” Qing Shui gave it some thought and felt that there was a need for him to remind her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ll do my best. I guarantee that even if I die, I won’t lose.” Yan Yueyin thought about it before replying.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ll give this to you. Remember, don’t look into her eyes for more than the time taken for two blinks,” Qing Shui said and took out a Violet Jade Phoenix Pendant.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“This?” Yan Yueyin could only sense that this item was very profound and was exuding faint spiritual Qi. Even though this spiritual Qi wasn’t very strong, it was especially rustic with a hidden impressiveness.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Put it on. It’ll increase your spirit energy and protection against spirit energy. It should be of some use. Remember, try to end the battle fast, don’t drag it out,” Qing Shui reminded her seriously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Right now, no one would underestimate Qing Shui. It was because within one month, they had discovered that Qing Shui’s abilities were terrifying. They didn’t know how strong he was exactly and this made them especially curious about him. They could sense that Qing Shui’s abilities should be related to his forging abilities. He should have came from an ancient blacksmith aristocratic clan and one with a strong aristocrat inheritance.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Thank you!” Yan Yueyin smiled and said seriously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Are you going to stand on ceremony with me as well? In the future, I’ll still need Sister Yueyin to back me up,” Qing Shui smiled and said, indicating that she could go on.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin nodded and with a flash, flew up to the arena. Neither lady spoke a word. The lady from Yu Clan was clad in black clothes and had a beautiful figure. It was just that she had a terrifying pair of eyes.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin, on the other hand, was mature and charming, giving off such a magnanimous feeling that it felt a little dangerous. It was the danger hidden within smiles. Yan Yueyin took out a dark red colored whip as thick as a baby’s arm, providing a good grip. It was three meters long.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady from Yu Clan dressed in black clothes took out a pitch-black staff. However, there was a skull on the top of the staff, making the lady appear to be even more eerie.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui frowned. He felt that this lady was very dangerous and by rights, shouldn’t join in so early. Could it be that there were reasons for this?</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Thunderous Bloodthirst!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>With a slight move, Yan Yueyin floated like a wisp of smoke, her dark red colored whip tapped out toward the eerie lady in a straight line.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady from Yu Clan swung her bone staff and a dense wall made from white bones appeared before her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>When Qing Shui saw the lady’s attack, he let out a sigh of relief. This lady’s martial technique was definitely very vicious but her strength seemed to not make the mark. This was also why she was sent out this time around. That phoenix pendant should be having some use.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Pfft!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The bone wall was shattered. However, at this moment, a huge white bone flower bloomed. A strange but faint smell spread out. Even though Yan Yueyin had stopped her breath, she could still sense it and was suddenly struck by dizziness.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>She was very surprised and felt that she wasn’t able to summon her strength. Just as she was feeling helpless, the Violet Jade Phoenix Pendant she was wearing exuded a stream of clear Spiritual Qi, washing away her sleepiness.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>She managed to just barely dodge that white bone flower.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady from Yu Clan seemed to be very astonished that Yan Yueyin had managed to dodge her attack. She waved her hand once again and put on battle armor that was like water and yet like white bones. It formed an eerily distinctive difference against her pitch-black clothes. Her pair of dark eyes seemed to be emitting glowing black light.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Many legacy martial techniques came from the ancient times and no matter what kind of martial technique a person practiced, it wouldn’t bring any surprises. It was just like how this lady’s martial technique seemed to be just a devilish martial technique to Qing Shui. Actually, they were the same as people who refined poison. The only difference was only whether a person was strong or weak.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There were only evil people; there were no evil martial techniques.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>This was the lady’s Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui hadn’t expected that her Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation had also reached the second form. Although it seemed as if she had just barely managed to reach this phase, it was still a success and it had increased the lady’s prowess tremendously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Flower of Darkness!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>With a wave of her hand, a pitch-black flower, that was about one foot in size, shot out toward Yan Yueyin. It wasn’t fast but it seemed as if it could lock onto a target.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin retreated rapidly and concurrently, silver light flashed on her body. She had also activated her Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui was stunned once again. Her Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation was also at the second form. He seemed to have sensed something. When people with strong spirit energy reached the Grade Two State Master level, they seemed to be able to attain the second form of the Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation. However, he couldn’t be sure that this was true.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Right now, Qing Shui understood that Yan Yueyin had the confidence to defeat that lady. She was very powerful.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The black flower continued to follow after Yan Yueyin with terrifying powers.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Bloodthirsty Whip Dance!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The dark red Thunderous Bloodthirst Whip instantly swelled up. It was like a blood red python that was seething furiously, getting increasingly bigger. However, when it came into contact with that black flower, it kept on being corroded.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Although it was corroded, it regenerated very quickly and brought along a surge of blood vapor that was so thick that it seemed as if they were going to turn into liquid. The red colored vapor then formed masses and started spinning into a tornado and dashing out toward the lady dressed in black.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Boundless Darkness!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady let out a horrible scream and a stream of black light shot out from her eyes toward Yan Yueyin. Concurrently, a stream of similarly dense black colored vapor that was like flowing water, clashed against the red colored vapor.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Boom!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>With huge explosive sounds, red and black spots splattered out. On Yan Yueyin’s side, she had also destroyed the black flower. Earlier on, she had subconsciously met the gaze of the lady’s black eyes and was stunned. She recalled Qing Shui’s words and quickly turned away. At this moment, she was already dashing out toward the lady, leaving a trail of fiery red whip shadows. It was as if she was walking on an archway formed from fire pythons.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Along the trail of whip shadows, with each step Yan Yueyin took, the aura she exuded would increase. She recalled of Qing Shui’s word to not drag out the battle and to end it as quickly as possible.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Her aura was swelling up at rapid speed and the Thunderous Bloodthirst Whip in her hand had flashed with a hint of red colored thunderbolt. Accompanied by hissing sounds, her whole body was bathed in a red color.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Thunderous Bloodthirst Slash!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Ancient Bones of Ten Thousand！</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady didn’t gave up and crazily waved her hand around as eerie looking skeletons surrounded her, forming a distinctive contrast with Yan Yueyin’s blood red color. One of side was a bright red, the other was a pale white!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Break!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin’s Thunderous Bloodthirst Whip suddenly became like a huge fire dragon, sending out a terrifying sound as it brought along a great pressure with it, smashing toward the lady in black as well as the skeletons around her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Boom boom…</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The world seemed to fall into a state of chaos as the explosions went on consecutively for the time it took to burn half an incense stick. The people outside could only sense the non-stop energy explosions and deafening sounds. They weren’t able to see the actual situation that was going on inside.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>When the darkness in the sky slowly scattered, everyone opened their eyes without blinking, wanting to see who was the last person standing, if both of them were there or if neither of them were there.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin stood there and everyone could see her shaky figure. There were people who were astonished and there were people who were elated… It was only after the old man declared that Yan Yueyin was the winner that she then headed back. The moment she landed, she spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui quickly took out three gold needles, pierced them into her back and said softly, “Sister Yan, please support her and let her stand for a while. She’ll be fine after that. She has been poisoned.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The others seemed to not find Qing Shui’s actions to be unexpected.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Thank you, Qing Shui. If it wasn’t for your jade pendant, I would probably not be able to win and would have died.” Yan Yueyin now seemed to be especially happy.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“You’re still standing on ceremony.” Qing Shui smiled and looked at Yan Yueyin. He didn’t know if it was because she was injured or excited but there was a hint of a flush on her mature and charming face, making her appear to be very feminine.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Four rounds were over and it was at a draw. There were five more rounds but everyone knew that it wouldn’t be easy. However, Qing Shui on the contrary, felt more confident now.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>It was close to noon, so the battles today were considered over and the rest would be continued the next day. This was what both parties had agreed on, to allow them to regroup.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The people from both Yan Clan and Yu Clan left but there were many people still around. They were in discussion and might even stay in the tents nearby and wait for tomorrow’s arrival.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Do you guys think that Yan Clan will win or Yu Clan will win?”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Did you guys see? Yan Clan is having internal conflicts. I heard that Yan Dinglang’s faction wants to be independent from Yan Clan and yet wanted to let the current Yan Clan go into seclusion. They colluded with Yu Clan and the 3rd Prince and thus it’s very bad for Yan Clan this time around. It’s said that they’ll have four rounds that they’ll definitely lose.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“What will Yan Dinglang get out from doing this? This will cause Yan Clan to lose a lot.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Losing a lot would be better than not having a spot for himself. Although Yan Clan’s status in Yan City would plunge, it would at least be better than his current situation. It might be an opportunity for him.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I think it might not be an opportunity. He might be in trouble when they go back today.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“That won’t happen. I heard that there will be interference from the royal family.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>…</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui as well as Yan Yangchi and the others returned to the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. In all, they were still feeling quite happy as they sat around the stone table in the courtyard, drinking tea.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin was there as well. Although she was still feeling a little weak, it was nothing much.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“It seems like we’ll still have to lose two rounds,” Yan Yangchi sighed. He now knew why Qing Shui had let Yan Yangchen go all out to kill. This had allowed them to know that there was something fishy going on.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Sister Yan, if it’s possible, I’ll fight your battle for you.” Qing Shui smiled and said to Yan Jinyu.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui could sense that although Yan Jinyu should not be weaker than Yan Yueyin, the battle that would be taking place would just be increasingly harder.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Jinyu hesitated as she nodded. She trusted in Qing Shui a lot now. She had never felt this way before. She didn’t know if this was a good feeling but she wasn’t used to it.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>That night, Qing Shui took the last Heavenly Secrets Pill in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, increasing his physical strength by another one nimbus. The increase in his strength calmed his heart. It should all end tomorrow. However, the ending to one thing might lead to the start of something else.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui felt that he had already gotten himself involved. Right now, he could be considered to be on the same side as Yan Clan and even the Fourth Prince. Before he had absolute power, he needed to be very careful.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>His Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation was already in the mature phase but there were no changes to the strength increment it brought. He didn’t know how much strength other people’s Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation brought them and didn’t know when his Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation would enter the second form.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Seeing that there was still a Mysterious Fruit left, Qing Shui decided to eat it, hoping to gain a breakthrough. Feeling hopeful, Qing Shui ate the last Mysterious Fruit.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<aside epub:type="footnote" id="uno">
|
||||
<p>The raws for the Jade Toad is the same characters as Yu Chan’s name.</p>
|
||||
</aside>
|
||||
|
||||
173
custom/ast/en/OEBPS/Text/Section1184.xhtml
Normal file
173
custom/ast/en/OEBPS/Text/Section1184.xhtml
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>AST 1184 – Narrow Victory, Taking the Last Tianji Pill</h2>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Right now, they were already in a situation where they had two losses and one win. If they were to have another loss, they could be said to have lost all hope. Moreover, the lady on the arena was very strange, so strange that she was very unfathomable.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ll go!” Yan Yueyin suddenly said.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Sister Yueyin, If I’m not mistaken, that lady specializes in spirit energy, especially with that pair of eyes she has… Do you feel confident?” Qing Shui gave it some thought and felt that there was a need for him to remind her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ll do my best. I guarantee that even if I die, I won’t lose.” Yan Yueyin thought about it before replying.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ll give this to you. Remember, don’t look into her eyes for more than the time taken for two blinks,” Qing Shui said and took out a Violet Jade Phoenix Pendant.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“This?” Yan Yueyin could only sense that this item was very profound and was exuding faint spiritual Qi. Even though this spiritual Qi wasn’t very strong, it was especially rustic with a hidden impressiveness.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Put it on. It’ll increase your spirit energy and protection against spirit energy. It should be of some use. Remember, try to end the battle fast, don’t drag it out,” Qing Shui reminded her seriously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Right now, no one would underestimate Qing Shui. It was because within one month, they had discovered that Qing Shui’s abilities were terrifying. They didn’t know how strong he was exactly and this made them especially curious about him. They could sense that Qing Shui’s abilities should be related to his forging abilities. He should have came from an ancient blacksmith aristocratic clan and one with a strong aristocrat inheritance.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Thank you!” Yan Yueyin smiled and said seriously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Are you going to stand on ceremony with me as well? In the future, I’ll still need Sister Yueyin to back me up,” Qing Shui smiled and said, indicating that she could go on.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin nodded and with a flash, flew up to the arena. Neither lady spoke a word. The lady from Yu Clan was clad in black clothes and had a beautiful figure. It was just that she had a terrifying pair of eyes.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin, on the other hand, was mature and charming, giving off such a magnanimous feeling that it felt a little dangerous. It was the danger hidden within smiles. Yan Yueyin took out a dark red colored whip as thick as a baby’s arm, providing a good grip. It was three meters long.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady from Yu Clan dressed in black clothes took out a pitch-black staff. However, there was a skull on the top of the staff, making the lady appear to be even more eerie.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui frowned. He felt that this lady was very dangerous and by rights, shouldn’t join in so early. Could it be that there were reasons for this?</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Thunderous Bloodthirst!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>With a slight move, Yan Yueyin floated like a wisp of smoke, her dark red colored whip tapped out toward the eerie lady in a straight line.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady from Yu Clan swung her bone staff and a dense wall made from white bones appeared before her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>When Qing Shui saw the lady’s attack, he let out a sigh of relief. This lady’s martial technique was definitely very vicious but her strength seemed to not make the mark. This was also why she was sent out this time around. That phoenix pendant should be having some use.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Pfft!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The bone wall was shattered. However, at this moment, a huge white bone flower bloomed. A strange but faint smell spread out. Even though Yan Yueyin had stopped her breath, she could still sense it and was suddenly struck by dizziness.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>She was very surprised and felt that she wasn’t able to summon her strength. Just as she was feeling helpless, the Violet Jade Phoenix Pendant she was wearing exuded a stream of clear Spiritual Qi, washing away her sleepiness.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>She managed to just barely dodge that white bone flower.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady from Yu Clan seemed to be very astonished that Yan Yueyin had managed to dodge her attack. She waved her hand once again and put on battle armor that was like water and yet like white bones. It formed an eerily distinctive difference against her pitch-black clothes. Her pair of dark eyes seemed to be emitting glowing black light.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Many legacy martial techniques came from the ancient times and no matter what kind of martial technique a person practiced, it wouldn’t bring any surprises. It was just like how this lady’s martial technique seemed to be just a devilish martial technique to Qing Shui. Actually, they were the same as people who refined poison. The only difference was only whether a person was strong or weak.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There were only evil people; there were no evil martial techniques.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>This was the lady’s Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui hadn’t expected that her Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation had also reached the second form. Although it seemed as if she had just barely managed to reach this phase, it was still a success and it had increased the lady’s prowess tremendously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Flower of Darkness!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>With a wave of her hand, a pitch-black flower, that was about one foot in size, shot out toward Yan Yueyin. It wasn’t fast but it seemed as if it could lock onto a target.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin retreated rapidly and concurrently, silver light flashed on her body. She had also activated her Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui was stunned once again. Her Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation was also at the second form. He seemed to have sensed something. When people with strong spirit energy reached the Grade Two State Master level, they seemed to be able to attain the second form of the Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation. However, he couldn’t be sure that this was true.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Right now, Qing Shui understood that Yan Yueyin had the confidence to defeat that lady. She was very powerful.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The black flower continued to follow after Yan Yueyin with terrifying powers.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Bloodthirsty Whip Dance!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The dark red Thunderous Bloodthirst Whip instantly swelled up. It was like a blood red python that was seething furiously, getting increasingly bigger. However, when it came into contact with that black flower, it kept on being corroded.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Although it was corroded, it regenerated very quickly and brought along a surge of blood vapor that was so thick that it seemed as if they were going to turn into liquid. The red colored vapor then formed masses and started spinning into a tornado and dashing out toward the lady dressed in black.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Boundless Darkness!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady let out a horrible scream and a stream of black light shot out from her eyes toward Yan Yueyin. Concurrently, a stream of similarly dense black colored vapor that was like flowing water, clashed against the red colored vapor.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Boom!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>With huge explosive sounds, red and black spots splattered out. On Yan Yueyin’s side, she had also destroyed the black flower. Earlier on, she had subconsciously met the gaze of the lady’s black eyes and was stunned. She recalled Qing Shui’s words and quickly turned away. At this moment, she was already dashing out toward the lady, leaving a trail of fiery red whip shadows. It was as if she was walking on an archway formed from fire pythons.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Along the trail of whip shadows, with each step Yan Yueyin took, the aura she exuded would increase. She recalled of Qing Shui’s word to not drag out the battle and to end it as quickly as possible.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Her aura was swelling up at rapid speed and the Thunderous Bloodthirst Whip in her hand had flashed with a hint of red colored thunderbolt. Accompanied by hissing sounds, her whole body was bathed in a red color.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Thunderous Bloodthirst Slash!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Ancient Bones of Ten Thousand！</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The lady didn’t gave up and crazily waved her hand around as eerie looking skeletons surrounded her, forming a distinctive contrast with Yan Yueyin’s blood red color. One of side was a bright red, the other was a pale white!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Break!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin’s Thunderous Bloodthirst Whip suddenly became like a huge fire dragon, sending out a terrifying sound as it brought along a great pressure with it, smashing toward the lady in black as well as the skeletons around her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Boom boom…</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The world seemed to fall into a state of chaos as the explosions went on consecutively for the time it took to burn half an incense stick. The people outside could only sense the non-stop energy explosions and deafening sounds. They weren’t able to see the actual situation that was going on inside.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>When the darkness in the sky slowly scattered, everyone opened their eyes without blinking, wanting to see who was the last person standing, if both of them were there or if neither of them were there.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin stood there and everyone could see her shaky figure. There were people who were astonished and there were people who were elated… It was only after the old man declared that Yan Yueyin was the winner that she then headed back. The moment she landed, she spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui quickly took out three gold needles, pierced them into her back and said softly, “Sister Yan, please support her and let her stand for a while. She’ll be fine after that. She has been poisoned.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The others seemed to not find Qing Shui’s actions to be unexpected.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Thank you, Qing Shui. If it wasn’t for your jade pendant, I would probably not be able to win and would have died.” Yan Yueyin now seemed to be especially happy.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“You’re still standing on ceremony.” Qing Shui smiled and looked at Yan Yueyin. He didn’t know if it was because she was injured or excited but there was a hint of a flush on her mature and charming face, making her appear to be very feminine.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Four rounds were over and it was at a draw. There were five more rounds but everyone knew that it wouldn’t be easy. However, Qing Shui on the contrary, felt more confident now.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>It was close to noon, so the battles today were considered over and the rest would be continued the next day. This was what both parties had agreed on, to allow them to regroup.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The people from both Yan Clan and Yu Clan left but there were many people still around. They were in discussion and might even stay in the tents nearby and wait for tomorrow’s arrival.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Do you guys think that Yan Clan will win or Yu Clan will win?”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Did you guys see? Yan Clan is having internal conflicts. I heard that Yan Dinglang’s faction wants to be independent from Yan Clan and yet wanted to let the current Yan Clan go into seclusion. They colluded with Yu Clan and the 3rd Prince and thus it’s very bad for Yan Clan this time around. It’s said that they’ll have four rounds that they’ll definitely lose.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“What will Yan Dinglang get out from doing this? This will cause Yan Clan to lose a lot.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Losing a lot would be better than not having a spot for himself. Although Yan Clan’s status in Yan City would plunge, it would at least be better than his current situation. It might be an opportunity for him.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I think it might not be an opportunity. He might be in trouble when they go back today.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“That won’t happen. I heard that there will be interference from the royal family.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>…</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui as well as Yan Yangchi and the others returned to the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. In all, they were still feeling quite happy as they sat around the stone table in the courtyard, drinking tea.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Yueyin was there as well. Although she was still feeling a little weak, it was nothing much.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“It seems like we’ll still have to lose two rounds,” Yan Yangchi sighed. He now knew why Qing Shui had let Yan Yangchen go all out to kill. This had allowed them to know that there was something fishy going on.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Sister Yan, if it’s possible, I’ll fight your battle for you.” Qing Shui smiled and said to Yan Jinyu.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui could sense that although Yan Jinyu should not be weaker than Yan Yueyin, the battle that would be taking place would just be increasingly harder.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yan Jinyu hesitated as she nodded. She trusted in Qing Shui a lot now. She had never felt this way before. She didn’t know if this was a good feeling but she wasn’t used to it.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>That night, Qing Shui took the last Heavenly Secrets Pill in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, increasing his physical strength by another one nimbus. The increase in his strength calmed his heart. It should all end tomorrow. However, the ending to one thing might lead to the start of something else.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui felt that he had already gotten himself involved. Right now, he could be considered to be on the same side as Yan Clan and even the Fourth Prince. Before he had absolute power, he needed to be very careful.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>His Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation was already in the mature phase but there were no changes to the strength increment it brought. He didn’t know how much strength other people’s Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation brought them and didn’t know when his Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation would enter the second form.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Seeing that there was still a Mysterious Fruit left, Qing Shui decided to eat it, hoping to gain a breakthrough. Feeling hopeful, Qing Shui ate the last Mysterious Fruit.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Book 14 - Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix, Haohan Continent</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Vol 15: Demons & Monsters Dancing In Riotous Reverly, Beautiful Women Are Like Poetry</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h1>Vol 16: Oceanic Grand World, Legend of the Nine Continents!</h1>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>AST 1951 - Lingyan’s Seventh Divine Grade, the Boost from the Azuregold Snake (1)</h2>
|
||||
<h2>AST 1951 - Lingyan’s Seventh Divine Grade, the Boost from the Azuregold Snake</h2>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -104,5 +105,97 @@
|
||||
<p>The body of the Azuregold Snake was very tough. This was also why it was able to withstand the “torture” brought forth from consuming formidable medicinal pills. If it had been other demonic beasts, it was very likely that they would have died as a result of their body exploding.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>It took a huge pile of medicinal pills. By now, the Azuregold Snake was roughly about four meters long. However, its body was quite thin. It was about the thickness of a child’s arm only, which, across the continent, could only be regarded as a fairly small demonic beast. However, Qing Shui was able to tell how formidable the current Azuregold Snake was.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Azuregold Snake had no wings and yet, it was able to fly. Whether it was in the ocean, on the land, or in the sky, its movement would not be hindered. Because it had recognized its owner, the Azuregold Snake was quite fond of Tantai Lingyan. For the time being, it seemed that the current Azuregold Snake would still bind itself around its owner’s arm during battles. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t affect its owner’s movements as it mainly followed along their movements. In fact, with the Azuregold Snake’s ability to resist attacks, it could work as armor.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Tantai Lingyan really liked her Azuregold Snake. The moment she extended her arm, the Azuregold Snake would cling onto her arm. However, there were still three meters of its body which were coiled up so that it could still initiate its attacks anytime it wanted.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui remembered that he still had one more Azuregold Snake. Qing Hanye no longer needed it since she had the Poison Dragon King. The Poison Dragon King would turn out to be a powerful existence. Other than that, though back then, the Poison Dragon King had said that there was a time limit to their deal. However, Qing Shui knew that even if he were to kick it away, it would refuse to leave.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Luo Qingcheng also didn’t need it. Her Sun Golden Crow had already grown up. It could be used for both offense and as a mount. It had a great potential. Luo Qingcheng had spent these past few years taking thorough care of Sun Golden Crow. Demonic beasts were the closest partner a human could ever find. Qing Shui took the strength of the demonic beasts around him very seriously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Muyun Qingge also didn’t need it. Her White Jade Dragon was a pure dragon.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>As for Qin Qing, she didn’t even cross Qing Shui’s mind. Not only did she have the enormous Green Dragon but she also had the Parry Heavenly Fate Treasure Pagoda. In the morning, Qing Shui had helped her raise her strength. She was also at the middle stage of her seventh level of divinity. All of them just made it into the middle-stage. She should no longer have any problems dealing with the people around her area. There should only be very few who could actually injure her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Eventually, Qing Shui made up his mind to give the other Azuregold Snake to Yin Tong.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Fox Battle God and the Azuregold Snake could be considered a perfect match for each other. This way, Yin Tong’s strength would be boosted significantly.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>……</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Unknowingly, half a month had passed. Qing Shui had already finished the things which he needed to do. The Imperial Cuisine Hall had people looking after it. As for the Sunset Seaking and Dragon Wolf Palace, it was not easy for even the Great Confucian Empire to look after them. However, the Great Confucian Empire would still be quite influential around the area given that the Sunset Sea King Palace and Dragon Wolf Palace stopped progressing any deeper into the territory.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Actually, the current Sunset Seaking and Dragon Wolf Palace no longer needed to be taken care of. After all, with the girls’ own strength along with their formidable demonic beasts, if there were no major accidents, they should be able to stand firmly on their own ground.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui wanted to leave this place. The girls, on the other hand, went back to Sunset Seaking Palace and Dragon Wolf Palace respectively. However, Qing Shui left Yiye Jiange and Qing Hanye together. This way, they would have each other to look after. Considering that Qing Hanye was pregnant, he must be all the more cautious.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yin Tong, Lan Lingfeng, Ziche Cha, and Ling Fei all remained in Imperial Cuisine Hall. Currently, there was one more person keeping eyes on them. The Main Emperor of Great Confucian Empire, also known as the Thirteenth Prince. Though he was Qing Shui’s disciple, he still called Lan Lingfeng and Yin Tong as his own siblings.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Before Qing Shui left this place, he felt that he must also return home once. After all, it had been so long since he last went back. Once he departed this time, even he wasn’t sure how long it would be until the next time he came back.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Five Elements Divine Flag!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Husband and Wife Teleportation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui immediately appeared next to Yehuang Guwu.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>When Yehuang Guwu felt a fluctuation in the aura around her surrounding, she revealed a surprised look on her face. As she found Qing Shui who appeared out of nowhere, she happily leaped into Qing Shui’s arm.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>They were in Yehuang Guwu’s room.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yehuang Guwu could use the Husband and Wife Teleportation to look for Qing Shui. By then, she could also return back to where she came from. It was not true to say that she didn’t miss Qing Shui. In fact, she missed him more than anyone did. However, she didn’t want to break the rules because she knew that once she did it, she would want to do it twice. The Qing Clan needed her. If she left this place and anything were to go wrong, even if she died, she would find it hard to forgive herself.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui hugged the attractive and mature woman tightly.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ve missed you!” Yehuang Guwu said softly.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Those three words made Qing Shui felt a bit guilty. He immediately kissed her, “I miss you too!”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>It had been a few years since he returned. Yehuang Guwu was still the same. The only thing different about her was her strength. She now possessed fearsome strength. Without Qing Shui’s assistance, she had managed to achieve Sixth Divine Grade.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yehuang Guwu’s primary battle technique at the moment was her mutated Tiger Form. White Tiger Divine Grade. Each of them could last for up to four hours and each of their strength was four times her original strength. From here, it could be seen just how dangerous this battle technique was.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui was stunned. Now that he had helped her broke through to Seventh Divine Grade, if she were to condense the eight White Tigers and each of them possessed strength worth around 400 million Dao Force…...</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Damn it…...</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Even Qing Shui found it hard to believe. He immediately brought Yehuang Guwu along and left her room. He hadn’t met his family members yet but he had inquired about things going on with the clan and knew that everything was going well. This was also expected since Yehuang Guwu was here. Though she was at Sixth Divine Grade, her ability to condense eight White Tigers was already daunting enough. It could be said that with her in Qing Clan, Qing Shui had nothing to worry about.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Few years had passed since they last met. She was still elegant like before and was wearing a plain court dress. Though it looked plain, she also looked very tidy as well. She had a very mature face with not even a single wrinkle. Both of her eyes looked moist, but at the same time, were also filled with wise and farsighted wisdom. They were just like the bright moon in the sky.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Just like before, it was still hard to tell her age. She didn’t seem all that old and yet, she was able to give people the impression that she was very mature, making them felt like they were children whenever in front of her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There was also a part of her aura. Compared to Canghai Mingyue, her aura was like different tunes that were played with equal skills.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>She had an exquisite figure and was unusually tall. The thing that was the most eye-catching about her was her unusually huge rear and her slender waist. She had two long and straight legs. Her breasts were bulging. Wearing her loose-fitting clothes, it made her all the more alluring. Everytime Qing Shui saw her, he would feel his blood boiling with desires.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There was a faint sexual desire on Yehuang Guwu’s face. However, both her eyes looked as bright as the moon. It was clear and tranquil. One would very easily lose their mind just by looking at eyes like this. She grabbed Qing Shui’s hands tightly and seemed to not want to let go at all.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Let me bring you to a place and give you a surprise.” Qing Shui smiled and said.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Seeing you here today is my biggest surprise. Nothing can be more surprising than that.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yehuang Guwu’s voice sounded hoarse, or rather, very attractive. It sounded a bit neutral, giving people the urge that they want to hear her voice more. This was how the voice of a mature woman was supposed to be. It was another kind of charisma.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui operated the Nine Continents Step Effect and very quickly, he managed to find a quiet place. Qing Shui helped raise her strength and naturally, that would mean she would have to take her clothes off. Considering they had been away from each other for so long, Qing Shui missed her a lot. Before he raised her strength, they were already stuck together.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Though it was said that absence made the heart grow fonder, they had been separated from each other for too long. Yehuang Guwu was very active. She constantly demanded Qing Shui for more positions and cooperated well with him.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>By the time everything quieted down, two hours had passed.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Yehuang Guwu was already satisfied and was lazily lying within Qing Shui’s grasp. On her charming face was a breathtaking flirtatious expression.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Following on, Qing Shui prepared himself for the Acupuncture procedures and so on. As he expected, Yehuang Guwu had achieved the middle level of Seventh Level of Divinity. Along the way, what came along with it was her Divine Tribulation.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Compared to the other girls, Yehuang Guwu’s Divine Tribulation was even more demanding. However, she was able to form the White Tigers to help her resist against it.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Divine Tribulation had made Yehuang Guwu’s foundation even more stable.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>As he observed the current Yehuang Guwu, Qing Shui realized that he was back to how he was before. The reason was that Qing Shui noticed that his current strength, when measured thoroughly, was inferior to Yehuang Guwu’s. However, if he were to get in a serious battle with her, Qing Shui would undoubtedly win. The Parry Heavenly Fate Treasure Pagoda, along with his own personal defensive capabilities, would definitely be able to block the attacks of the White Tigers that were worth around 400 million Dao Force.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui’s speed, body movement, his Sure Kill Heavenly Technique, along with his Nine Continents Mountain… If he were to use all of them with no hesitation, he would definitely be able to fend off against Yehuang Guwu easily.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>At the moment, Yehuang Guwu had managed to condense eight White Tigers with the strength worth of 400 million Dao Force. This caused Qing Shui to start thinking that this was how a Divine Grade Battle Technique was supposed to be. What was even more fearsome was that there was not just one, but eight of them.</p>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,110 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>AST 1951 - Lingyan’s Seventh Divine Grade, the Boost from the Azuregold Snake (2)</h2>
|
||||
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Azuregold Snake had no wings and yet, it was able to fly. Whether it was in the ocean, on the land, or in the sky, its movement would not be hindered. Because it had recognized its owner, the Azuregold Snake was quite fond of Tantai Lingyan. For the time being, it seemed that the current Azuregold Snake would still bind itself around its owner’s arm during battles. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t affect its owner’s movements as it mainly followed along their movements. In fact, with the Azuregold Snake’s ability to resist attacks, it could work as armor.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Tantai Lingyan really liked her Azuregold Snake. The moment she extended her arm, the Azuregold Snake would cling onto her arm. However, there were still three meters of its body which were coiled up so that it could still initiate its attacks anytime it wanted.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui remembered that he still had one more Azuregold Snake. Qing Hanye no longer needed it since she had the Poison Dragon King. The Poison Dragon King would turn out to be a powerful existence. Other than that, though back then, the Poison Dragon King had said that there was a time limit to their deal. However, Qing Shui knew that even if he were to kick it away, it would refuse to leave.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Luo Qingcheng also didn’t need it. Her Sun Golden Crow had already grown up. It could be used for both offense and as a mount. It had a great potential. Luo Qingcheng had spent these past few years taking thorough care of Sun Golden Crow. Demonic beasts were the closest partner a human could ever find. Qing Shui took the strength of the demonic beasts around him very seriously.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Muyun Qingge also didn’t need it. Her White Jade Dragon was a pure dragon.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>As for Qin Qing, she didn’t even cross Qing Shui’s mind. Not only did she have the enormous Green Dragon but she also had the Parry Heavenly Fate Treasure Pagoda. In the morning, Qing Shui had helped her raise her strength. She was also at the middle stage of her seventh level of divinity. All of them just made it into the middle-stage. She should no longer have any problems dealing with the people around her area. There should only be very few who could actually injure her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Eventually, Qing Shui made up his mind to give the other Azuregold Snake to Yin Tong.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Fox Battle God and the Azuregold Snake could be considered a perfect match for each other. This way, Yin Tong’s strength would be boosted significantly.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>……</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Unknowingly, half a month had passed. Qing Shui had already finished the things which he needed to do. The Imperial Cuisine Hall had people looking after it. As for the Sunset Seaking and Dragon Wolf Palace, it was not easy for even the Great Confucian Empire to look after them. However, the Great Confucian Empire would still be quite influential around the area given that the Sunset Sea King Palace and Dragon Wolf Palace stopped progressing any deeper into the territory.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Actually, the current Sunset Seaking and Dragon Wolf Palace no longer needed to be taken care of. After all, with the girls’ own strength along with their formidable demonic beasts, if there were no major accidents, they should be able to stand firmly on their own ground.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui wanted to leave this place. The girls, on the other hand, went back to Sunset Seaking Palace and Dragon Wolf Palace respectively. However, Qing Shui left Yiye Jiange and Qing Hanye together. This way, they would have each other to look after. Considering that Qing Hanye was pregnant, he must be all the more cautious.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yin Tong, Lan Lingfeng, Ziche Cha, and Ling Fei all remained in Imperial Cuisine Hall. Currently, there was one more person keeping eyes on them. The Main Emperor of Great Confucian Empire, also known as the Thirteenth Prince. Though he was Qing Shui’s disciple, he still called Lan Lingfeng and Yin Tong as his own siblings.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Before Qing Shui left this place, he felt that he must also return home once. After all, it had been so long since he last went back. Once he departed this time, even he wasn’t sure how long it would be until the next time he came back.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Five Elements Divine Flag!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Husband and Wife Teleportation!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui immediately appeared next to Yehuang Guwu.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>When Yehuang Guwu felt a fluctuation in the aura around her surrounding, she revealed a surprised look on her face. As she found Qing Shui who appeared out of nowhere, she happily leaped into Qing Shui’s arm.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>They were in Yehuang Guwu’s room.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yehuang Guwu could use the Husband and Wife Teleportation to look for Qing Shui. By then, she could also return back to where she came from. It was not true to say that she didn’t miss Qing Shui. In fact, she missed him more than anyone did. However, she didn’t want to break the rules because she knew that once she did it, she would want to do it twice. The Qing Clan needed her. If she left this place and anything were to go wrong, even if she died, she would find it hard to forgive herself.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui hugged the attractive and mature woman tightly.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“I’ve missed you!” Yehuang Guwu said softly.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Those three words made Qing Shui felt a bit guilty. He immediately kissed her, “I miss you too!”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>It had been a few years since he returned. Yehuang Guwu was still the same. The only thing different about her was her strength. She now possessed fearsome strength. Without Qing Shui’s assistance, she had managed to achieve Sixth Divine Grade.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yehuang Guwu’s primary battle technique at the moment was her mutated Tiger Form. White Tiger Divine Grade. Each of them could last for up to four hours and each of their strength was four times her original strength. From here, it could be seen just how dangerous this battle technique was.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui was stunned. Now that he had helped her broke through to Seventh Divine Grade, if she were to condense the eight White Tigers and each of them possessed strength worth around 400 million Dao Force…...</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Damn it…...</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Even Qing Shui found it hard to believe. He immediately brought Yehuang Guwu along and left her room. He hadn’t met his family members yet but he had inquired about things going on with the clan and knew that everything was going well. This was also expected since Yehuang Guwu was here. Though she was at Sixth Divine Grade, her ability to condense eight White Tigers was already daunting enough. It could be said that with her in Qing Clan, Qing Shui had nothing to worry about.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Few years had passed since they last met. She was still elegant like before and was wearing a plain court dress. Though it looked plain, she also looked very tidy as well. She had a very mature face with not even a single wrinkle. Both of her eyes looked moist, but at the same time, were also filled with wise and farsighted wisdom. They were just like the bright moon in the sky.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Just like before, it was still hard to tell her age. She didn’t seem all that old and yet, she was able to give people the impression that she was very mature, making them felt like they were children whenever in front of her.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There was also a part of her aura. Compared to Canghai Mingyue, her aura was like different tunes that were played with equal skills.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>She had an exquisite figure and was unusually tall. The thing that was the most eye-catching about her was her unusually huge rear and her slender waist. She had two long and straight legs. Her breasts were bulging. Wearing her loose-fitting clothes, it made her all the more alluring. Everytime Qing Shui saw her, he would feel his blood boiling with desires.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There was a faint sexual desire on Yehuang Guwu’s face. However, both her eyes looked as bright as the moon. It was clear and tranquil. One would very easily lose their mind just by looking at eyes like this. She grabbed Qing Shui’s hands tightly and seemed to not want to let go at all.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Let me bring you to a place and give you a surprise.” Qing Shui smiled and said.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>“Seeing you here today is my biggest surprise. Nothing can be more surprising than that.”</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Yehuang Guwu’s voice sounded hoarse, or rather, very attractive. It sounded a bit neutral, giving people the urge that they want to hear her voice more. This was how the voice of a mature woman was supposed to be. It was another kind of charisma.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui operated the Nine Continents Step Effect and very quickly, he managed to find a quiet place. Qing Shui helped raise her strength and naturally, that would mean she would have to take her clothes off. Considering they had been away from each other for so long, Qing Shui missed her a lot. Before he raised her strength, they were already stuck together.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Though it was said that absence made the heart grow fonder, they had been separated from each other for too long. Yehuang Guwu was very active. She constantly demanded Qing Shui for more positions and cooperated well with him.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>By the time everything quieted down, two hours had passed.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Yehuang Guwu was already satisfied and was lazily lying within Qing Shui’s grasp. On her charming face was a breathtaking flirtatious expression.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Following on, Qing Shui prepared himself for the Acupuncture procedures and so on. As he expected, Yehuang Guwu had achieved the middle level of Seventh Level of Divinity. Along the way, what came along with it was her Divine Tribulation.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Compared to the other girls, Yehuang Guwu’s Divine Tribulation was even more demanding. However, she was able to form the White Tigers to help her resist against it.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The Divine Tribulation had made Yehuang Guwu’s foundation even more stable.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>As he observed the current Yehuang Guwu, Qing Shui realized that he was back to how he was before. The reason was that Qing Shui noticed that his current strength, when measured thoroughly, was inferior to Yehuang Guwu’s. However, if he were to get in a serious battle with her, Qing Shui would undoubtedly win. The Parry Heavenly Fate Treasure Pagoda, along with his own personal defensive capabilities, would definitely be able to block the attacks of the White Tigers that were worth around 400 million Dao Force.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Qing Shui’s speed, body movement, his Sure Kill Heavenly Technique, along with his Nine Continents Mountain… If he were to use all of them with no hesitation, he would definitely be able to fend off against Yehuang Guwu easily.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>At the moment, Yehuang Guwu had managed to condense eight White Tigers with the strength worth of 400 million Dao Force. This caused Qing Shui to start thinking that this was how a Divine Grade Battle Technique was supposed to be. What was even more fearsome was that there was not just one, but eight of them.</p>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>Author’s Note:</h2>
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Upon typing these words, I suddenly feel a sense of emptiness. Four years, <Ancient Strengthening Technique> has taken me four years to complete. I’m very tired yet I feel happy because of the support you readers have given me. Bit by bit, your support has given me the protection to grow to this point. Without all of you, Superfluous (author), wouldn’t have been able to persist up till now.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>I don’t know if the ending is good or not. Some may like it, some may not. An author couldn’t possibly satisfy the wishes of everyone. There may be a thousand readers who have a thousand different endings in their mind.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Superfluous has done his best!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Initially, I promised to finish writing this book months ago. But after that, everyone also knows of the unfortunate circumstances that happened, leading to a crackdown. It’s truly a hassle to encounter such a thing.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>In any case, I’m still considered satisfied with regards to the results of this novel on the market. Be it the support from you readers or from the website’s workers, I want to thank you all. I’m truly grateful.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Four years...I’ve been writing every single day and night. Sometimes, I can’t even take a break to celebrate festive occasions. Now, my health isn’t as good as before, I suffer from short-sightedness now and there’s a problem with my cervical vertebra.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The speed of my typing can be considered slow, I need about an hour to write roughly 700 words. I’ve been camping in front of my computer for endless days, sitting there the moment once I awake. My child is already four years old since she was born and I’ve not even brought her out once to play yet. You guys might feel that my words are an exaggeration but it is the truth.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>The book has ended, the ending might feel hurried but in truth, I’ve finished writing what I wanted to write, it’s meaningless even if I wrote a few more chapters. Maybe, there might be some things that are unaccounted for but this is just like life. There are some things in life where one needn’t account for them too clearly, like passerbys just walking past you in your life.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>I apologise because there has been some problems during the middle of this novel such as refreshing the daily updates. I couldn’t take any leave to settle my problems and has to settle for by writing only 2,000 words. It might have affected the will of some readers to continue reading.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p><Ancient Strengthening Technique is over. Everything has ended, too much of Superfluous’s efforts were placed in it. Although this is Superfluous’s second book, I still feel that some of the plot is a little soft and immature and I’ve not brought out the potential of the plots to the maximum. But, Superfluous has already tried my best.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>I shall end things here. In any case, I truly would like to thank everyone. I’m still thinking about the concept for my new book and will inform everyone once I’ve decided. I hope everyone would still be able to support me!</p>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title></title>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/HeaderStyles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/LoadFonts.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/TableStyle.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
<link href="../Styles/sgc-nav.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<h2>Translators note:</h2>
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>It has taken us roughly 3.5 years of time to finish translating this novel. I agreed with what the author has said, some plots in this novel felt a little too soft and immature, without the explosive endings which could have maximized the potential. But hey, even so, he did his best and I believed that he did grow as an author.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>I started this novel alone and I was lucky enough to have much help coming my way.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Translators: Rila, xMyuux, Piangster, Choobcat, Justin, Chloe, Dragoninwhite, Aaron, Demi, Amy, Perseus, Seven7, Shane, Turtleruler, Yota, Zombiegirl. These are people who have helped me at some point in time during the 3.5 years we took to finish translating this novel.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Also, things wouldn’t have been possible without our editors and proofreaders. Although some of the editors are new, they did their best and there was a point in time where we had to re-edit a large portion of our old chapters for a smoother reading experience for the readers and this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of these people. The editors are: Rubble, Sherardia, Tomeking, Cryotic, Edwin, Nora, Maddhattress, Noripixel, Thready. And our resident proofreader: Calofel.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Firstly, I would like to thank all the readers, just the simple act of reading our translation of this novel generated views which kept us going. When we started, many of us were still in school, there were some who was at work and wanted to make some extra money to help with their family expenses as well. Also, special thanks to the readers who supported the project even further by becoming either a VIP now or supported through patreon or paypal in the past! Those were the additional motivation that kept us persisting.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>There were quite a few times where we held contests and I like to thank everyone who participated in them. Some won cash prizes, some won access to advanced chapters and for those who didn't win anything, don't worry we will be planning more of such contests for the new novel.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Lastly, the thing everyone has been waiting for. As promised, the pictures of the characters would be shared at the end of the novel.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Do note that these pictures are not official art endorsed by the author, there were found from obscure chinese novel forums. Not all characters are shown.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>Fanart: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yGMSroNvB9rVZKj2CzsGGlGL65QYEa-J">Google Drive Link</a></p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>I’m currently looking for my next novel, and I think I’m going to pick a Xuanhuan (Eastern Fantasy) once again. Hope to see the familiar faces in the comment boxes again in the future! The AST Team truly thanks everyone for their support!</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p>THE END.</p>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -2,12 +2,14 @@
|
||||
"zh": {
|
||||
"format": "txt",
|
||||
"path": "zh/converted.txt",
|
||||
"idx": 17
|
||||
"idx": 17,
|
||||
"pattern": "^第\\d+章"
|
||||
},
|
||||
"en": {
|
||||
"format": "epub",
|
||||
"path": "en/OEBPS/Text",
|
||||
"idx": 1,
|
||||
"pattern": "Section0*(\\d+)"
|
||||
"idx": 0,
|
||||
"pattern": "Section0*(\\d+)",
|
||||
"sort": true
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -128091,7 +128091,7 @@
|
||||
“老弟啊，这都多半天了，牛家怎么还没有动静啊。”
|
||||
兰凌峰抱怨道，更多的是想凑热闹，他身体中流淌着的是好战的血。
|
||||
“我说这才半天就沉不住去了，三天呢，慌什么，不修炼好到时候被打的哭，我可不管你。”
|
||||
青水笑道，这也太心急了。
|
||||
青水笑道，这也太心急了。
|
||||
“我说凌峰啊，你这是希望他们来呢，还是希望他们不来呢？”尹通也笑着说道。
|
||||
“我想战斗，只有在战斗中才能增加实力。”兰凌峰向往的说道。
|
||||
“这还不容易吗，我陪你战斗好了。”青水笑着说道。
|
||||
@@ -176327,21 +176327,3 @@
|
||||
随着声音，一行人走来，为首的是一个女人，清冷优雅，如那空中的神月，她身上有着神奇的气息，强大的让青水都有点摸不透，但这些都不是他最震惊的。
|
||||
“夫君，清儿是不是迟到了！”
|
||||
她是纳兰淸，她是至尊圣殿的殿主……
|
||||
（全书完）
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
【完本感言】
|
||||
打这个几个字，最后写出全书完三个字的时候，感觉整个人都有种空了一般，四年，《美女图》写了四年，很累，但却是开心，因为有读者朋友你们的支持，从一点点的呵护成长到现在，没有你们多余也坚持不到现在。
|
||||
结局我不知道好不好，有喜欢也就有不喜欢，作者也不能满足所有人的愿望，都说一千人就有一千个结果。
|
||||
多余尽力了！
|
||||
本来就说好四月份完本的，最后大家也知道严打来了，碰上这种事却是很无奈。
|
||||
对于书的成绩还是满意的，这是你们的支持还有编辑网站工作人员的支持，再次说声谢谢，真的谢谢。
|
||||
四年，每个日日夜夜都在写字，有时候过年都不能休息，现在身体亚健康状态很严重，近视眼、最主要的是颈椎问题。
|
||||
我码字的速度很慢，书开本的时候一小时大概在七百字左右，那时候就一天天耗在电脑里，查东西什么的，只要睡醒就坐在哪里，孩子从写这本书开始现在四岁了，没带他出去玩过一次，你们觉得可能夸张，但是真的。
|
||||
完本了，或许会感觉仓促，但其实要写的也写完了，多几张也没什么意思了，或许会说有些东西没有交代清楚，其实就如人生，有一些东西不用交代太清楚，就如现实中参见而过的人太多太多了。
|
||||
这本书中间也断续出现了一些问题，比如更新不稳定有几次，我也道歉，后来不能请假，因为必须两千字才能发表，这样会浪费读者的看书必。
|
||||
《美女图》完本了，一切结束了，它承载了多余太多的心血，虽然是多余的第二本书，但里面还是有些稚嫩，很多不足，但多余还是用心了。
|
||||
就到这里吧，你们看这些也需要钱，或许三分钱四分钱，总之再次对大家说声谢谢，新书还在构思，出来了会告诉大家，希望大家多多支持。
|
||||
==========================================================
|
||||
更多精校小说尽在知轩藏书下载：http://www.zxcs8.com/
|
||||
==========================================================
|
||||
File diff suppressed because one or more lines are too long
File diff suppressed because one or more lines are too long
File diff suppressed because one or more lines are too long
@@ -2,12 +2,14 @@
|
||||
"zh": {
|
||||
"format": "txt",
|
||||
"path": "zh/converted.txt",
|
||||
"idx": 22
|
||||
"idx": 22,
|
||||
"include_title": true
|
||||
},
|
||||
"en": {
|
||||
"format": "epub",
|
||||
"path": "en/OEBPS/Text",
|
||||
"idx": 0,
|
||||
"pattern": "0*(\\d+)_"
|
||||
"pattern": "0*(\\d+)_",
|
||||
"sort": true
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -116440,7 +116440,3 @@
|
||||
“我想亲你一下。”纪宁说道。
|
||||
“这么多仙魔大能呢。”余薇吓了一跳，连道，“不行不行，等盛宴结束后。”
|
||||
“别怕，你丈夫可是混沌宇宙掌控者，我让他们看不见，他们谁都看不见。”纪宁埋头一口吻在余薇的嘴唇上。
|
||||
（全书终）
|
||||
==========================================================================================
|
||||
本站发的所有小说都是校对全本-精校全本-精校的无错TXT小说下载：http://www.freexiaoshuo.com/
|
||||
==========================================================================================
|
||||
BIN
custom/release_that_witch/Release That Witch.epub
Normal file
BIN
custom/release_that_witch/Release That Witch.epub
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
6
custom/release_that_witch/en/META-INF/container.xml
Normal file
6
custom/release_that_witch/en/META-INF/container.xml
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0"?>
|
||||
<container version="1.0" xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:container">
|
||||
<rootfiles>
|
||||
<rootfile full-path="OEBPS/content.opf" media-type="application/oebps-package+xml"/>
|
||||
</rootfiles>
|
||||
</container>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 1 - Becoming a Prince</h2>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan felt as if someone was calling him.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, wake up…"</p>
|
||||
<p>He turned his head away, but the sounds he had heard did not disappear, instead they became even louder. Then, he felt someone gently tug on his sleeve.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, my Royal Prince!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan opened his eyes immediately. He did not see any of the things he had grown familiar with—the screen was gone, the desk was gone, and so too, was the wall which he had plastered with Post-its. They were replaced by a strange scene—rows of small brick houses, a round public square that was crowded with people, and a door-shaped gallows that was erected in the middle of the public square. He was seated on an elevated platform from across the square. The chair he sat on was not his usual soft swivel chair, but instead, a cold and hard iron chair. Sitting alongside him was a group of people whose gazes were fixated upon him. Among them were a few young women who were dressed as medieval ladies like what he had seen in Western movies, and they were busy giggling among themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Where on Earth is this? Wasn’t I working urgently on my blueprints?" Cheng Yan’s mind was vacant, perhaps caused by three consecutive days of working overtime that had pushed him to the limit mentally and physically. All he could remember was when he finally broke down, his heartbeat began to palpitate unsteadily, and he wanted nothing but to lie on the office table for a brief rest…</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, please announce your verdict soon."</p>
|
||||
<p>The speaker was the person that had quietly tugged on his sleeve. His face was old, seemingly in his fifties or sixties, and he wore a white robe. At first glance, had a little resemblance to Gandalf, from The Lord of the Rings.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Am I dreaming?" Cheng Yan thought as he licked his dry lips. "Verdict, what verdict?"</p>
|
||||
<p>He soon knew. The people in the public square were all looking in the direction of the gallows, while waving their fists and yelling as loud as they could. Some even threw stones at the gallows.</p>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan had only ever seen such an ancient instrument of death in movies. The gallows of two pillars extending upwards about four meters from a raised base. The top ends of the two pillars were connected by a crossbeam, which was embedded with rusty metal rings for a thick yellow hemp rope to travel through. One end of the rope was tied to the frame of the gallows, and the other end was tied around the felon’s neck.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this strange dream, he discovered that his eyesight was extraordinarily good. He would usually require glasses to read the words on a computer screen, but now, he could clearly see every detail of the gallows, which was fifty meters away, without his glasses.</p>
|
||||
<p>The felon was hooded and her hands were tied behind her back. Her shabby gray garment was akin to a piece of rag. Her body was so emaciated that her ankles—the only part of her body which was exposed—seemed like they could be broken by pinching them. It was her faintly bulging chest which gave away that she was a female. She shivered terribly in the cold wind, yet she was observably trying hard to maintain her straight posture.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Alright then," Cheng Yan thought to himself, "exactly what crime did this woman commit that so many people are waiting with indignation for her to be executed?"</p>
|
||||
<p>As he pondered, memories suddenly came flooding back to him, and the answer to his question abruptly appeared in front of him. Cheng Yan’s memories appeared, almost as if they’d suddenly been turned on and he realized the cause of the situation, and the answer to his question, at almost the same time.</p>
|
||||
<p>She was a ’witch’.</p>
|
||||
<p>Witches had degenerated after falling to the temptation of the Devil and are now the incarnation of impurity.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness?" ‘Gandalf’ urged cautiously.</p>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan glanced at the old man. Ohhh, actually, he’s called Barov and not Gandalf. He’s the Assistant Minister of Finance, and was sent here to assist me with government affairs.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for myself, I’m the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Graycastle, named Roland, and I’m in charge of this place called Border Town. It was residents who caught and arrested the witch, and immediately brought her to the police station—no, it was the court of justice. The warrant to execute the witch would typically have been issued by the local lord or bishop, which, in this case, would mean me.</p>
|
||||
<p>His memory answered every question he had indiscriminately. It was as though this bout of memories was derived from his personal experiences, rather than knowledge he had gained from his extensive reading. This confused him. A dream can never be as detailed as this, therefore is this not a dream? Could it be that I have travelled back in time to the dark ages of medieval Europe and became Roland? Have I transformed from an ignoble draftsman to a dignified prince?</p>
|
||||
<p>Albeit this piece of territory seems barren and backward, and I’ve never seen the name ‘Kingdom of Graycastle’ in any history book.</p>
|
||||
<p>Well, what should I do next?</p>
|
||||
<p>I shall leave aside the question of how something scientifically impossible like time travel happened. Right now, I need to end this circus. Before civilization, it was common to assign the blame for disasters and misfortune to these pitiful witches, but Cheng Yan could not accept that they had to be executed as well to satisfy the dark desires of the audience.</p>
|
||||
<p>He snatched the formal written orders from Barov’s hands, tossed them on the ground, stretched his arms and said languidly, "I’m tired. The judgement shall be postponed to another day. Court’s dismissed!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan did not act recklessly or without thought. Instead, this was in accordance with his memory’s detailed recollection of the way that the prince behaved, and all he did was reenacting their willful manner. The Fourth Prince, Roland, was indeed this screwed up and abominable, and did whatever he wanted. Certainly, it was impossible for a twenty-something unruly prince to be well-cultivated.</p>
|
||||
<p>The members of the noble who sat with him seemed unsurprised, but a tall man wearing a suit of armor stood up and argued. "Your Highness, this isn’t a joke! All witches should be put to death immediately upon being identified, or else, what can we do if other witches attempt to save her? The Church will get involved if they know of this."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Carter Lannis. This handsome man is my Chief Knight." Cheng Yan frowned and replied, "Why? Are you scared?" His voice, which was full of blatant mockery, sounded natural. "How could a man, whose arms were thicker than a normal person’s body, be worried about witches breaking into our prison? Does he really think that witches are the mouthpiece of the Devil?" "Won’t it be better to catch a few more witches?"</p>
|
||||
<p>As Carter remained silent, Cheng Yan signaled to his personal guards and left. Carter pondered for a moment before he decided to catchup with the guards and walked beside Prince Roland. The other nobles stood up and paid their respects to the prince, but Cheng Yan could see the disdain and contempt in their eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>Back in the keep, which was considered to be the castle in the south of Border Town, he ordered his guards to deny entry to the anxious Assistant Minister so that he himself could finally catch a brief respite.</p>
|
||||
<p>As a person who had usually spent 90 percent of his time sitting in front of a computer, he had outdone himself by speaking in front of such an audience. Using his newly-gained memories, Cheng Yan located his bedroom, and then sat on the bed for a long rest which allowed his heartbeat to regain normalcy. At the moment, the most important matter was to clarify his situation. "Why is the prince not residing comfortably in King’s City, but instead sent to this desolate land?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The answer popped up spontaneously and left him a bit flabbergasted.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland Wimbledon was sent here to contend for the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>It all started when the King of Graycastle, Wimbledon III, quizzically proclaimed, "The heirship of this kingdom will not be based on age, but instead, the capability to govern." He then dispatched his grown-up sons and daughters to govern different territories, and after five years, he would decide his successor based on their level of governance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the ideas of meritocracy and gender equality sounded progressive and futuristic, it was difficult to implement in reality. Who could guarantee that each of the five children faced the same initial conditions? After all, this was not a real-time strategy game. According to his new knowledge, the Second Prince was given a much better territory than Border Town. In fact, among the five of them, none had a place as bad as Border Town, and thus he had a huge disadvantage.</p>
|
||||
<p>Furthermore, he wondered how the level of governance would be assessed. By population? Military power? Economic standing? Wimbledon III did not mentioned his criteria, nor did he put the slightest restriction on their methods of competition. In case someone secretly assassinated the other candidates, what would he do? Would the queen stand by and watch as her children kill one another? "Wait…" He carefully recalled another memory. "That’s right, another piece of bad news is that the Queen died five years ago."</p>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan sighed. This was obviously a barbaric and dark time during the feudal era. The way that people wanted to kill witches recklessly was enough to give him a few hints. Yet, even if he did not attain heirship, he would forever be a blood prince of Graycastle, and would be the Lord of a Realm for as long as he lived.</p>
|
||||
<p>Furthermore… so what if I become the king? There isn’t Internet or other comforts of modern civilization. Like the locals, the only fun thing I’ve to do is burning witches. And living in a city where shit is excreted and dumped anywhere and everywhere, won’t I eventually die of the Black Death?</p>
|
||||
<p>Cheng Yan suppressed his chaotic thoughts and walked up to his bedroom mirror. The man looking back at him in the mirror had light gray hair, which was the royal family’s most distinctive feature. Although his facial features were regular, his face lacked a proper shape and seemed devoid of royal disposition. His pale face gave away his lack of physical exercise. He recalled from his new memories that he did not indulge much in wine or women. He did have several sexual relationships while in King’s City, and all of them were consensual. He had never forced anyone into an affair with him.</p>
|
||||
<p>He also discovered a probable reason for his time travel. Because of his company’s urgency to make progress on a project, his boss had arranged consecutive nights of overtime work for him that caused him to die of exhaustion. The victims of such a case were usually coders, mechanical engineers, and programmers.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Forget it, no matter what, at least I got the equivalent of an extra life, and therefore I really shouldn’t complain too much." He began to wise up to the fact that he would probably adjust to this life in the days to come, but that for now, the most important mission was to act well as the Prince Roland and not let anyone find out. Or else, they may believe that the Devil had possessed the real Prince Roland, and immediately burnt him at the stake. "So, most importantly, live well. " Cheng Yan took a deep breath, and whispered towards the mirror, "From now on, I’m Roland."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 2 - The Witch Named Anna (Part I)</h2>
|
||||
<p>For a period of time Roland locked himself in his room as he thoroughly reviewed the memories of this new world, and had dinner sent directly to him by his servants.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of his strong desire to live on, Roland fully suppressed his fear and discomfort of the unfamiliar environment he found himself in. He was fully aware that if he wanted to blend in and avoid being suspected by the people around him, he needed to acquire more information as soon as possible.</p>
|
||||
<p>It had to be said that, apart from information about himself fooling around with other noble children, his new memory consisted of nothing much else. He was unable to recall any information of value, such as knowledge of the aristocracy, the political situation in his own country, or the diplomatic ties with neighboring countries... Although he had some general knowledge such as city names, and the years of significant events, they were completely different from the history of Europe that he knew previously.</p>
|
||||
<p>It therefore appeared evident to him that he had absolutely no chance of obtaining the throne. Perhaps the King of Graycastle himself was aware of this, and because of that, he sent Roland to this hellish place. Even if he made a mess of things, it would not cause too much damage.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next memories that Roland recalled were regarding his brothers and sisters, and what he found left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland’s eldest brother, the First Prince, was a great fighter. His second brother was sinister and scheming, his third sister was aggressive and savage, and his fifth sister was extremely smart. What should he say? After living with them for more than a decade, his impression of them could be summed up in a few words. He knew nothing about the extent of their power, their subordinate officers, or their skills and talents.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just three months into his leadership of Border Town, the noble had already stopped concealing their disdain and contempt towards him. It was evident that the Fourth Prince wasn’t cut out to be a leader. Fortunately, when he left King’s City, he was accompanied by two assistants—one for civil issues, and one for military issues—who were provided by the king, or else it would have been a much bigger mess.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Roland woke up the next morning, he was repeatedly reminded by his maid, Tyre, that Assistant Minister Barov wanted to see him. Realizing that he could put it off no longer, he groped the maid’s behind twice—as he recalled it was customary of the original Roland to do so, and told her to inform Barov to wait in the sitting room.</p>
|
||||
<p>He saw Tyre’s face flush a bright red as she walked out the door. Suddenly, Roland thought, "Since Border Town is primarily involved in farming, is there a system of any sort in place?" He yawned and mentally repeated the word ‘system’ many times in his head, but could not think of anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>Indeed, novels were all fiction.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov was waiting restlessly in the drawing room. The moment Roland appeared, he immediately hurried towards him and asked, "Your Highness, why didn’t you order the execution yesterday?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"One day earlier or one day later, what’s the difference?" Roland said as he clapped his hands to order the servants to bring breakfast in. "Have a seat and let’s talk."</p>
|
||||
<p>It was in line with his memory that the Chief Knight preferred to ask questions in front of other people, while the Assistant Minister usually chose to talk in private. In any case, he could trust both of them to be loyal to him, even though they probably did so as part of their duty to the king.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Just one day may be enough for other witches to appear, Your Highness! This isn’t like any other trivial matter, you cannot act as recklessly as before!!" Barov cautioned.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why are you also saying this?" Roland asked while frowning. "I thought you could distinguish between rumors and facts."</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov looked bewildered. "What rumors?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"That witches are evil and are the Devil’s emissaries," Roland replied glibly. "Isn’t this part of the Church’s propaganda? If we don’t want them to interfere in our affairs, we should do the opposite of what they say. We shall deliberately not hunt down witches, and instead publicize to our citizens that these are all shameless rumors spread by the Church."</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov was shocked. "But… witches are really…"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Evil?" Roland asked in reply. "How so?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The Assistant Minister remained silent for a moment, as if he was guessing whether the prince was purposely making fun of him, "Your Highness, this problem can be discussed later. I understand that you don’t like the Church, but this way of causing conflict is counterproductive."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland curled his lips. It seemed that reversing this myth about witches could not be done overnight, and he decided not to dispute it further for now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Breakfast finally arrived on the table, consisting of fried bread, fried eggs and a carafe of milk. He first poured a full cup of milk and offered it to Barov.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You haven’t had breakfast right? Let’s eat as we talk." According to the maid, Barov had arrived outside the keep at dawn, and therefore should not have had time to eat. While he’d decided to imitate the former prince’s way of life, and he’d also decided to begin to change the way people perceived him a bit at a time. Although he had determined to imitate Prince Roland’s way of doing things at first, he also wanted to make changes gradually. The Assistant Minister is a good first target for my plan. Roland thought to himself. "Making one’s subordinates feel valued invariably makes them more motivated to work for oneself. Taking the initiative is always the most efficient way of doing things, no?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov accepted the cup of milk from Roland but didn’t drink. He anxiously said, "Your Highness, we have a problem. Three days ago, guards reported that a camp suspected to be inhabited by witches has been discovered in the western forest. They left in a hurry and didn’t clean up their traces. A guard found this in the camp."</p>
|
||||
<p>He took out a coin from his pocket and put it in front of Roland. This was not a common currency seen in the kingdom, at least according to Roland’s memories, and he had never seen such a coin. In fact, it did not appear to be made of metal. He pinched the coin in his hands and was surprised to feel that the coin was becoming warmer. The heat definitely did not come from the Assistant Minister's body, as it was above 40℃ at least, and it made him think of heating pads.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What is this?" Roland asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I thought it was just some foul trinket that a witch made, but it’s actually more serious than that." Barov had to pause to wipe his forehead. "The printed pattern is known as the Insignia of the Sacred Mountain and Magic Eye, which is the emblem of the Witch Cooperation Association."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland rubbed the coin’s uneven surface, and guessed that it was probably made of fired ceramic. Indeed, he saw that in the center of the coin was carved a mountain-shaped pattern—It was formed by three juxtaposing triangles, and the image of an eye was placed in the space between the triangles. The pattern’s contour lines were very crude, and therefore he judged that it was polished by hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland attempted to recall the two terms "Insignia of the Sacred Mountain and Magic Eye" and "Witch Cooperation Association", but did not discover any relevant information. It seemed that Prince Roland knew nothing about occultism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Neither did Barov expect Roland to have any knowledge about this. He continued, "Your Highness, you haven’t seen a real witch before, so it’s understandable that you’re unimpressed. Like us, they can be hurt. They bleed, and aren’t any harder to kill than the rest of us, but that’s only for witches who don’t have resistance. The lifespan of witches who receive the Devil’s power would shorten greatly, but they would obtain a terrible amount of power which ordinary people are unable to rival. Once the witches are fully developed, our armies will suffer greatly. Their appetite for disaster is extremely difficult to restrain or suppress, and they’ve already degenerated into the devil’s minions. The Church therefore formed a Punishment Army, which would arrest and execute any woman who was discovered to have the slightest chance of transforming into a witch. The King has approved of this decree, and in fact, these measures have been highly effective and the incidents of witches wreaking havoc have greatly declined in comparison to a hundred years ago. Rumors about the Holy Mountain, or rather, the Gates of Hell, were derived from an ancient book of that era."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland, while gnawing on his bread, sneered in his heart continuously. Although the histories of this world and the world he was from were very different, their historical trajectories were surprisingly similar. The Church was still the Church; he understood that religion was the real Devil’s minion and the real source of evil. Executing a person because a small sign was discovered, and using God’s name to set laws, and then to arrest, trial and sentence a person, were in itself a form of degeneration. The Prince Roland’s memories of the Church’s misuse of authority corroborated with his views.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unaware of Roland’s thoughts Barov continued, "It’s recorded in ancient books that witches can only find real peace in the Holy Mountain. There, they wouldn’t be reverse bitten by their magic powers, and wouldn’t be troubled by burgeoning desires. There’s no doubt that the so-called Holy Mountain is the birthplace of evil and an entrance from the human world to Hell. I think that only Hell won’t punish this bunch of degenerates."</p>
|
||||
<p>"How about the Witch Cooperation Association? What’s their relationship with the Holy Mountain?" Roland enquired.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov explained with a grimace, "In the past, witches acted solitarily, whether it was to flee or to live in seclusion. But in recent years, the Witch Cooperation Association appeared and made a difference. They wanted to gather all witches and find the Holy Mountain together. For this purpose, the Witch Cooperation Association would even lure other people to become witches,, In the Port of Clearwater, there have been many cases of female babies disappearing in the past year, and there are rumors that they were the doings of witches."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 3 - The Witch Named Anna (Part II)</h2>
|
||||
<p>After Roland ate the last piece of fried egg from his breakfast, he took a napkin and wiped his mouth before saying, "So, are you saying that you're worried that the Witch Cooperation Association will try to rescue the witch when they hear the news that she did not die?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's as Your Highness says." Barov stamped his feet and exclaimed. "I hear that they're in a hurry and probably on their way to somewhere. Had that prisoner died, and then it can't be helped, but she's still alive! If those witches are crazy enough to steal babies, I'm afraid that they won't forsake a degenerated companion."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was somewhat confused, and he could not help but feel that there was something amiss about the situation. Why is it that my Assistant Minister and Chief Knight speak of witches as if they're a forthcoming and formidable enemy?</p>
|
||||
<p>The woman who's to be executed is a witch, right? She's so thin that even the wind seems like it can blow her off her feet. If she truly possessed frightening power, why would she be standing there and awaiting her death? No, she wouldn't even be caught. According to the Church's explanation, she's a Devil incarnate, and therefore the Punishment Army and other military troops would suffer losses if they fought her. Yet, she was caught by the normal citizens of Border Town, and was tortured by every means possible up until she was led to the gallows, but there was still no sign of her frightening power.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How did she get caught?" Roland queried.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I heard that when the North Slope Mine Area collapsed, she revealed her identity in order to escape, and was then captured by angry villagers," Barov answered.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've a certain impression of this matter, and it happened right on the day before I travelled through time," Roland thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How did she reveal herself?" The prince asked aloud.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I, well… I'm not sure." the Assistant Minister shook his head and said, "The situation was very chaotic, and it could be that someone saw her using witchcraft."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland frowned as he asked, "Aren't you able to investigate the situation properly?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, our priority is to restore the production of the mining area." the Assistant Minister retorted. "Half of our revenue is derived from the iron mine, and what's more, the guards have confirmed that someone at the scene was killed by witchcraft."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What kind of witchcraft?" Roland asked, becoming more interested than before.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The head and a large part of the body were spread out on the ground, as if they were melted. They reminded people of burnt-out black candles." Barov's face was filled with disgust. "Your Highness, you wouldn't want to see such a scene."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland played with his silver fork as he pondered over the issue. Historically speaking, most of the victims who were hunted by the Witch Cooperation Association were innocent people, and thus, the witches bore the brunt of the Church's and the ignorant people's anger. In truth, a small percentage of witches had sought their own deaths. This group of witches dressed bizarrely, and spent their days mixing all kinds of materials in large pots, claiming that they could predict the future and knew the conclusion of life and death. They based their legitimacy around a few tricks, for example, making use of a natural flame reaction to 'prove' that they had obtained the power of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>To a modern person, these were nothing but some simple chemistry tricks, but in medieval times, it was easy to mistake them as godly phenomenon.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for melting people, the first thing that Roland thought of was a chromic acid solution. However, the preparation for this was tedious and the process itself required the entire human body to be immersed in the chromic acid. Furthermore, the melting effect was definitely not as strong as the melting of candle wax. And chromic acid was the strongest of the known acids.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then how did she do it?</p>
|
||||
<p>If she relied on alchemy, that meant she could have been a chemist, which was very rare in the whole territory, but if not…</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland thought until here, and then said in a determined tone, "Take me to see her."</p>
|
||||
<p>The Assistant Minister stood up in a flurry and accidentally knocked over the cup of milk that he had not drank. "Your Highness, you want to see the witch?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, this is a command." Roland looked back and smiled at the Assistant Minister. In a way, he was thankful for Prince Roland's unreasonable style.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Roland walked over to the door, he suddenly paused and asked, "Right, I always wanted to ask why we use the gallows."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland reiterated his question, "Why the gallows? Shouldn't witches be burned at the stake?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov seemed puzzled. "Is that so? But she's not afraid of fire."</p>
|
||||
<p>There was only one dungeon in Border Town because such a barren land could not afford to upkeep too many prisoners. Most criminals would face trial within a few days and either be released or executed.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition to Barov, the prince was followed into the dungeon by the Chief Knight, the prison warden, the castellan and two guards.</p>
|
||||
<p>The dungeon had a total of four floors and its walls were made of hard granite blocks. It was Roland's first time in this kind of place. He noted that the deeper down he went, the narrower the hallway became, and the lesser the number of cells. He imagined that the builders probably dug a pit in the shape of an inverted cone first, and then piled it up with layers and layers of stone..</p>
|
||||
<p>This type of crude engineering project would naturally not provide for a good drainage system. The ground was always very wet and muddy flowed down the stairs, all the way to the last floor.</p>
|
||||
<p>The witch was imprisoned in the bottommost floor of the dungeon. Every floor down they went, the stench in the air became thicker.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, you're risking too much by doing this. Even though she's sealed with God's Locket of Retribution, it isn't completely safe."</p>
|
||||
<p>It was Carter Lannis, the Chief Knight, who spoke. As soon as he learnt that the prince was planning on visiting the witch, he immediately rushed over and pleaded with the prince to turn back... He did not accept the prince's command and refused to leave—not when the prince seemed to blatantly disregard his own safety. "How could such a tall and handsome man be such a bugbear?" Roland thought. He wished that someone would just sew Carter's mouth up. "If you don't even dare to look evil in the eye, how will you have the courage to defeat it? I thought you knew that," he said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Before fighting evil, one must know one's strength. Reckless behavior is not courageous." Carter rebutted.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You mean to say that you'll uphold justice against an inferior enemy, but turn a blind eye to a superior enemy?" Roland challenged.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, Your Highness, I mean …" Carter stammered.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Before this, you were afraid of a witch raid, and now you're even afraid to see a little girl, my Chief Knight is indeed one of a kind."</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the Chief Knight was talkative, he was not proficient in debate, and thus was helpless against a smooth talker like Roland. Soon the party reached the bottom floor of the dungeon.</p>
|
||||
<p>This floor was many times smaller than the ones above, with a total of only two cells. The castellan lit the torches on the walls, and as the darkness faded, Roland saw the witch curled up in one corner of her cell.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was already late autumn and the temperature in the dungeon was low enough for people to see white fog when they exhaled. Roland wore a fur coat with silk lining inside, and thus he did not feel cold, but the girl only wore a thin garment that did not fully cover her body, and hence her exposed arms and legs were frozen white.</p>
|
||||
<p>The suddenly lit up torches made her turn away and close her eyes. But soon, she was able to open her eyes and looked straight at the party.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was a pair of pale blue eyes that resembled a calm lake before the onset of heavy rains. There was no fear on the witch's face and neither was there any sign of anger or hatred. For a moment, Roland had an illusion that he was not looking at a weak little girl, but instead a shadow that devoured flames. He felt as though the torches became a little dimmer.</p>
|
||||
<p>The girl tried to stand up against the wall, but her sluggish motion made her seem as if she could fall down at any time. Eventually, she was able to get on her feet and hobbled her way towards the light.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was enough to make most of the party members gasp in horror and take two steps backwards. Only the Chief Knight held his ground and shielded the prince.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's your name?" Roland patted the knight on the shoulder to indicate that he did not need to be so nervous.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna," she replied.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
56
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00004-4-Flame.html
Normal file
56
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00004-4-Flame.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 4 - Flame</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Can you clearly describe what happened when the mine collapsed?" Roland asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna nodded and began talking.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was surprised because he expected her to stay silent or to angrily curse at him, but she responded to all of his questions cooperatively.</p>
|
||||
<p>It wasn’t a complicated story. Anna’s father was a miner and was working when the mine collapsed. Immediately after they heard about the accident, Anna and the other miners’ families went to rescue their loved ones. The North Slope Mine area was rumored to be an abandoned monster lair with many forked pathways extending in all directions. Since the volunteers were all acting on their own accord, they separated at the mine entryway, and only Anna’s neighbors Susan and Ansgar were by her side when she found her father.</p>
|
||||
<p>Her father’s leg was crushed under a cart filled with ore, rendering him motionless, but at his side was another miner patting him down for money. When the looter saw them, he rushed at Ansgar with a pick and knocked him to the ground, but as he was about to strike her, Anna killed him first.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna’s neighbors vowed to keep her secret and helped Anna rescue her father. However, early next morning, Anna’s father went out on his crutches and reported to the patrolling guards that his daughter was a witch.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why?" Roland couldn't help but ask.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov sighed and answered, "Probably he could receive a reward. Discovering and reporting a witch can get you 25 gold royals. For a man with a crippled leg, 25 gold royals would take care of him for the rest of his life."</p>
|
||||
<p>After a moment of silence, Roland asked, "Your opponent was a strong adult man, so how were you able to kill him?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna laughed, and the flames of the torches began shaking like waves on a lake surface.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Just as you think, I used the power of the devil," Anna said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Shut up! Vile sorceress!" shouted the prison warden, but everyone could hear his voice trembling.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is that true? I want to see it," Prince Roland said unwaveringly,</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, this is no laughing matter!" The Chief Knight interjected as he furrowed his brows.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland stepped out from behind his knight and walked towards the cell. "If anyone is afraid of her, I won’t ask them to stay here."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don’t panic, she has a ‘God’s Locket of Retribution’ around her neck!" shouted Barov to comfort everyone, but probably mostly himself. "No matter how powerful the devil is, he cannot overcome God’s protection."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland stood in front of the cell bars, an arm’s length away from Anna, and could clearly see her dusty and bruised face. Her soft facial features showed that she still was a minor, but her expression contained no trace of childlike innocence. There wasn’t even anger in her face, giving her an unsettling feeling Roland had only seen on TV. It was the face of a wandering orphan who had suffered from poverty and hunger, but it was also not exactly the same. Those children always stood with a bent and broken body and a lowered head in front of cameras, but Anna did not.</p>
|
||||
<p>Up until now, she had tried to stand straight with her vision raised and calmly looked into the prince’s eyes. "She does not fear death," Roland realized, "and she is waiting for death."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is this the first time you have seen a witch, my lord? Your curiosity might get you killed," Anna said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If you really had the devil’s power, you would be able to kill with a glance," Roland responded. "If that were true, it is not I who should fear death, but your father."</p>
|
||||
<p>The prison torches suddenly dimmed, which was definitely not an illusion, as the flames seemed to be smothered into small sparks. Roland heard the panting and prayers of the men behind him, as well as the thuds of people who had tripped while trying to run away.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland’s heartbeat sped up and he felt that he was at the border between two worlds. On one side was the world of common sense, which was in exact accordance with the laws and constants that he knew. On the other side was an incredible new world, which was full of mystery and the unknown. He was standing in front of this world.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Was the thing around her neck God’s Locket of Retribution? What a simple and crude locket," Roland thought. It was a red iron chain with a sparkling and translucent pendant, which seemed easy to destroy if the witch hadn’t been handcuffed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland glanced at the crowd behind him, who were still mouthing prayers in panic. He quickly reached into the cell, grabbed the pendant, and tugged on the locket, snapping the chain—the move startled even Anna.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Come on." Roland whispered.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Are you actually a liar, some type of alchemist, or a real witch? If you take out bottles and jars and start compounding acids, I will be disappointed," Roland thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland then heard a crackling sound, the noise of water vapor expanding in heat. Their surroundings began to heat up rapidly, and the water on the ground was turning into steam.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland saw a blazing flame rise from beneath Anna, and the ground she was standing on was set on fire. The torches behind them exploded at once, as if they had received pure oxygen, giving off a blinding light. At that moment, the whole cell was as bright as day, causing the onlookers’ terrified screams.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the witch moved forward, the flames surrounding her moved with her. When she came to the edge of her cell, the iron bars that made up the wall became pillars of fire.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland backed up instinctively from the biting and painful heat. In just a few seconds, he felt that he was back in summertime, but this was a different kind of heat, which was solely generated by a flame, rather than an enveloping summer heat. One side of his body was facing the flame’s heat, and the other side was still chilly. Roland could even feel cold sweat trickling down his back.</p>
|
||||
<p>"She really does not fear fire," Roland thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland remembered the Assistant Minister’s words. Only now did he really understand what he meant.</p>
|
||||
<p>If she is an actual flame, how could she fear herself?</p>
|
||||
<p>Soon, the iron bars turned from crimson to a light yellow and began to melt. This meant that they were being heated to over 1,500 degrees Celsius, a temperature that seemed practically impossible to Roland to achieve without insulating measures. Like the others, he backed away from the cell, holding himself firmly against the furthest wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>If he had not done this, the heat of the melting iron would cause his clothes to combust even without direct contact—even Anna’s clothes were reduced to ashes and replaced with a ball of flames.</p>
|
||||
<p>After what seemed like eternity, the flames disappeared.</p>
|
||||
<p>All that was left were a couple torches quietly burning on the wall as if nothing had happened, but Anna’s burned clothes, the hot air, and the twisted prison bars all proved that this wasn’t an illusion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Besides Roland and the Chief Knight, the other men had all collapsed to the ground, and the prison warden was so scared that he soiled his pants. Anna now stood naked outside the cell, and her arm shackles were gone. She did not hide her naked body, her hands hanging naturally at her side and her blue eyes appearing as peaceful as before.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Now that I have satisfied your curiosity, my Lord," she said, "can you kill me now?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No." Roland stepped forward, wrapped his coat around her, and said with a forcedly gentle tone, "Miss Anna, I want to hire you."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
47
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00005-5-Reasons.html
Normal file
47
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00005-5-Reasons.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 5 - Reasons</h2>
|
||||
<p>"The Second Law of Thermodynamics: Heat can never pass from a colder to a warmer body without causing other effects, or it is impossible to convert heat from a single source into work without causing other effects, or entropy always increases in an irreversible heat reaction."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland carefully wrote this down using the language of this world. At a glance, the text resembled a moving earthworm, and he really didn’t understand how the locals could learn so many complicated characters.</p>
|
||||
<p>If asked which of the physical laws was the most depressing, Roland would definitely choose the second law of thermodynamics. It states that heat will always pass from high to low temperatures, thus adding chaos to order and increasing entropy. Eventually, everything will become nothing and the universe will become morbidly silent.</p>
|
||||
<p>Somehow, this world was exempt from the issue of increasing entropy. It could produce magic power out of nothing, which was much more impressive than a perpetual motion machine! "The forces of evil?" Roland scoffed to himself. "The people here don’t see the nature of this power, which could possibly change the entire universe."</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, he could start by changing this small border town.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland hummed a tune, tore up the paper he had written, and threw it into the fireplace, where it was reduced to ashes, feeling a sudden joyous freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Assistant Minister was confused by Prince Roland’s actions, but fortunately for Roland the old prince had always acted this strangely, and Barov could see that the prince was in a good mood.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It’s been done. The ‘witch’ was hanged at noon," reported Barov.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Good, could anyone tell?" Roland asked while writing, "All of the condemned wear hoods anyways."</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to prevent trouble with the Holy Church and the Witch Cooperation Association, Roland ordered the prison warden to find a death row criminal with a similar figure and use her to replace Anna at the gallows. Besides the Chief Knight and Assistant Minister, everyone who was with him in the dungeon was given 20 gold royals of hush money, which was a huge amount for them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov even suggested killing all of the witnesses to ensure total silence, but Roland rejected this. He knew he couldn’t prevent this secret from spreading, but this didn’t matter because he actually wanted someone to spread the word—just not now. He would clash with the Church sooner or later, since he couldn’t tolerate those idiots would waste such valuable resources! If other witches heard there was a town where they could live freely and even get special treatment, what would they think?</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter the era, talent and human resources were the most important.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Good," Roland said, "and next I need you to give me a summary of the past year’s trade, taxes, and expenditures. I would also like you to record the numbers and sizes of steel, textile, and pottery workshops in the city."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I’ll need three days to prepare these records, but…" Barov first nodded, but then fell short of words.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What is the matter?" Roland asked, knowing that his ability to lie was about to be tested. Barov undoubtedly had questions about what happened yesterday, since although a scoundrel would always be a scoundrel, having a bad character didn’t also mean being brainless. In the eyes of the Assistant Minister, harboring a witch was akin to declaring war on the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, I don’t understand…" Barov wrestled with his words. "Although you’ve caused trouble in the past, it was always harmless, but now… risking so much only to save a witch? It was the Church that passed the law to hunt them, but even your father, his Majesty Wimbledon III, supports it."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland thought for a moment and asked, "Do you believe that this border town is a good place to live in?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Uh, this…" Barov didn't understand what this question had to do with the problem, but eventually answered truthfully, "Not really."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It’s awful. Compared to Valencia or the Port of Clearwater, what do you feel my chances are against my siblings of gaining the throne?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"…" The Assistant Minister opened his mouth but didn't answer. "Almost zero. So, I can only choose another path." Roland watched expressionlessly as Barov walked into his trap. "A path that would even impress my father."</p>
|
||||
<p>He did not argue that witches were not inherently evil, because it would be useless. Barov had been the Assistant Minister of Finance for twenty years and was a pretty competent politician. For politicians, personal gain was more important than moral law. Also, if Roland recalled the previous prince’s actions correctly, using emotion wasn’t typical of him because he wasn’t considered as a righteous person. So, he chose to use the eternal conflict between religious and secular authority, as the expanding power of the Holy Church was a constant issue for Wimbledon III.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Church claimed that the world worked under the will of God and that the Pope was the voice of God. If the people found what he said was full of lies, the dominance of the Holy Church would be greatly undermined.</p>
|
||||
<p>It would be hard to convince the Assistant Minister by saying, "Witches are not evil, so I want to save them," but replaced with "witches are not evil, and I can use them to attack the church," Barov could easily be persuaded.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No matter how the territories of my brothers and sisters flourish, everything will eventually be in the possession of the Church. They had already declared the divine right of kings, which states that rightful rulers must be blessed by the Pope, so are we even the real rulers of this land?" Roland paused and said, "My father will see a new hope in me: a leader who isn’t suppressed by the Church and who holds all the exclusive rights of a royal king, and his choice will be very clear then."</p>
|
||||
<p>Changing the "enemy of the entire world" into "enemy of only the Church" was easier to accept, especially since Barov himself stood on the side of the royal family.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Similarly, if he realizes that witches have extraordinary powers that could aid in fighting the Church, the execution orders will be nothing more than a joke. While there is no possibility to guarantee success, it’s not impossible either. Do you think it’s worth the risk?" Roland stared at the Assistant Minister as he said, "Don’t doubt me, Barov. You’ve been an assistant minister for twenty years, right? If I can become Wimbledon IV, I could remove the assistant part, or even make you… Hand of the King?"</p>
|
||||
<p>…</p>
|
||||
<p>Watching Barov leave, Roland felt relieved. It was obvious that he didn’t think much of this promise, which was normal, since even Roland himself did not believe that this hasty and bold plan could be achieved. However, it was more important to convince Barov of his seriousness. This simple plan thought up by a sheltered noble son reflected Prince Roland’s hatred towards the Church and paved the way for attracting more witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for his real thoughts? Even if Barov knew, he wouldn’t be able to understand them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland summoned the maid. "Tell Miss Anna to come to see me."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Now back to business," Roland thought happily.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 6 - Training (Part I)</h2>
|
||||
<p>In the castle backyard stood a single cottage, which was covered with wooden planks and had two windows. There was a pond in front of the cottage with a circumference of roughly nine and a half yards, and it was filled with river water, making it not only fire-resistant but also modifiable. Piled atop the ground were several iron ingots, which came from a blacksmith and were placed there by Carter.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had chosen this location for the cottage because of its proximity to a well, but it was still too crude to be a laboratory. He shook his head, realizing that building a perfect lab overnight was not possible. He would need Barov to collect the resources before he could build an official workshop.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How are you? Did you sleep well?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland turned around and asked Anna, who seemed confused.</p>
|
||||
<p>The witch in front of him and the witch he saw yesterday were two completely different people. After a thorough bath, her long flaxen hair draped over her shoulders like a shawl and had a soft luster. Her skin glowed with vitality and a light dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose added a youthful vitality to her face. Her body was still so thin that a strong breeze could topple her, but her cheeks were rosy and the bruises and marks on her neck had faded. Roland suspected that magic power not only gave witches extraordinary power, but also improved their health. Anna’s recovery rate was much faster than the average person’s.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Since you experienced so much difficulty, you should be allowed to rest for a few days, but our time is limited, so I’ll make it up to you later." Roland walked around the girl. "Does your dress fit well?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna wore clothes that he had carefully selected to satisfy his lewd tastes. The protective clothing that iron workers wore was too thick and unsuitable for her, while the elegant and classy robes many mages wore in games actually restricted mobility and would quickly be turned to ashes. As for maids’ dresses, was there any better clothing than this?</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though this world had no modern maid outfits, it was not an issue since the current maid clothes were similar to those of later generations. Thus, Roland took a set of clothes from Tyre and cut it to Anna’s size, shortened the skirt, shortened the sleeves, folded the collar, and added a bow, thereby creating the new witch uniforms.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was accompanied by a witch hat (customized), black boots (ready), as well as a knee-length cape (tailored), and Roland found himself looking at a character he had only seen in movies..</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness… What can I do for you?" Anna asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna really could not keep up with the ideas of this man, and she felt that she was losing her judgement. As she was dragged out of the dungeon with a bag over her head, she thought she would soon be free from her cursed life. However, after taking off the bag, Anna found herself not in the gallows or the guillotine, but a magnificent room. Then, a bunch of people flooded in and began undressing and bathing her from her armpits to her toes, leaving nothing unpolished.</p>
|
||||
<p>Next was her clothing, and Anna didn’t expect that someone would help her get dressed. She also never knew that clothes could be so comfortable that they laid gently on her body and created no friction at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>Finally, a bearded old man entered the room, and after he ordered everyone else to step out, he placed a contract in front of her. At this moment Anna realized that the man who said he wanted to hire her in the dungeon was actually Prince Roland of this kingdom, and that he wasn’t joking. The contract clearly stated that if she worked for the prince, she would be paid a gold royal every month.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna knew how much a gold royal was worth. Her father’s pay as a miner was determined by the amount of ore he mined, but even his best haul was only worth one silver royal. One hundred silver royals were equal to a gold royal, and this still depended on the purity of the silver royals. So, was her job to sleep with the prince? Anna had heard the maids whispering this while she was bathing, but she didn’t think she was worth this price. Her blood was tainted by the devil, so anyone who knew of her identity avoided her at all costs. Even if the prince’s curiosity was so compelling that he didn’t fear the devil, he didn’t need to pay her.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, no one came into her bedroom that night, and she fell asleep peacefully. It was the softest bed Anna had ever slept in, so she lay down and immediately fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, it was already noon, and lunch was being served in her room, consisting of bread, cheese and steak. She had been ready to die, but after tasting the luxurious meal, Anna could not but start to cry.</p>
|
||||
<p>The sauces and seasonings exploded in her mouth with a strong spicy flavor mingled with a sweet taste, attacking her taste buds… Suddenly, she felt that the world was a little bit brighter.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna felt that if she ate this food every day, she would even have more courage to fight the demons that attacked her body.</p>
|
||||
<p>Standing in this garden that looked nothing like her prison cell, Anna secretly made up her mind. Since the prince needed her, whether it wearing strange clothes, or even using the devil’s power, she was willing to try. So, she repeated her question, but without hesitation this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, what can I do for you?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Right now, I want you to learn to control your own strength. Practice it over and over until you can send out and retract your flames freely."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You mean the devil’s…"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, no, Miss Anna." Roland interrupted her. "This is your power." The witch blinked her beautiful blue eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Most people in the world have the misconception that witches’ power belongs to the devil and is incredibly evil, but they are wrong." Roland bent down and met her at eye level. "But you already figured that out, right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland remembered Anna’s chuckle in the dungeon. Would a person who felt she was evil laugh with such self-mockery?</p>
|
||||
<p>"I didn’t use my power to hurt anyone else," she murmured, "except that looter."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Self-defense is not a sin, and you did the right thing. People fear you because they do not understand you, and they only know that training will lead to power, but they do not know how to become a witch. Unknown power is always scary."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You’re not afraid," Anna said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Because I know your power belongs to you." Roland laughed. "But if that looter had such incredible strength, I wouldn’t be able to stand so calmly in front of him."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well, let’s get started," he said.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 7 - Training (Part II)</h2>
|
||||
<p>The fire rose up from her feet but quickly dispersed.</p>
|
||||
<p>That had been her twenty-third attempt.</p>
|
||||
<p>And she had failed again.</p>
|
||||
<p>On Anna’s forehead, beads of sweat constantly appeared, but she used the back of her hand to wipe them away, and the crackling sound of rising flames went out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without stopping to rest, the end of one exercise was immediately followed by the start of the next. The witch’s uniform lay at her side, neatly folded. If Anna had not insisted on doing so, her new uniform would have already been burned to ashes.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fortunately, given Roland’s identity as the Fourth Prince, getting a few spare robes for her to practice in was not difficult. He had his maid Tyre deliver a whole bucket of robes, gathered by the maids for Anna to use.</p>
|
||||
<p>The twenty-fourth attempt had finally been successful. The flame no longer came from her feet. Instead, it appeared in her hands. She gingerly moved her arm to try and have the flame go to her fingertips, but the flame suddenly shook twice and engulfed her arm, setting her sleeve on fire, spreading from the sleeve to engulf the whole robe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna dispelled the flames, but her robe was already completely burnt and unusable, so she turned to the bucket and got a new one.</p>
|
||||
<p>This wasn’t the first time this had happened, but whenever it did Roland would look away. He would stare off into the distance, even if Anna herself didn’t care.</p>
|
||||
<p>In fact, if it weren’t for Roland’s strong objections, she would probably have taken off all of her clothes and practiced in the nude, in broad daylight! But even if Roland would look at her, he wouldn’t be able to work well with a naked girl, especially when that girl burst into flames and her body gave off an entirely different kind of energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland shook his head, removing such impure thoughts from his mind. For the moment, it seemed very difficult to master the use of magic. Roland had instructed Anna to try to control the fire to such a degree that she could release flames from her palm or her fingers without destroying her own clothes. However, he also wanted the flames to be hot enough that they could melt the pig iron ingots that were in the yard.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Anna’s thirtieth attempt had failed but before she could begin the next one, Roland stopped her and told her to take a break.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna looked startled, but she gave no other response.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had to walk over and even pull Anna by her hand, leading her to a chair and forcing her to sit down.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You are tired; when you are tired you need to rest. Do not be too impatient, we still have some time." He helped her wipe the sweat from her forehead and said, "Let us have some early afternoon tea."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland knew that the noble of the Kingdom of Graycastle were not in the habit of drinking afternoon tea. Since this world’s economy was underdeveloped, the vast majority of people would not have the opportunity to taste such delicious food. The people in this world were not familiar with the idea of eating three meals a day, not to mention a fourth one. As for the sons of nobles, they generally gathered together in the afternoon at bars or casinos.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Roland wanted to introduce the custom, he had to prepare the food and drink himself, for the maid and the cook were not familiar with it. Since prepared some light refreshments and they didn’t have any tea, he was forced to use ale as a substitute, but it would be important to get some tea in the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>So, in a wooden cottage in the castle backyard, the first afternoon tea party of Graycastle was held.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna looked at the dishes of exquisite snacks, not believing her eyes. How could food look so beautiful?</p>
|
||||
<p>Although she did not know the name of the cake she ate, it was a pure white, and the bright red collection of fruit could make a person’s mouth water.. The edges of the pastries were decorated with exquisite patterns. This experience exposed her to things she had never seen before, forcing her to change her view of the world once again.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland proudly observed Anna’s expressions; she looked stunned, but also slightly frightened. Although the strawberries on the cream cake were marinated in sugar and didn’t even taste fresh, Anna ate the whole thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland found that watching the witch’s face while she ate was more satisfying than eating himself. Roland observed Anna, who was carefully placing the cake into her mouth, her blue eyes twinkling and her hair gently swaying in the wind. Seeing all this, his heart suddenly beat faster and he thought to himself, why would anyone eat food which is not only delicious, but also beautiful!</p>
|
||||
<p>Well, these strong feelings were also very important.</p>
|
||||
<p>Watching Anna while she practiced and having afternoon tea with her became Roland’s daily routine. He had not shown any interest in government affairs. Barov helped him to take care of any issues so that everything was in order.</p>
|
||||
<p>Three days later, Barov delivered the information on the Border Town’s industries that Roland had asked for to his office. This was an unbelievable moment; the former Fourth Prince had never actually had the patience to see such a large pile of complicated reports.</p>
|
||||
<p>In fact, even now he still didn’t have it. Roland needed only to read two lines of text before he began to feel dizzy, and he told Barov, "You’ll read it to me."</p>
|
||||
<p>He spent an hour listening to Barov read the reports before he found a mistake. "Why did the Border Town have no trade revenue or annual taxes in the winter?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Since the winters were so cold, the lack of agriculture revenue was reasonable, but how could it be absolute zero? Did the local people hibernate?</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov coughed, "Your Highness, have you forgotten? During the winter months, the ‘Months of the Demons’ takes place. Since the town cannot guard its borders, all of the residents must evacuate to Longsong Stronghold. But rest assured, your safety is certainly our main priority."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Months of the Demons?" Roland seemed to recall having heard that phrase before. He personally didn’t believe the tales of ghosts and the legends of wicked witches, and he privately considered it to be part of this uncivilized world’s nonsense and superstition. But now it seemed that the monsters were not myths, since witches did actually exist. Then, what about other famous legends, like ghosts?</p>
|
||||
<p>When he was receiving his education, his history tutor had told him the story of the "Month of the Demons." Every winter, after the first snow fell and the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, an intense darkness would descend upon the world. At that time, the gates of hell would open and release demons into the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The evil spirits would corrupt living creatures and turn them into the slaves of the devil. Some of these animals would change into powerful demonic beasts that would attack humans. Most witches were born during this season and would be much stronger because of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Have you seen the Gates of Hell?" Roland asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, how could we ordinary people see them?" Barov shook his head repeatedly. "Don’t say such things. The mountains they come from cannot be conquered. Even being close to the mountains means you’ll be affected by the foul miasma. First you get a mild headache, and then you can lose your mind in the most severe cases. Unless..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Unless what?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Unless the person who goes to the Gates of Hell is a witch. Only a witch would be able to travel to the Gates of Hell because they have fallen from grace and become the devil’s minions. Naturally, they don’t need to fear the evil forces," Barov said, glancing in the direction of the backyard.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Have you ever seen one of these demonic monsters?" Roland said, knocking on the table to recapture the attention of the Assistant Minister.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well, I personally haven’t see them. Like you, this is my first time I have ever been to the kingdom’s borders. In the capital, only a few people there have encountered real demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>If he needed to evacuate once a year, how would Roland be able to develop the Border Town? He initially thought that the Border Town was a barren land, but that it could be developed; that now seemed to be a pipe dream.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Since we can hold of the demonic beasts at Longsong Stronghold, and since they aren’t invincible and they can be killed, then why can’t we defend this Border Town as well?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Longsong Stronghold has a very high wall. Also, Duke Ryan’s elite troops are stationed there. It is nothing like this Border Town. This small town cannot be compared to it," Barov explained. "First, the Border Town was established to provide an early warning to the stronghold. Therefore, the town was set between the North Slop Mountain and the Redwater River."</p>
|
||||
<p>It seemed that the Border Town only existed to slow down the demons. It was the only path they could take to reach Longsong Stronghold. Roland laughed at his bad luck.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 8 - Months of Demons (Part I)</h2>
|
||||
<p>If Roland wanted to develop the Border Town, he would have to put down roots. Even though the area was a wasteland, it could easily be reclaimed and improved. If the size of the territory was too small, people could expand outwards. However, all of talk was useless if no one was willing to stay.</p>
|
||||
<p>If they could be forced to abandon their land at any time, then who would be willing to purchase it? Who would want to improve it?</p>
|
||||
<p>After the Assistant Minister left, Roland called in Chief Knight Carter and ordered, "Assemble your men and go and find some of the local guards, hunters and farmers who have lived here for more than five years. Ask them if they have experienced the Months of the Demons. If you find someone who has fought a demon, that would be even better."</p>
|
||||
<p>After the knight saluted and left, Roland rubbed his forehead and continued to look at the data compiled by the Assistant Minister.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Border Town primarily exported products from hunting and mining, and mainly imported food. Everything was transported directly along the Redwater River to Longsong Stronghold or Willow town.</p>
|
||||
<p>The mining exports included all kinds of minerals, such as iron, copper, sulfur, crystal, ruby, and sapphire, etc. This was completely against the concept of associated minerals. He thought about what Anna had said to him: the North Slope Mine area was rumored to be an unknown underground lair, and until now there had been no proven bottom to the mine. It was also unknown how far the mine extended.</p>
|
||||
<p>The minerals the town exported weren’t paid for with the kingdom’s gold royals, but instead they were traded for the foodstuffs that arrived. It seems reasonable that, since the gems were a high-priced luxury, in these last five years the Border Town should have saved a surplus of food, but there was nothing left.</p>
|
||||
<p>In other words, the annual mining production of the Border Town was only enough to feed two thousand people. Before the prince had arrived, the Border Town had been governed by the duke who also controlled Longsong Stronghold; it was him who had set up this arrangement. In his opinion, it would save food and also created a warning system for the monsters.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fur trade was how the local people made their living. They ventured into the Misty Forest to the west and hunted birds and other animals. They then sold the animals to the acquirers of Longsong Stronghold or to the residents of Willow Town. No transactions took place in the Border Town and so no taxes were collected.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland thought that, since he had come this practice could not continue; minerals would no longer be paid for with food. The Redwater River ran through the whole kingdom, and anyone could use it. It was essentially a highway; even if they no longer bought food from Longsong Stronghold, there were other places they could trade with.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, this was all built upon the premise that he could stay in the Border Town and hold off those damn monsters.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter worked quickly and by the next day he had found two local guards and a hunter. He reported, "These two men are part of the town patrol, every year they are responsible for lighting the beacon. The hunter said he has crossed paths with the demons. He returned with the head of a demonic beast, which he said he cut off with his own two hands."</p>
|
||||
<p>The three of them bowed simultaneously.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland nodded, gesturing for them to stand up; the first person stepped forward to speak.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Honor... respected prince... Your Highness." The first guard who spoke was so nervous he was unable to speak clearly, "Brian and I are... are the people, uh... when it begins to snow, we... we’ll go to the North Slope Mine area... to the Beacon Tower. There it is the first possible... it is the first place where you can see the demons, and if they are crossing over in great numbers... we’ll conceal ourselves in the Misty forest... and light the beacon in the tower… We retreat up the road and board the boat, which we prepared beforehand... then we leave."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Since you both were together, let your partner answer." Roland covered his face to hide his disapproval. "What are the demonic beasts like? Can they be killed?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The other guard was also very nervous, but at least he did not stammer. "Your Highness, I believe so. They used to just be ordinary animals in the forest, but because of the evil miasma they become manic and ferocious; however, they can still be killed. During every past Months of the Demons, Longsong Stronghold would send cavalry to cleanse the remnants of the demon monsters along the land from Longsong Stronghold to Border Town."</p>
|
||||
<p>"How long does the Months of the Demons?" Roland asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Generally two to three months... it depends on the sun," said Brian.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The sun?" Roland asked doubtfully.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes," the guard explained. "Your Highness came to this town not too long ago, so you do not know. In this Border town, once the snow begins to fall it does not stop until the sun shines again and then the snow goes away."</p>
|
||||
<p>"So the snow indicates the end of the Months of the Demons?" Roland recalled that at least in Graycastle, it was not like this. The next day it would stop snowing, and the sun would seem to be no different.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It is exactly like this. The longest Months of the Demons I have experienced was two years ago, which lasted for nearly four months and many people starved."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why, shouldn’t be the grain reserves in Longsong stronghold large enough to support the town for more than one month?" Roland asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian’s face got a little angry. "They had enough. But Reynolds, the Municipal Administrative Governor who was responsible for managing such things, declared that the amount of ore and minerals mined was only enough to buy food for three months, and for the fourth month we had to deliver a new shipment of ore. But the Months of the Demons had not ended, and we couldn’t leave the fortress."</p>
|
||||
<p>"So that is what happened... I understand."</p>
|
||||
<p>They were fools to be alienating people. If Longsong Stronghold treated the people who lived on the frontier with this kind of cold harshness, like a spring wind, the frontiersmen would most likely want to stay and not leave. At the moment it seemed that the group of people controlling Longsong Stronghold were not the good-natured sort. Roland beckoned the last person forward to answer, while putting the name of the Municipal Administrative Governor in the back of his mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>The third man looked courageous and strong, standing over 6 feet tall, making Roland feel tense. Fortunately, he came forward on his knees.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You said you killed the beast?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness." His voice was low and hoarse. "A demonic boar and a demonic wolf."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Species?" Roland repeated, "what do you mean?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"This is the name of the demonic beast, Your Highness. The fiercer the animal was before, the more difficult it is to deal with variation after. The transformation emphasizes the advantages of the animal. The demonic boar’s back fur becomes extremely tough, even within 50 meters it is difficult to hurt it with a crossbow. The demonic wolf becomes more cunning and it runs faster. To kill it, you need to set up traps in advance."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Stronger animals become even stronger and faster animals become even faster." Roland nodded as he heard this. "But they are still animals."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, they are, but they aren’t the most terrible kind of enemy," the hunter said. He swallowed his saliva before he could speak further, "The worst ones are the demonic hybrids."</p>
|
||||
<p>"They are the devil incarnate; only hell is able to create such a horrible monster. I have seen a demonic hybrid. It had not only strong limbs of beast, but on its back there was a pair of huge wings, allowing it to fly short distances. And it always knew where I was. No matter how much I tried to hide, it could always detect me. It was not hunting its prey, Your Highness, but it was just teasing it." The hunter lifted his clothing, revealing a large scar extending from his abdomen to his chest. He said, "Before I lost consciousness I fell into the Redwater River. I was lucky to survive."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Such a monster actually exists." Roland felt that the world was becoming more and more fantastic. A strong wall could stop all ordinary kinds of demonic beasts, but if they could fly, what should he do? "Demonic hybrids are very rare, right?"</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 9 - Months of Demons (Part II)</h2>
|
||||
<p>"There are not many, Your Highness," the hunter replied. "During every Months of the Demons, there’ll only be two to three demonic hybrids, otherwise Longsong Stronghold would be unable to defend itself."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well, you are very observant." Roland noted. He ordered the man to stand up and asked, "What’s your name? You don’t look like you are from my Kingdom of Graycastle."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Half of my lineage hails from the Mojin Clan, and the townspeople call me Iron Axe."</p>
|
||||
<p>Mojin, the Ironsand people were said to be the descendants of Ironsand Giant, who once lived in the southwest of the barren lands. Roland searched for any memories he had related to the Mojin Clan and realized that Iron Axe did not use the name his clan called him by, but instead used the name given to him by the people of Border Town. Apparently, he did not want to have a relationship with the Ironsand people. As for why, since it was obvious that he was from the southwestern border of the desolate lands, Roland estimated that there was a series of sad stories involved.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the moment, those stories weren’t important; everyone was welcome in Border Town regardless of their background.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland clapped his hands. "That’s not why I asked you all to come here. Carter, give each of these men ten silver royals, and then they may go."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Thank you very much for the reward, Your Highness," the three said in unison.</p>
|
||||
<p>Afterwards, the men were taken away by Carter. Carter returned once again and asked, "Your Highness, why did you ask them these questions? Do you want to stay here?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland didn’t express any opinion, but instead asked, "What do you think?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"This matter is out of the question, Your Highness!" the knight said loudly. "According to the hunter, even the demonic boars would be difficult to defeat. Outside of 50 meters a shot from a crossbow would have no effect; we would have to wait until it came within 40 meters, or even until 30 meters before taking our shot. Only our elite soldiers could accomplish this. Plus, there’re too many demonic beasts, and we have no strong walls. We could only stand with the local guards to stop them. I’m afraid that the casualties would outstrip the accomplishment, and our defeat would be assured."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You already saw what a witch is able to do, so why can’t you think positively?" Roland sighed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"These... witches are evil, but Anna... Miss Anna does not look so. As your Chief Knight, I use facts to look for the truth."</p>
|
||||
<p>"If I could give you a city wall, do you think it would be possible to defend Border Town?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"What?" For a moment Carter suspected that he had heard Roland incorrectly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If I give you a wall between the North Slope Mountain and the Redwater River, could you defend Border Town?" Roland stressed every word he said. "Although they would not be like the enormous walls from Graycastle and built only to stop beasts, but they should be enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, do you understand what you are saying?" The knight honestly didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh. "Even your nonsense should have a limit. If you don’t stop, you’ll have to excuse my lack of manners."</p>
|
||||
<p>"We still have three months, don’t we? I looked at Border Town’s records, and the first snow usually falls then."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Even if we had three years it would not be enough! Building a wall would require many workers. To set the foundation they must compress the earth and every one or two feet has to be reinforced; otherwise, there is a high risk of collapse. This would only be the most simple of earthen walls." Carter shook his head repeatedly. "Brick and stone walls are even more difficult to build and it would need hundreds of stonemasons who would first have to cut the stones or bake the clay into bricks. Afterwards they would need to build it block by block. Your highness, all walls are built this way, without exception. A city being built in a day and a night is only the stuff of legends."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland indicated he had heard enough. "I see. You don’t need to be so upset. If there is no reliable wall in place when the time comes, I’ll evacuate with you to Longsong Stronghold. I’m not prepared to die in this place."</p>
|
||||
<p>The knight knelt, swearing, "I’ll protect you!" Afterwards, in the beautiful castle gardens, Roland nipped at his bitter ale. Looking at Anna, who was intently eating cream cakes, his mood recovered substantially.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had decided to stop the demonic beasts at Border town by joining the elite soldiers with the town guards. He would also increase the amount of available farmland by expanding the area the guards patrolled. If he wanted to build a wall connecting the North Slope Mountain and the Redwater River within three months, he would have to use technology from modern times.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was not that Roland had just suddenly thought of this. Previously he had checked the edges of Border Town (although he didn’t go personally). In his mind he had a clear picture—the Northern Slope Mountain and the Redwater River were only separated by 600 meters at their closest point; it was a natural bottleneck. And due to the year-round, the area was surrounded by rock gravel mined from the cave.</p>
|
||||
<p>These gravel cast offs were ash gray, containing plenty of calcium carbonate, which could be used as limestone after it was ground. With the limestone, he had his solution. It would be the same as cement. Being able to build with a water hardening material, with raw materials which were easy to obtain and simple to prepare: it would change the history of mankind. It would stand as one of humanity’s greatest achievements, among the most efficient tools for tilling fields.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland estimated the time he would need. Even if he could implement new technology, even with cement, he wasn’t sure if it was possible. The amount of cement they needed was too much and he wasn’t sure if they could calcine so much cement powder in three months. The strength of the concrete would be subpar and they would need to reinforce it with steel. Thus, the odds for successfully building a concrete city were not great.</p>
|
||||
<p>They had to maximize the usage of existing materials in order to save cement, so building a fieldstone wall seemed to be the most appropriate choice.</p>
|
||||
<p>The so-called fieldstone was a stone which had not undergone any grinding; it was just a natural byproduct of mining. This stone, because of the irregular edges and corners, had no direct uses in building, but instead it first needed to be processed by the stonemason into usable bricks. However, building a fieldstone wall and using cement as binder was possible. Regardless of how oddly shaped the stone was, it could still be used, and the gaps between the stones was filled in by the cement. This process saved cement and used leftover materials.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this, the course was set, but as for the actual implementation, Roland was afraid he would have to do that by himself. Regardless of whether it was the calcined cement or fieldstone wall, both of these were new ideas. Except him, no one had ever seen these things, and no one knew how to make them. He was afraid he would be very busy for the next three months.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You, look here." The sound of Anna's clear voice came from behind him.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Roland turned, he saw a small cluster of flames in her palm burning quietly. There was no wind, but the tip of the flames was rising up and down, as if it was nodding to her. She shook her finger and the fire slowly moved towards the tip of her finger. Finally, it stood at the very tip of her index finger.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You did it." It was an incredible scene. Roland felt sincere admiration for what he had just witnessed. This was not a magical illusion, nor a chemical trick, but a real supernatural power. However, this was not the thing Roland was attracted to—many times more dazzling than the flame was Anna’s expression.</p>
|
||||
<p>While she was intently staring at her fingertips, her lake water limpid eyes were reflecting the vibrant flame, as if an elf was sealed within a sapphire in her eyes. The traces left from being tortured in prison had already faded, and though she rarely smiled, her face was no longer lifeless. On the tip of her nose was a speck of sweat and the rosy color on her white checks emitted vitality. Anyone who looked at her would be put into a cheerful mood.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What happened to you?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah... Nothing." Roland noticed he had looked at her for too long, and he removed his gaze and coughed. "Well then, try using it to melt the iron."</p>
|
||||
<p>In the past few days, except for eating and sleeping, Anna had continuously practiced. In front of the hardworking enthusiast, Roland could only endlessly blush in shame—even when he studied for the college entrance examination he did not work so hard.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Apparently, she’ll not need long until she completely grasps this power," Roland thought. "Once she does, my ideas for new projects can be put on the agenda."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 10 - The Stonemason</h2>
|
||||
<p>The weather had been bad all week, and the sky was always gray. Karl van Bate’s mood was just like the weather: gloomy to the extreme.</p>
|
||||
<p>As he walked down the wet stone street, people greeted him from time to time—Karl ran a school in this town. Unlike the Kingdom of Graycastle, where only the children of noble could go to school, here he taught r the children of ordinary people. Therefore, he had a very high reputation in Border Town. "Hey, Mr. van Bate, good morning."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sir, is my son doing all right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"When are you free, Karl? Let’s go fishing together."</p>
|
||||
<p>Usually, Karl would always smile and respond to them, but today he just nodded, never saying a word.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had just witnessed Anna’s hanging, so in his eyes there was a crack in the once-perfect world—or this crack had begun to form since his departing from Graycastle , but he deliberately turned a blind eye. He used his busy work to numb himself, and to a certain extent, he even used the innocent smile of the students to mend this crack.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Until Anna died," he thought, "the world had not changed." But after the hanging, the crack not only did not disappear but expanded.</p>
|
||||
<p>His memories of Anna stopped at half a year ago. She didn’t stand out of her class of more than thirty students with her normal appearance and few words, but there was something about her that impressed Karl deeply.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was her passion for knowledge. No matter what he taught, whether it was characters or history, she could always remember it on her first try. Even if it was the boring history and evolution of the religion, she could read about it all day. He had also seen the young lady help to take care of her neighbor’s sheep--sitting down in the sun, Anna would carefully brush the sheep’s hair, like someone would with a baby. He still remembered her sweet smile very clearly, and no matter how, he could not think of her as a sinister and evil person.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then, after the fire on Anna' street and her mother unfortunately passed away, Anna never came back to school. He never saw her again until a week ago, when she was proved to be a witch and hanged in the town square.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Tempted by the devil? An unclean person? Evil? All lies!" He began to doubt the Holy Church and the knowledge they imparted for the first time in his life.</p>
|
||||
<p>He didn’t know if Anna had been a witch or not, but she was never evil! If a teenage girl, ignorant of the world and full of curiosity, could be called evil, and then the administrative officials of the Kingdom of Graycastle were from hell and possessed by the devil too! In order to save several hundred gold royals, they deliberately switched out the stone material used to build a theater, leading to its collapse and the death of more than thirty stonemasons.</p>
|
||||
<p>But were they hanged? Not even one! The judge finally ruled that the leader of the stonemasons was unsuitable for his job, and he was punished into exile, while the Mason Guild was forced to disband. Karl, who knew the true story, fled the Kingdom of Graycastle, followed the road to the West, and eventually arrived in Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>He managed to establish a school with a lot of students, got to know his new neighbors, and find new friends, but the Graycastle officers’ crime was always engraved in his mind. Now, he felt the world was mocking him once again. - Could the Gods in Heaven really recognize what was evil?</p>
|
||||
<p>The last straw for Karl was Nana.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana and Anna were so different that one could even say they were the complete opposite. After class you could always see her playing with birds or rolling around in the grass. If you asked what she was doing, she would giggle for a while before answering that she was looking at a fight between a grasshopper and ants.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana was always smiling; it seemed to be in her nature. She was completely oblivious of the world’s sorrows, and at least at school, she could continue smiling without a care. Karl was even curious if she had ever cried since she was born.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two days ago, Nana suddenly came to him with tears in her eyes and asked, "Teacher, will I be hanged like Anna?"</p>
|
||||
<p>This told him that his student, Nana Pine, had become a witch.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah, isn’t that Mr. van Bate? Come over here and help us read what it says."</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl felt someone pull his sleeve and looked up to find that he had arrived at the town square. Many people stood around the bulletin board, and when they heard van Bate’s name, they all made a path for him.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You came just in time, sir. Please help us read it."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yeah, Meg was supposed to read this to us, but he got a stomachache and had to go to the toilet, but he still isn’t back yet."</p>
|
||||
<p>Usually, he would have nodded with a smile and explained in detail the contents of the bulletin board to everybody who listened. However, Karl found this impossible—the smiles and enthusiasm of these people were earnest, but this made it even more difficult to bear than if they were all pretending.</p>
|
||||
<p>The notice about Anna’s hanging had also been placed here, and everyone had also discussed it this cheerily. "In a sense, you were all her murderer," he thought, "and your ignorance and fear had killed her."</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl suppressed his emotions, took a deep breath and walked in front of the announcement list.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The prince calls for hands to help with the construction of new buildings for Border Town, and a variety of different kinds of jobs are available," he said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"But I’m also one of her killers, so why do I deserve to blame them? Wasn’t I the one who taught them that witches were evil?" Karl had a bitter taste in his mouth. "Look at what I’ve taught these children. I followed every word of the Church’s doctrine, and I thought I was teaching them well, damn it!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Stone grinder, male, 20 years to 40 years old, strong and healthy, salary is 25 bronze royals per day."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Mud craftsmen, no gender limitations, over 18 years old, must have experience in masonry, salary is 45 bronze royals per day."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Handyman, male, over 18 years old, salary is 12 bronze royals per day."</p>
|
||||
<p>"…"</p>
|
||||
<p>No, he had to do something. If Anna’s death was irreversible, at least he couldn’t let Nana die. Karl heard his inner voice shout, "When the Mason Guild collapsed, you didn’t do anything; when Anna was hanged, you didn’t do anything. Are you also not going to do anything and watch this lovely child being dragged up to the gallows?"</p>
|
||||
<p>But what could he do? Could he escape with Nana out of Border Town? He had his own family, a family who traveled with him from Graycastle. Would he make them leave again just when their lives were getting better? Would Nana herself, who was born into a rich family, be able to leave her comfortable life?</p>
|
||||
<p>"Stonemason, no gender limitations, no age limitations, long-term position for anyone who has participated in construction for the government, salary is one gold royal per month."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Additional Term: People with rich experience and excellent performance may be granted an official position."</p>
|
||||
<p>After hearing the notice, the people became even noisier, "One gold royal per month is even better than the salary for the stronghold cavalry!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"But can you do it? If you can’t even build a mud pile, can you build a fortress?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don’t just stare at it. Even the first few positions aren’t bad. If you get paid every day, you’ll earn the same amount as a hunter."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Indeed, hunting is a life-threatening job, and the Misty Forest is a really dangerous place."</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl van Bate did not pay attention to this chatter and only concentrated on the seal and signature at the foot of the notice. It was the autograph of Roland Wimbledon, the Fourth Prince.</p>
|
||||
<p>Did the prince not know that the Months of the Demons were already coming? Whatever he wanted to build, it was not a good time to start now. It seemed His Highness knew nothing about constructions, so if he could become a stonemason and catch his attention… Karl had suddenly an idea. Perhaps through this recruitment, he could meet the prince himself, Border Town’s highest ruler.</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl gulped in fear. Could he convince the prince that witches were not evil? There were rumors of His Highness’ unique ideas, so he should be different from ordinary people, and he also hated the Church deeply. "Maybe I can do it!" he thought. "Although Anna’s hanging was ordered by Prince Roland, everyone could tell that he was not willing to do it."</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince himself was still in his early twenties, which should make it easier to understand, that these young girls were incapable of being evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, there was a possibility that Karl would be branded as a Witch Helper and have to go to the gallows with the witches. The Church’s law stipulated that anyone who protected a witch or begged for leniency should be regarded as the devil’s minion.</p>
|
||||
<p>He could only hope that the prince’s hate for the Church also extended to its laws.</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl prayed in his heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though he did not know which God to pray to, he closed his eyes and prayed for a blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the sake of the dead Anna, for the sake of Nana, who was still alive, and for the sake of his own heart to stop breaking, he decided to take the risk.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 11 - Princess Garcia</h2>
|
||||
<p>"The air is getting colder." Garcia Wimbledon lamented, combing her hair with her fingers that blew in the wind, as she gazed at the ocean beyond the shoreline.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's because winter comes soon," the handsome man behind her replied, "and although we live in the south, we are not in Southernmost Land. Only the people of Sand Nation are ignorant of the meaning of winter."</p>
|
||||
<p>"The ocean current will stop all movements of our fleets in winter. This is our last chance to sail out." The young woman retorted. "Ryan, how long has the Blacksail Fleet been away?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Two months and four days," the man replied without hesitation, "If there are no hiccups, they'll arrive at the Port of Clearwater in three days."</p>
|
||||
<p>Garcia laughed. "I do hope they bring enough surprises."</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan Koban looked at the famous woman in front of him, and feelings welled up in his heart. Her long gray hair reflected a faint silver glow in the autumn sun, and her eyes were narrow and light green. When she stared at someone, her eyes would give off a kind of unspeakable sense of oppression. Her long stays at the beach had turned her skin rougher and less fair than that of the other women, but Ryan did not mind. In his eyes, Garcia's temperament made up for any lack of beauty.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unlike her close relatives at Graycastle, Garcia Wimbledon is the true genius. She had the wisdom and pride of the noble, but she was not dulled by the constant routine. In fact, she showed aspects that were closer to that of the common people, she was full of expectations and adventurous.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, no common people could have such power and vision as hers. Even the duke and the princes seemed short-sighted in front of her. With all the income from the Port of Clearwater trade being poured into the construction of the fleet, there was not even a copper left in the vault. This characteristic was far beyond those misers.</p>
|
||||
<p>"There is no meaning to put gold royals in the coffer. It's like a stone when it's not in use, and only when you spend it, can it reflect its value. To spend the money doesn't mean you lose it, but rather, you create a return value that's even greater." Ryan's memory of what she had said to him echoed deep in his psyche, and this was a sobering concept that formed in contrast to the usual perceived stereotype.</p>
|
||||
<p>Compared to that of the noble families who spent their time accumulating and growing wealth, Ryan believed that hers was the demeanor of a ruler.</p>
|
||||
<p>So he went under the command of Garcia without hesitation, and followed her to the Port of Clearwater.</p>
|
||||
<p>But after arriving here, Ryan learned that the princess was so much more outstanding than that. She not only had ideas but also was full of actions. She created the plan of Blacksail Fleet and executed it in a well-ordered way. As early as five years ago, Garcia's forces had penetrated the Port of Clearwater, preparing for the formation of the Blacksail Fleet, with no Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince announced by Wimbledon III. In other words, she had long been ahead in the race of all other heirs.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Let's go inside; the wind grows stronger," said Garcia. Her palace was located on the Salmon Harbor at the southernmost tip of the Port of Clearwater. The tower-like building looked like a watchtower on the coast. It possessed a circular terrace at the top, allowing a bird's eye view of the harbor and all ships that entered and exited it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Five years had passed since the beginning of the operation, and the Port of Clearwater trade had begun to take shape. A three-masted ship would appear at the harbor every six months, and a foundation of trust had been laid down. Taking advantage of Princess Garcia's good mood, Ryan asked the question that had been plaguing his mind for months.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, there's something I don't understand." Ryan closed the door, cutting them off from the whistling wind.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Go ahead." She smiled and nodded.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How is it that you were able to predict all of this, even before the King had announced the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince?" He had guessed that the King had alerted her in advance, but it was impossible to know for certain. It was known that the king favored the second prince, and that this competition was set up in his favor. After all, he was given a clear win when he was assigned Valencia for his fiefdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Was she able to guess this all on her own, so that she could set out the framework as early as five years ago? Heavens, she was only 20 years old!</p>
|
||||
<p>"I could predict it?" She shot him a strange look. "Do you take me for a witch? I have no such powers."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I had no idea that my father would take the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince as a way to give everything to his precious second son. In all truth, is there any relationship between what I'm doing and that Royal Decree?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No relationship?" A thought occurred to Ryan, and he could not help but gawk.</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing Ryan Koban's strange expression, Garcia laughed. "Is it that I must wait for my father's permission, and only then I can compete for what is thrown? Will it not always be the case that he who governs best will become the ruler of the Kingdom of Graycastle?" "I thought you understood the plan behind the Blacksail Fleet."</p>
|
||||
<p>"So she has not created the fleet purely to increase her property," Ryan murmured. After the trade was completed, the fleet would put up black sails somewhere far away from the port and rob the merchant ships of other cities or countries. Similarly, the princess would encourage her subjects to sail into the sea and participate in the Blacksail Fleet plot. She gave her word that the Port of Clearwater would never tax any profit gained in this manner, and that it would remain the property of the captain of the ship.</p>
|
||||
<p>This move had brought the princess great wealth, so this time she had simply ordered the Blacksail Fleet to move towards the south. They would plunder any ship throughout the Endless Cape, as well as those people of Sand Nation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet these movements were not solely for the sake of money. Garcia did not use the profits from the fleet to build a city or expand trade by roadway, rather, she poured the money back into her ships, expanding the size of the fleet.</p>
|
||||
<p>Over the past few years, she had won over a large number of people—experienced sailors, aggressive warriors, and popular figures. If she lost governance of the area, those who committed the crimes of theft and plundering would be sent to the gallows.</p>
|
||||
<p>'The person who governs the best city will win the throne of Graycastle?!' No, Ryan now knew it was Garcia Wimbledon that would ascend the throne, because she possessed a large number of ships and soldiers and could move along the Sanwan River to pose a threat to Valencia.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did you know that you'd be assigned to the Port of Clearwater?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Believe it or not, I didn't expect that. It was a move to increase the trade of this city." Garcia shrugged. "It was also payback to the church who'd tried to fool me."</p>
|
||||
<p>"This had something to do with the church?" When Garcia did not continue, Ryan dared not ask. If there was one thing that he was sure of, it was that even if she did not come to the Port of Clearwater, she would take over the place and continue with her plan.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Let's move on." She took a sip of her black tea. "My little plan seems to have failed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah, yes," Ryan quickly recovered and replied, "and the only news we have received from Border Town was that the plan had failed. We have received no more information since then."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Our spies must have been killed by my brothers. It's unsurprising. These people were just pawns that we placed in order to win some time, and had no weight on the actual situation. Nonetheless..." She changed the topic of the conversation. "It's normal that other plans have failed, but I didn't expect the fourth Prince to remain safe. To tell you the truth, I'm a bit disappointed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Kingfisher reported in her letter that the pills were consumed, but..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"A failure is a failure, and I don't need an explanation." Garcia interrupted. "The Months of Demons are around the corner, our fourth Prince will go to Longsong Stronghold for refuge. When demonic beasts invade Border Town, Stronghold will be in chaos for a while. Write to her and tell her to take this chance. Will the goddess of luck continue to stay on my brother's side?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You may take your leave." Garcia waved, but as Ryan was about to leave, the princess stopped him. "Oh, yes, if I remember correctly, the pills were bought from the alchemist Enbis?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan nodded his head.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What did he say? It was colorless and tasteless, just like water? It caused death, and had no cure? It was his latest invention?" Garcia yawned. "Hang him."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 12 - Firing the Cement</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland stood by the kiln, waiting for the first batch of cement.</p>
|
||||
<p>The brick structure was designed for cement production, about 15 meters long and four meters wide. It had a front and a back door. The front door was designed wide enough to allow the transport of materials and people coming in and out of the room. The back door, on the other hand, was only large enough for one person and functioned as Anna's secret entrance.</p>
|
||||
<p>To this end, he also built a wall surrounding half of the kiln and stationed guards at the entrance and exit. They were all Carter's men and he had no doubt about their loyalty.</p>
|
||||
<p>The cement production process was easy to explain. First, limestone was crushed into powder, and then mixed with clay or iron powder. It would result in a paste whether they use the wet or dry method. After combining it with gypsum, the cement would be ready for use. Raw materials were readily available and no iron powder was included for it was difficult to produce. The key was in the calcination temperature.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland could not remember the specific temperature required to melt the cement. Thanks to the fact that he did not have the necessary tools like an infrared thermometer or a thermo coupling temperature gun needed to measure the said temperature, the process was made incredibly difficult. He only knew that the melting point of cement was similar to that of iron, and that the calcination process was also a tricky factor when it came to making cement.</p>
|
||||
<p>For such an era of undeveloped technology, it was a huge problem to simply maintain the temperature of the blast furnace. The common open furnace would result in great heat loss and it was difficult to keep it burning above 1,200 ℃. As for the reverberation furnace, it required an inner capable of sustaining higher temperatures, but he did not know how to create the refractory bricks. The traditional blast furnace used for iron was even worse. The temperature may suffice, with only a narrow furnace cavity available to calcite the cement, but they could not produce enough cement before the end of Months of Demons.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this in mind, Roland designed a kiln that needed no heating and relied on Anna instead.</p>
|
||||
<p>Broken particles of limestone and clay were mixed with water to form a paste, which was spread evenly throughout the firing room. Then the knights locked the door and cleared out the laborers. Anna then entered through the back door and heated the ground beneath the paste until the iron bar placed inside the room also melted.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was becoming restless. This was his first step in guarding Border Town. If he could not produce any cement, his plan of building a city wall in three months would just be empty words. Without a wall to protect the town, he worried that no one would be willing to stay in this godforsaken place. Whether in history or fictional literature, a stable base was necessary for agriculture.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, you're saying that this material can hold stones together?" asked Carter Lannis, who stood near Prince Roland. Even though the prince had said this was the result of the latest research by the alchemical workshop in Kingdom of Graycastle, he was nonetheless skeptical. After all, that group of people was never famous for being useful.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Who knows? That's what they said," Roland replied.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this world, alchemy and astrology were known as the sage arts, and were very popular in the mainland. The royal family would generally keep their own alchemists and astrologers to predict and improve their fate. For ordinary folks however, such knowledge was beyond their comprehension and thus had little enthusiasm for them. Keeping this in mind, it was only natural for Roland to claim that the cement was a product of the alchemical workshop. He did not care about whether the chief knight believed it or not.</p>
|
||||
<p>The flame in the window eventually died down. The firing of the cement seemed to be complete.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland stood up at once. Sending Carter away to the yard, he waited alone in front of the brick house.</p>
|
||||
<p>The iron door creaked as it opened and Anna stepped out, naked. Roland draped a robe over her at once and handed her a glass of water. "How was it?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The witch's face was painted a dusty gray. Even though wet cement would not produce much dust, it would still appear when the cement was burning. Since she could not wear a mask, it was uncomfortable for her to stay inside for tens of minutes. She coughed twice and nodded. "The mud has turned gray."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was too impatient to wait for the temperature to be lowered. Wetting a towel, he wrapped it around his head and grabbed a shovel. He then went in through the back door.</p>
|
||||
<p>Hot air instantly engulfed him and he found it difficult to breathe. The skin on his hands was burnt raw. Fortunately, shoveling the ashes took only a short moment. Otherwise, he might really experience thermal shock had he stayed any longer.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is this what you want?" Anna asked, staring at the material. She had already put on her witch's robes.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Looks like it." Roland flattened the powder and tested the temperature with his fingers. "I wouldn't know for sure until we use it."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's the use of this thing?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"To build houses and bridges and to repair roads. There are too many uses for this thing. If it succeeds, people won't have to worry about the cold or the rain and snow damaging their houses." Using his other hand, he patted the girl on the head. "It's all thanks to you."</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna lowered her head. He wasn't sure if it was just an illusion, but the girl's breathing seemed to have sped up a notch.</p>
|
||||
<p>In theory, the fired material should be grinded with gypsum as to adjust its hardening time. But there was no need to think about so much right now. After a short break ,Roland picked up two shovels and called for Carter, who was standing outside the courtyard. Roland told him to mix the gray ash proportionally with the river sand in a ratio of 3 to 1 to prepare cement mortar.</p>
|
||||
<p>The chief knight did not mind doing menial work. In his opinion, it was much better than fighting or chasing after the noble ladies for His Highness in the Kingdom of Graycastle.</p>
|
||||
<p>As there was no iron powder in the raw mixture, the resulting paste looked off-white. Roland piled the paste on a brick and placed another brick on top of it. It would usually take around four hours for the cement to become solid. As this was merely a trial run, he decided that it would be best to wait until tomorrow to test the mixture.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next morning, Roland hurried to the kiln room, bringing Carter and Anna with him. When he opened the door, he noticed that the cement appeared solid and the bricks seemed to have stuck together. The surface of the material seemed rugged and part of it was covered in white frost.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland squatted down. It was natural for the alkalization process to result in some white frost. He pressed onto the hardened cement and his heart leaped. The cement was rock solid, completely different from the texture of the solid clay. Even when he pushed into the cement firmly, there was no mark on its surface.</p>
|
||||
<p>After getting the signal from Prince Roland, Carter first tried to lift the bricks. He then attempted to kick the bricks until they gave way. The cement dislodged from the ground, yet the bricks remained stuck firmly together. He ended up using the hilt of his sword to knock them apart, but he succeeded in only knocking off a small corner of the bricks.</p>
|
||||
<p>"So this is the effect of the so-called cement." The purpose of the material dawned on Carter. "It's simply incredible. It flowed like wax from a melting candle yesterday, but in just one night it had become as strong as a rock. With this, we can build the wall as fast as we want. As long as we have enough bricks, we could even build a wall around Border Town in less than five years!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's the use of that?" Roland asked. "A tall wall would not be able to stop enemies from within. I'd rather turn the old wooden huts in Border Town into solid cement houses, so my subjects would no longer have to worry about losing their homes in natural disasters."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." The chief knight was stunned. He did not expect Prince Roland, who was known for his many aristocratic vices, would suggest such a thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You'll understand it in the future." Roland reaffirmed the path he was taking. For many people who travelled through time, technology was the gate leading to productivity. But here, the witches were their path to the future.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 13 - The City Wall</h2>
|
||||
<p>The production of cement went into a rapid development. In order for Anna to have ample amount of rest, the kiln room only operated once every two to three days. Hoping to obtain more raw materials, Roland once again issued a recruitment notice, thus doubling the population of the workers.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Roland himself knew that he could not always depend on Anna to do these. Working in a dusty environment for an extensive amount of time would cause people to suffer from Silicosis. Plus, once the production scale was expanded, Anna alone would be much too insufficient for the demand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Witches should not be utilized as consumables, but instead as the engine to stimulate the development of civilization. Although Roland recognized the fact very well, as of this moment, he could only spend all his efforts in constructing the city wall. After all, nothing could be done if the demonic beasts could not be stopped.</p>
|
||||
<p>A project was launched to dig the foundation for laying the city wall that connected the North Slope Mountain and Redwater River. As chief manager of this project and in accordance with the routine of the world Roland previously lived in, he dug out the first shovel of dirt amidst a mass of flabbergasted faces in audience.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland thought that after solving the cement problem, building a city wall would be effortless. However, when he actually began to do the work, he discovered that he was utterly ignorant in engineering. How deep and wide should the foundation be dug? How to solve the unevenness of the ground? How to ensure a 600-meter-long wall was kept in a straight line after construction? Back then, when the city government was constructing the road, Roland saw a group of young fellas measuring the road with tools and rulers, something called theodolites and leveling instrument, but there was hardly anything like those to be found over here!</p>
|
||||
<p>As a mechanical blueprinter, although Roland and the next-door civil engineer were known as the ultimate geeks, however, their expertise was much too different. Not only that, none of the recruited bricklayers had ever participated in the construction of a big engineering project. Their capabilities were not even comparable to Roland's. Therefore, progress was extremely slow after the city wall project started. It took a whole week to even dig an incomplete, shallow trench.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the engineering project lost control, the final product would be unimaginable. For instance, this shallow trench that they dug with much difficulty looked more like a drainage ditch instead of the foundation for the city wall. Although Roland gestured an estimated width before they started, the width became increasingly narrow as they continued to dig. It even appeared to be a twisted snake if someone looked at it from a distance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nevertheless, Roland was reluctant to terminate the project. Based on the mindset that, a gradual progress was better than no progress at all, as long as the kiln room was not in its operating hours, Roland would spend all day at the foot of North Slope Mountain. He would adjust the direction of the pit with his naked eye and slowly push the project forward. At the same time, he also doubled the rewards of the stone craftsmen.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fortunately, such an awkward period did not last too long. While Roland was in the firing room to direct the firing of the sixth batch of cement, Assistant Minister Barov reported that a stonemason had responded to the recruitment notice. The stonemason claimed that he joined the Mason Guild in the Kingdom of Graycastle for a while and was now waiting outside the hall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland thought about it for a moment and was exhilarated. In his memory, the Mason Guild in the Kingdom of Graycastle was a prominent and pioneering team that even Prince Roland had heard of. Even though the team was ordered to be dismissed due to a construction accident, but how could there be no accidents when you work in the construction industry?</p>
|
||||
<p>"Bring him in." Roland made a pretense of being composed and nodded. He wanted to tell Anna to leave but changed his mind after a while. Border Town had a population of 2,000 residents and hardly any residents had ever seen the faces of witches. Besides, Anna looked totally different from the girl who previously wanted to commit suicide. Plus, with the peculiar clothing that Anna was wearing, it was unlikely that anyone would recognize her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl Van Bate was upset when the knight brought him into the courtyard. He wanted to first inform his Highness that it was unsuitable to undertake such a big project in this season, and then gradually obtain the trust from His Highness and ultimately change his perspective towards witches. However, according to the rumor, His Highness had always been quite capricious. What if his advice received adverse effect from His Highness?</p>
|
||||
<p>His heart was shaking when he bowed and saluted to His Highness. While lifting up his head, he stood aghast at the sight—the girl stood next to His Highness looked so familiar, he even had this delusion that he might be dreaming. Karl rubbed his eyes, stared again, and cried out uncontrollably, "...Anna!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus Christ! What a coincidence? He just randomly hired a craftsman and he hired a neighbor of the witch? Apparently, the craftsman seemed very familiar with Anna. Otherwise, he would not be able to recognize her in an instant. Roland turned his head and looked at Carter Lannis, who immediately understood Roland's thoughts. Carter quickly locked the door, blocking the only exit.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Professor... Karl?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna's reaction puzzled Roland for a bit. "What? Professor?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's you indeed, Anna, I, I...." Karl felt the warmth in his eye socket, and something started to spill down. He fell on the ground hopelessly, and repeated endlessly, "Sorry, I'm so sorry... I'm so glad... What a blessing..."</p>
|
||||
<p>After a while, Karl Van Bate finally was able to appease his emotions. He slowly stood up, and again bowed to Roland. "I'm sincerely apologetic Your Highness, I have forgotten my manners."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's the matter? Aren't you a stonemason?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I used to be," Karl swiftly replied after he released his concerns. His Highness did not execute Anna! It was a surrogate that was hanged on the execution ground—realizing this fact, he already knew what his next move would be. Although he was fuzzy about why His Highness would rescue a witch, nevertheless, even if His Highness intended to take Anna as his lover, that would still be much better than sending her to the gallows. At least it proved that the prince did not fear the rumor that witches were the incarnation of the demon.</p>
|
||||
<p>He confided his experience of being exiled from Kingdom of Graycastle to Border Town, including incidents such as establishing a local school and finding out that Nana Pine also turned into a witch. At the end, he beseeched His Highness to also hide Nana in the castle, in order to protect Nana from any persecution in case the residents found out her true identity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna, who was standing aside did not speak a word, although she seemed to desperately want to plead for Nana.</p>
|
||||
<p>"A new witch. What great news! Although the name Pine sounds familiar," Roland thought and called the assistant minister for further inquiry, and he found out that Pine was the last name of a middle-class noble in Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You could bring her to see me. If she is truly a witch, I vouch that she'll be safe from any sort of harm." Roland promised. "But I can't take her away from the Pines, especially when she isn't threatened by her family. Besides, the reason that I saved Anna is far different from what you thought..." He pondered for a bit, and decided to tell the truth. "I need her help. Compared to such incredulous tales of demons and evil power, I'm more inclined to believe that the power of witches has nothing to do with good or evil, it can instead be controlled. So, regardless of Anna, Nana, or any other witches, as long as they did not commit any real crime, I'd not consider them as sinful."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Next, let us talk about some serious issues. Have you ever participated in the construction of the city wall of Kingdom of Graycastle?" The prince brought the subject back to the construction project.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes!" Karl nodded. Even though Prince Roland did not keep Nana as how Karl predicted, saying that His Highness needed the help of witches was also perplexing, however, it was good enough that His Highness promised to protect Nana.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Very well, I'm planning to build a city wall over the Redwater River and at the foot of North Slope Mountain to block the invasion of demonic beasts. From now on, you're responsible for this project."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
47
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00014-14-The-Ability.html
Normal file
47
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00014-14-The-Ability.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 14 - The Ability</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, how tall and how wide do you plan to build this city wall?" Karl asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"At least five meters high, two meters wide, and allowing four people to march forward side by side." Roland subtlely acknowledged that Karl was indeed a professional, first asking about the technical data and then confirming the construction plan.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then a trench needs to be dug that's about one man's height in order to stabilize the upper portion of the city wall. Also, if the top of the wall is about two meters wide and the wall is about five meters tall, the width of the lower portion of the wall at least needs to be doubled," Karl promptly replied, "The process of trenching will need huge manpower. Your Highness, if you could provide me with 150 people, I could probably finish the trench before the Months of Demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>"A gutterway could not possibly block the demonic beasts," Roland said noncommittally.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's why, it'll take three years if the upper portion of the city wall is masoned with stones. If it's solely for the purpose of blocking the demonic beasts, then there's no need to build the wall to such a great height. About four meters high would be enough. We can also shrink the width by one-third and the bottom to about two meters. Digging trenches and masonry will proceed simultaneously. Increase the number of workers by 200... that way, I can complete it before next year's Months of Demons.</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl paused, and then continued, "Pardon me in my frankness, Your Highness, now it's not a good time to undertake the construction. If we don't mason the wall in a timely manner, even if the trench is dug, but after soaking by the rain and snow through the entire winter, it'll lose its original functions. That way, it'll cost more time and manpower to clean and soften the trench, causing the trench to be dug even deeper."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Assuming we adopt your plan, and build the city wall four meters high and two meters wide. How long will it take to complete the trench?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It'll most likely take one and a half months," Karl answered.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then let's take this plan. Digging the trench and masonry will proceed simultaneously so that the construction is completed before the Months of Demons." Roland waved his hand and interrupted Karl. "I know your concerns. Look at this first, a new product from the alchemical workshop of Graycastle."</p>
|
||||
<p>He, of course, did not have time to once again stick the bricks together to show the stonemason. He simply presented the two bricks that he stuck together beforehand. Fortunately, no one dared to question the prince. When Karl heard that an alchemic adhesive, called cement, was able to solidify within one night and produce massive adhesive force, he looked astonished.</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl, as someone who devoted half of his life to the Mason Guild, naturally recognized how groundbreaking this invention was. Besides adhering stones, most importantly, it would be able to transform into any shape.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland judged Karl's expression with satisfaction, and pursued again. "What do you think? Would three months be enough?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl Van Bate replied with a trembling voice, "If what you said is true, no, no, I mean... if the alchemical workshop described this thing truthfully, I, I'm willing to give it a try."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Very well, I'll have someone write a detailed document for you regarding the usage of cement. You can speak to my assistant minister for any other needs." Roland smiled. "Mr. Karl, now you're a member of the Administrative Office."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland saw Nana in the next afternoon. The young girl stared at Anna with some degree of bewilderment. She clutched her clothes and was finally able to compose a sentence. "Have, Have I already died?"</p>
|
||||
<p>When Roland first met Nana, he had to admit that the power of witches not only bestowed them incredible abilities but also in some degrees, changed their countenance and aura. Nana was a totally different type compared to Anna, but they all had their unique charm. Such feelings had nothing to do with age or lifestyles. Even when Anna was waiting for the coming death in prison, the brilliance that was illuminating from her was not affected at all. Searching through all his memory, Roland did not even encounter this sort of feelings, whether it was the hooker on the streetside of Kingdom of Graycastle or the well-mannered noble mistress. If Roland had to describe it, when he placed witches with those ordinary girls on the same page, it was as if colorful figures appeared on black and white photos.</p>
|
||||
<p>Karl, who escorted Nana, gracefully excused himself. Now there were only Roland, Anna and Nana left in the palace garden.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You're alive, and Anna is here, safe and sound." Roland tried to suppress his smiles. "I'm Prince Roland Wimbledon, and you're..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm Nana Pine." The young girl was back to her usual lively self after she heard that she did not die. Nana rushed straight to Anna, rambling on and on with her, and completely neglected the presence of Roland, the prince of Graycastle. Certainly, Roland would not care to haggle over the impudence of a 14-year-old young girl. He poured himself a glass of ale and started to appreciate the "daily life" of the two witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna was apparently not accustomed to the overwhelming friendliness from Nana. She occasionally responded while Nana continued her speech. After all, Anna was merely 17-years-old, but she already appeared to be an elder sister. Roland could not help but think how outstanding Anna would become after she became fully grown-up.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Nana finally slowed her speech, Roland coughed and inquired. "Miss Pine, according to your professor, you have awakened as a witch?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Compared to the public, who most often referred to the word "fallen" when describing someone that had turned into a witch, Roland believed that "awaken" was a better word choice. He would not naively consider all witches as innocent and pure. Those malicious individuals who obtained power would only beget a catastrophe. This was the same as using a weapon as it can create violence, but also resist violence. The essential aspect was that it all depended on the person who was using the weapon. Perhaps the church's propaganda of the massacres done by witches was based on evidence. However, it was unfair to use that as the proof to treat all witches as guilty.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana's expression stiffened and she mumbled in a soft voice, "Are you going to hang me?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, of course not, those individuals who were sent to the gallows were all heinous and despicable villains. You're not one of those, nor is Miss Anna. So don't concern yourself with that."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm not sure... Professor said that witches obtain the demonic power after being lured by the demon. But, but I have never seen any demon!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"When did you find out that you've become different?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"About a week ago," Nana muttered, "I saw a bird with a broken leg, I really wanted to help it. Then... I felt something come out of my hands."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What came out of your hands?" Roland questioned, "What happened next?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Umm... all of a sudden, it surrounded the little bird like a mass of sticky liquid." Nana tilted her head and recalled. "Then the bird's leg was healed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is her power the healing type?" Roland's heart missed a beat. He was very clear what this kind of power meant. In the days where there was an absence of antibiotics and a lack of advanced medical technology, people died easily from injuries and infections. Although this power might not work to promote the development of civilization, it was meaningful to every individual human.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland immediately walked to the door, and demanded the knight to bring a living hen. If he could prove the credibility of her words, perhaps he could change the situation of witches being mercilessly oppressed in Border Town.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 15 - Misconceptions</h2>
|
||||
<p>After seeing the knight leave with his orders, Roland returned to the table. "If you can heal small animals, why would you still think that witches are evil?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"The teacher said that witches can do things ordinary people can't. Sometimes it does not look bad, but this is the devil's ruse in order to lure more people..." The girl's voice lowered, "I... I've never seen the devil, I swear."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course you haven't. That is just one of the church's lies, and your teacher was deceived as well," Roland comforted.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The church lies?" Nana exclaimed, "Why?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland shook his head and did not explain. Even if he tried to explain, they would still not understand. When civilization had not yet developed to a certain extent, these sort of strange things would always happen. Even without personal gain, people would automatically attribute man-made, natural disasters or any unexplainable phenomenon to the invented culprit behind the scenes—historically speaking, the blame always fell on the women.</p>
|
||||
<p>And in this world, if witches possessed powers of unknown origin, it was even easier to become the target of the church. The church could allow for the witches to be ordained as saints by saying they were the gifts of God or the witches could be hunted, proclaiming they were the demon's advocates. However, once the former was chosen, monotheism would greatly lose its power—because the appearance of the witches had nothing to do with the church. If churches that believe in other deities also recognised the witches as saints, and everyone was the chosen one, which church's God was the true God?</p>
|
||||
<p>The prerequisite for the coexistence of polytheism was that the gods were real and could restrict each other. Since Gods did not exist and were only hearsay icons, why should the other party share the world? So any faith would claim that they believed in the true God, and the infidels would have to be eliminated. So they could only choose the latter, to spare no effort in destroying the witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was irrelevant to preference, it was all about gain.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a living chicken in the castle's kitchen. It was still kicking and fluttering when the knight carried it by its wings.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next thing left Nana stunned. Roland pulled out the silver knife, and stabbed the chicken once, the knight held it in place firmly, and he let Nana treat it before he tried a different method and continued... He did this repeatedly.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the chicken finally died, Roland had a better understanding of Nana's ability.</p>
|
||||
<p>She could restore the damaged parts, including splits, fractures and bruises. But If the body part was completely missing, for example, after the chicken feet were cut off, she could not regenerate claws. But the broken claws could be connected if she used her ability to make the fracture intact. Finally, she could not reverse life and death. Once the chicken died, her treatment became useless.</p>
|
||||
<p>Throughout the whole treatment, Roland did not see the "sticky water" that she described. She simply put her hand on the chicken's wound, and then it was healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. After several experiments, Nana did not deplete much energy, at least she did not sweat profusely like Anna.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only Nana was dissatisfied, as she felt it was too much to treat the chicken like this, so she kept staring at Roland even after the experiments.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Come on, stop staring and eat something," Roland had to resort to "summon afternoon tea" so as to divert her attention. This move had worked several times on Anna, so he assumed that many girls her age could not resist the temptation of delicious dessert. And truth be told, Nana did not fare any better than the one before her.</p>
|
||||
<p>After eating the pastries, Roland sent Nana away. Anna asked in confusion, "Why didn't you make her stay? She's like me, we're both witches, right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"She still has family members, and they have not realised she is a witch."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna whispered," It's just a matter of time."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, sooner or later," Roland sighed. "So anyway, the later the better. Do you... miss your father?"</p>
|
||||
<p>She shook her head, and her eyes were like a calm lake with no ripples. It seemed that the betrayal by her father had left her completely disappointed. But even without any relatives, she still had friends.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Nana will come often, in fact, I intend to let her come every two days to train her ability."</p>
|
||||
<p>Hearing this, she blinked her eyes and nodded quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you want to go back to Karl's college with her, and learn from the other kids?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna did not answer, but he felt he heard her thoughts.</p>
|
||||
<p>"This situation won't last too long... As long as I'm here, you'll eventually live like ordinary people, and not be hunted wherever you are or sent to the gallows. This day will come, "I promise," said Roland firmly.</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>Since Karl Van Bate took over the project, Prince Roland immediately became idle.</p>
|
||||
<p>He stayed in the castle garden every afternoon, practising with Anna or Nana. Now Anna's training no longer required additional clothing, even if each finger was in flames, she could skillfully operate them without lighting up her witch hat by accident.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana also put on a set of witch uniform. Although she was reluctant to practice, for the sake of afternoon tea, she still poutingly did so. Watching the two witches dangling in the yard, Roland's wicked humour was greatly satisfied.</p>
|
||||
<p>Occasionally he would go to the foot of North Slope mountain to check on the progress of the project. After more than two weeks of construction, about 100 meters of the city wall had been built. In the absence of the theodolite distance measurement, Karl asked the craftsmen to use a piece of wood at the same time every day, according to the shadow of the sun, to determine the distance and flatness. At a distance of every ten wood markers, a viewing tower was set up to play a role in stabilizing the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Such large-scale employment naturally caught the attention of the town's nobility. However, other than getting some information from Barov, they made no further movement, as if the situation had nothing to do with them. Roland did not mind this. These people's family businesses were in Longsong Stronghold and would certainly not stay here to help him guard Border Town. He could even imagine the gang of people ridiculing his attempts in private.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not just the nobility, but businessmen were the same. In previous years in Border Town, once animal fur traders realised nothing could be purchased, they also returned to Stronghold. They naturally vented their discontent about returning empty-handed, on the ruler Roland. The news about Kingdom of Graycastle's Prince Roland Wimbledon's construction before the arrival of Months of Demons, was deemed as simply stupid and ignorant. News of this spread along the Redwater River.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this point, no one thought he could protect the town, and in fact, most people simply did not consider this a remote possibility. After all, Prince Roland did not give the impression of being a courageous fighter. Whatever he was contemplating, he would eventually have to obediently retreat to Stronghold.</p>
|
||||
<p>And just like this, amidst discussion by the masses, Roland ushered in the first winter.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 16 - The Road Ahead</h2>
|
||||
<p>The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, chasing away the chill coming in from the door and window gaps. Atop of the fireplace hung a huge horned deer head, and under the shadows, the horns looked like huge claws.</p>
|
||||
<p>Opposite was a dark red long wooden table, filled with parchment rolls and books, mostly executive orders waiting to be signed. Roland usually came here to deal with official matters—after converting the third level of the castle into an office, he gradually started to like it here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Through the French window behind him, he could see the town extending into endless mountains. The mountain passed through the continents of the Impassable Mountain Range, dividing Kingdom of Graycastle and Wild Places into east and west. And North Slope Mountain was just a branch of the Impassable Mountain Range.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the foot, you could see the garden surrounded by the wooden fence. The wooden shed built for Anna's training had been removed, and the brick pool was made into a long table for afternoon tea. When the weather was good, he would also go downstairs for a suntan, or lie on a specially tailored rocking chair to take a nap.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the castle was not big, at least it was still considered a villa with an independent garden. In his previous life, it would have been almost impossible to own a real stone castle. He would have had to pay for tickets just to have a visit. But now, he not only owned the castle, but also the town.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, recently you've had a lot of expenses from recruiting the craftsmen and the manual laborers. If we continue such expense, we won't be able to last until next spring." Barov held a pile of parchment while reporting the recent financial situation to Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>The original income and expenditure of Border Town was very simple. One line was ore in the precious stones trade. This line was monopolized by Longsong Stronghold, turning North Slope Mine's output into wheat or bread, with no tax in the middle, and Stronghold sent people to host the exchange of resources. As the saying goes, those nobles stationed in Border Town can be seen as regulators of the shareholders, and their fiefs are mostly in the east of Stronghold, where they are only temporary and different people are dispatched each year.</p>
|
||||
<p>In fact, the history of Border Town was less than three decades long. Compared to nearly 200 years of Longsong Stronghold, it was a mere newborn baby. Originally Duke of Ryan was just going to build an outpost here as an early warning for the invasion of demonic beasts, but he did not expect to discover a wealth of mineral resources at North Slope Mountain after land reclamation. So he decided to set up the town here, and named it Border Town. In a sense, it was North Slope Mine that created the town.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to prevent theft and cover-ups, the duke did not employ the noblemen, but instead employed local residents, refugees and even criminals to serve as miners. The output of ore was evenly distributed according to the resources allocated by the investors. Longsong Stronghold only needed to provide the employers with a full year of grain and a small commission, which was a fixed amount regardless of the output of the mine. Border Town had more than two thousand residents and half of them worked for the mining area.</p>
|
||||
<p>The rest, was the other industries in the town, such as blacksmith shops, pubs, textiles and so on. The meager tax of Border town came mainly from here, and not much was left at year's end. The previous lord did not take this barren land seriously. After Roland was sent by Kingdom of Graycastle, he simply stayed in Longsong Stronghold and did not come back.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, Roland could only pay people to repair the wall with his own money. If it was the previous Prince Roland, this would have been out of the question. But for Roland, as long as he could stabilize Border Town, he would not mind investing his whole property. Anyway, in the future, ore trade would no longer be bartered with food. If it used currency, then his investment would be just a small price to pay.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only problem was Longsong Stronghold was not willing to give up the monopoly, and continued normal trade with Border Town—this was quite like snatching food from the tiger's jaws, but Barov's data showed inefficient manpower and transport hurdles. The annual value output of the ore was no more than a thousand pieces of gold royals. Compared to the entire revenue of Longsong Stronghold, it was but a drop in the ocean. The only loss was that of the nobles.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the long-term development of Border Town, this line had to be recovered. Roland knew very well, that even if their investment was fully recovered ten years ago, the nobles would not easily let go. Even if this was a small piece of meat, yet this was a passive income without doing anything. He was willing to give the previous investors a certain amount of concessions and compensation, such as half-price purchase and the like. But dragging a ship of ore back in exchange for just half a boat of food was not allowed to happen again.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Roland stared at the list, Barov was also watching him intently.</p>
|
||||
<p>Over these three months, well to be exact in the last month, Prince Roland underwent some unspeakable changes. Outsiders might not notice, but he was with the prince every day, and the change could not escape his eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the Kingdom of Graycastle, he had already heard of Prince Roland Wimbledon's notoriety. He did what he liked, wantonly and without caring about noble manners. In short, he did not make grave mistakes, but he made numerous errors and was far worse than his two brothers.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Barov was sent by His Majesty to come here, he was very disappointed. If not for the fact His Majesty promised to appoint him as the official Treasurer after the struggles of the throne ended, he would have given up ages ago.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the first two months at Border Town, Prince Roland showed his usual extreme childish behavior, and offended almost all the local nobles. Fortunately, the town was very small, even if all the administrative staff vacated, he could easily fill their posts with the dozen civilian staff he brought.</p>
|
||||
<p>And then, things started to change.</p>
|
||||
<p>When did the change begin? He thought, probably... after he saved the witch.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov had considered that Roland was possessed by the demon, or maybe he was controlled by another witch. But this was a slim possibility. If demons and witches had such ability, would they look for Prince Roland? Wouldn't it make more sense to control His Majesty or the pope? What further dispelled his suspicions was the fact that he saw the prince hold God's Locket of Retribution.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the church's weapon to deal with witches. Any demon would collapse in front of the God's Locket of Retribution. Yet Roland held it directly. In other words, if he was not Prince Roland but a devil that did not even fear the divine power, then would it be necessary to expose him? Saving one's life was the most important thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince continued with his notorious behavior, but he left a different impression on Barov. No, Barov thought, the two had clearly opposing behaviors.</p>
|
||||
<p>The biggest difference was in motive. He could feel Roland was planning something. In order to achieve his purpose, he had to use some inexplicable means. Just like how Roland tried to persuade himself to save a witch, the plan may not be mature and have loopholes, but the prince was indeed moving forward with his plan, and was confident about the results.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the most puzzling thing. The throne could be taken by any one of Roland's siblings, but definitely not the prince himself. He would have been clear about this fact. Talking about development in this small place, Border Town? Even the gods could not do it! What crazy plan was Roland making, trying to develop a border town to be more successful than Valencia? Even convincing himself that it would work?</p>
|
||||
<p>If it was just a crazy fantasy, that would be fine, but Roland's construction of the walls proved otherwise. He really intended to be stationed here, relying on a type of alchemy product--"cement", to build a wall that was impossible to complete.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov's family had an alchemist, but he had never heard of alchemists creating such a thing. To build a wall based on what had never been seen, was this self-confidence or imagination? What else was Prince Roland concealing? He found himself starting to have a faint interest in the future.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 17 - The Ambassador (Part I)</h2>
|
||||
<p>"This place is just as lousy as it used to be," said Petrov, the ambassador from the Stronghold, as he stepped out of the cabin and was immediately hit by the stench of rotten wood. Sinking in the moist and dull atmosphere that discomforted him from head to feet, he sniffed and looked up to the sky where the clouds were gathering. They were a sign of heavy rain that drew near.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's been a year since your last visit," said the assistant as he wrapped his boss in a wool coat. "There is nothing here except stones."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's been one and a half years," stated Petrov. "Every season the Lord Duke sends a different person here and the last time I came here was in summer. Apart from stones, there were other kinds of things here like fine furs and… "</p>
|
||||
<p>"What?" the assistant said with a dazed look.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov shook his head and said no more. When he crossed the board and set foot on the moss-covered wooden dock, the planks he stepped on were creaking so loudly that it made him believe it would only be a few years before the whole dock shattered into pieces. Yes, in addition to stone and fur, it was the land of Border Town that could not be underestimated. But a common assistant who only dealt with papers and numbers was not open-minded enough to understand.</p>
|
||||
<p>The land between Border Town and Longsong Stronghold was untouched and squeezed into a narrow channel, caged on each side by the Impassable Mountain Range and the Redwater River. If it was Border Town that worked as an outpost and took the duty as a defensive line, the Stronghold would easily possess the untouched land, and farm it constantly. And with the natural barrier guarding it on both sides, managing it would be simple. The food harvested from the land would feed the rising population in the Stronghold, and Border Town would become part of the Stronghold rather than staying independent.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only disadvantage was that the operation would be expensive and would take three to five years.</p>
|
||||
<p>What a shame, when it came to investment, most nobles were no better than a poor businessman.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why is there no ore in the storage yard?" Pointing toward the clearing, the assistant said, "Shouldn't they stack the ore before we arrive?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov sighed softly. "We should pay our respects to His Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Wait… Mr. Ambassador, why not wait for their welcome party?" the assistant suggested.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov was unsure if there would even be one, so instead he stated, "Let's go, the stables are just in front of us."</p>
|
||||
<p>This illustrated the difficulties with having the two lands independent. When the king sent out Prince Roland in the name of the Royal Decree on the Selection of the Crown Prince, how would a loyal young man behave? Surely he would sweep everything under his wings, and as such, it was hardly possible that he would trade ores and gemstones for food and bread. He feared that gold royals would be all that the prince held dear.</p>
|
||||
<p>He would do the same under such circumstance because no one would tolerate when all that they've reaped from the land was exchanged at such a low price. It seems that many people have forgotten that Longsong Stronghold is not merely a station run through Redwater River. Beyond it also exist many other places, like Willow Town, Fallen Dragon Ridge, and Redwater City, where he could sell minerals at market price, and he could take the refugees. They were only a little further than Longsong Stronghold.</p>
|
||||
<p>And then what would Longsong Stronghold do? Bar the river and block the prince's procession? No, to do so would be treason. Even if it was a well-known fact that Prince Roland did not earn much favor from his father, the loyal name and blood could not be ignored.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were no better horses in the stable other than the old ones. They were weak and skinny with scruffy fur that left them trembling all over as they trotted slowly. The ambassador had no choice but to pay two gold royals as a pledge for two shabby horses, which carried them slowly on the flagstones along the river.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Look! Sir, is that a cargo boat from Willow Town?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The assistant called out, causing him to turn his eyes to where his assistant was pointing. Slowly, there came a sailing boat with one mast and a banner bearing a green leaf and scimitar hanging over it. It's high waterline meant that the boat was full of cargo.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nodding his head and keeping a poker face, Petrov hid the very real concern that was triggered by what he had seen. He had not expected Prince Roland to act so early. "If Prince Roland has begun to trade with the towns downstream of the Redwater River, then the advantage he has is shifting. He had intended to persuade his father to agree on acquiring ore at 30% less than the market price. And at any rate, there are gemstones that will be crafted into many valuable luxuries. However, this issue is under a monopoly, and is not for him to decide. Even the Honeysuckle Family as a whole cannot make a decision unless all six noble families agree."</p>
|
||||
<p>But they seemed unaware of what had been changed as time had gone by, and barely had any response… Or maybe the production in the mine was too low to draw their attention. It ended up that the other five families remained indifferent and his own father, looking so sure of himself, rejected his advice. But all of them had made a huge mistake since the low production of the mine, caused by the trade-off based on materials and food, could easily be transformed into a much greater amount when the exchange became normal and the ore was bought at a fair price. With this, the more Border Town sold, the more money they would earn, resulting in an increase in ore the following year.</p>
|
||||
<p>But with this, Petrov thought the monopoly on ore that he had hoped for would be unlikely to realize. From the view of the empty storage yard on the dock, it seemed that the prince had no plan of trading his stones for inferior wheat, as he had already summoned other buyers.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thirty percent off would be his last bargaining chip if he still wanted to maintain business with Border Town. Willow Town would offer as much as half off the market price since the long waterway between the two towns would add transportation costs and they also had more than one source of minerals. The prices offered by Fallen Dragon Ridge and Redwater City would be even lower. As a result, Prince Roland may continue his business with the Stronghold, especially for gemstones.</p>
|
||||
<p>But the problem was whether his father would agree on the contract that he decided to sign. What if the other families thought that the contract was a sign of surrender and handing over family interests?</p>
|
||||
<p>After all, they always treated Border Town as a sub-area of the Stronghold and a supplier for whatever they needed.</p>
|
||||
<p>They rode slowly to the gate of the castle that was standing in the southeast corner of the town, whose lord had changed since his last visit.</p>
|
||||
<p>The guards saw the ambassador's voucher and immediately went to inform the lord.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prince Roland then quickly sent for Petrov. When both of them arrived at the hall, the Prince was seated and waiting.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Mr. Ambassador, please take a seat."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland clapped his hands, and the maids brought forward a scrumptious looking meal. It included an entire roast chicken, boar trotter stewed with mushrooms, buttered bread, and a huge portion of vegetable soup. It looked like, whether in the border or not, whatever a prince wanted, he got it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov naturally could not hold back. It took two days from the Stronghold to Border Town with good winds. If he traveled on a freighter with multiple masts, then it would move even slower and take three to five days. There was no kitchen on the boat and they would usually eat their own dried meat or wheat cake. Seeing the hot churning dishes, his mouth and throat filled with saliva.</p>
|
||||
<p>But the courtesy that he had been trained since his youth helped him keep his decent manners at the table. In comparison, the prince paid little attention to his own manners, especially with using a knife and fork. Petrov noticed that he used a pair of little sticks to pick up the food, and only used the knife and fork to cut the meat. The little sticks looked... handier than a fork.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What do you think?" Roland suddenly asked when the dinner was about to end.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of... what?" The ambassador was lost.</p>
|
||||
<p>"These." The Prince shook the sticks in his hand and went on without waiting for Petrov's reply. "A knife and fork seem beyond most commoner's means, not to mention they are made from silver. However, a man who grabs food with his bare hands could easily take in much filth and become ill. Do you follow?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The ambassador did not know what to say as he barely understood the question. Maybe, he guessed, that the filth attached to the food that we eat could make us vulnerable to sickness. But how could that be true? People have eaten with their hands for a long time, and no one has died from such a thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>"There are numerous pairs of oak sticks in Misty Forest, and they are both clean and accessible. This means that the common people should use them to grab the food, instead of using their hands." Prince Roland sipped some of his drink and said, "Of course, for now, meat seems a little far from their real life, but things will change."</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov was relieved, as this was not a hard topic for him. He routinely expressed his approval and blessing, but in his heart he disapproved. Let the common subjects eat meat? It was simply whimsical. Even in Graycastle they are far from this point, not to mention in Border Town of this desolate land.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 18 - The Ambassador (Part II)</h2>
|
||||
<p>Petrov tossed aside his complaints and enjoyed the feast.</p>
|
||||
<p>Under the harmonious atmosphere during the dinner, Prince Roland did not talk about the ore, so Petrov thought it was inconvenient to speak anymore.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the prince told the maid to serve the dessert, Petrov tentatively said, "Your Highness, according to the previous practice, today should be the day when the ores are delivered. However, I didn't see any on the dockyard."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland put down the sticks in his hand and nodded. "Unfortunately, the Northern Slope mine collapsed a few days ago. My people have been trying to resume production this month. However, the gravel from the collapse has not yet been cleared up. If we go by the schedule, we can't start mining until the start of next year."</p>
|
||||
<p>"A collapse?" Petrov was stunned for a moment. "Was it an excuse?" But he soon realized that it was unnecessary for Roland to deceive him. Otherwise, it would be clear if he went to Northern Slope, and it would show on his face if the prince told such an obvious lie.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then... what about the ore from the past two months?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Not many are left. According to the normal practice, there aren't enough to support the livelihood of my subjects." Roland emphasized the words "according to the normal practice". He continued, "Mr. Ambassador, you remember the Months of Demons two years ago, don't you?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course Petrov remembered that. The cold lasted four months and nearly one fifth of the people in Border Town starved to death due to the greed of Municipal Administrative Governor Reynolds. There was also opposition brewing among the nobles. Some even demanded Reynolds to be penalized. But this incident finally resulted in zero consequences for him, simply for the fact that he was the husband of the duke's second daughter.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that the prince brought up this issue, Petrov had a bad feeling.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's worse," said Roland with a sigh. "I'm afraid we only have enough for two months if we trade wheat the way we used to. My people can't survive winter with so little food. The ways of the past must be abolished."</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov opened his mouth, but did not know how to refute the prince's words. He wasn't a professional diplomat, and hearing such good reason, he had no choice but to pause. "Your Highness, I'm sorry about this. The tragedy will never happen. I'll persuade the six big families to lend you food for a month. Your people can return them next year when the production is resumed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"If I sold the ore to Willow Town, I won't need to repay the food so slowly."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"There's no 'but'." Roland interrupted. "They're willing to buy ore with gold royals and sell their wheat, cheese, bread, and honey at market prices... They can sell anything that can be bought with gold royals. Not to mention, Mr. Ambassador, even if you're willing to lend us one month's worth of food, would the other five families agree with your decision? As far as I know, it's not easy to reach an agreement with Duke Ryan."</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov fell into silence. Prince Roland was right. He was not confident in persuading his father, least of all the other five big families. To maintain their monopoly, they must change the trading scheme. But he simply had no right to give the final word. He held the title of an ambassador, but he was nothing more than a mouthpiece in reality. Perhaps the duke did not want anyone to make private agreements with Border Town. The current agreement withstood, whether it was with the former lord or with Prince Roland. That was why the duke assigned different candidates every season and they were never the ones in charge of their families.</p>
|
||||
<p>Regardless of the outcome, he had to give it a try. With such resolution, Petrov showed the last of his cards. "30%." He stretched out three fingers. "The Stronghold will buy the ore and gemstones at a price 30% lower than the market price. I think our offer should be higher than that of Willow Town, Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland threw up his hands and said, "The old question remains. Can you make that decision for the six families?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll go back to Longsong Stronghold tomorrow. I'll come up with a new contract after reaching an agreement."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But my people can't wait that long. You should know that it often takes forever for nobles to reach an agreement."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, working with Longsong Stronghold is the better choice for you and your people. Willow Town is too far away, and even though you could go there during the Months of Demons," Petrov said and felt his throat became dry, "the journey... is dangerous."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Good God! What am I doing?" His heart was pounding. "Am I threatening a prince?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hahaha." Roland unexpectedly did not fly into a rage, but laughed instead. "Mr. Ambassador, you seem to have made some mistakes. I haven't thought of going to Willow Town."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You mean…"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course, I don't intend to go to Longsong Stronghold either." Roland looked at the ambassador with interest. "I'm not going anywhere."</p>
|
||||
<p>For a moment, Petrov suspected that he misheard the prince.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fortunately, the prince broke the silence and explained himself. "I'm staying in Border Town this winter. Border Town will become the new border of the Kingdom of Graycastle. Don't be surprised, my friend, this is not me saying nonsense. I'll take you to the new wall at the foot of North Slope Mountain for a visit."</p>
|
||||
<p>"City... wall?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, the city wall is a stone wall of about four meters high and two meters wide, connecting Northern Slope and the Redwater River. With the wall, we can fight off the demonic beasts in Border Town."</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov felt his brain was not working. The former ambassador had not mentioned any city wall. Back then, the Lord of Border Town was from Longsong Stronghold. How could he send the limited manpower he had to build the wall? In other words, did Prince Roland began building the walls as soon as he arrived? Even so, it had been only three months. How could they have built something like that in such a short time?</p>
|
||||
<p>"Wait a minute... What did his Highness say? Is it about four meters high and two meters wide, connecting Northern Slope and the Redwater River?" Petrov calculated in his mind. "It would take years to build such a wall! Firstly, he did not have enough masons to cut and grind the stones! Border Town was not like Graycastle, and most people who lived here were poor laborers."</p>
|
||||
<p>He had yet to digest the news when Roland's next words shocked him again.</p>
|
||||
<p>"As for the sales of the ore, I can slash the price by half from next year, my good sir. But I won't sell all of them to Longsong Stronghold, for you won't need so much ore. I think, compared to the low profits the ores make, you'll prefer metal products like spades, shovels, and things like those." He paused for a moment, seeming to wait for Petrov to absorb his words. "As for the raw gemstones, they'll be sold to the highest bidder through an auction. I'd like to sell them at a good price after the gem is cut, but unfortunately no one in Border Town has that ability."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you even have the ability to build a city wall in a few months?!" Petrov screamed from the bottom of his heart. "And what did he meant by saying the Stronghold not needing so many ores? Besides, it already took a whole year for them to produce 1,000 gold royals . Even if there will be an increase in the production, it'll be doubled at best! Was he saying that the Stronghold can't even take in ores worth of 2,000 gold royals? That was too presumptuous of him!"</p>
|
||||
<p>He tried hard to suppress his frustration and maintained the last of his etiquette. "Your Highness, I've memorized everything you said. I'll return immediately and negotiate with the six families. But there's one last thing. The city wall you speak of... I want to go and have a look."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course." Roland smiled. "You don't need to be in such a rush. Enjoy the pastries of King's City first. It's not too late to go then, right? Mr. Ambassador?"</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
55
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00019-19-The-Lecture.html
Normal file
55
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00019-19-The-Lecture.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 19 - The Lecture</h2>
|
||||
<p>The winter's first rainfall finally arrived, lasting for two days.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland leaned against his working desk and looked out at the hazy town in rain through the window. The wind brought a shower of rain against the window, causing bursts of ripples. The town's silhouetted outline became distorted through the ripples. The houses and the extensions of the streets seemed bent and deformed, in contrast with their tidy look in the past. Due to the lack of effective drainage measures, the crisscrossed flagstone pavement became overflowing with accumulated water. From afar, the water on the road looked like many little crystalline brooks.</p>
|
||||
<p>The distant mountains and forests were covered with mist, looming and changing like a lost world on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>If in modern times, such a landscape would certainly be a tourist attraction, but what Roland wished to see was a jungle made of concrete and steel. Because of the rain, the city wall construction also had to stop. This fact affected his mood and made his previous delight in successfully "discouraging" the stronghold messenger the day before yesterday fade away.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You just said the air around us is made up of lots of different gases, is that true?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna's clear voice interrupted Roland's thoughts, while she looked at him curiously, blinking her beautiful blue eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ahem, Miss Anna, you should address His Highness with honorifics," warned the chief knight next to her.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don't make a fuss about it." Roland turned around, "She's now my student." Since it was raining and they had not much business, he called Carter and the two witches to attend his class—yes, he had decided to give a small lecture on natural science. He was inspired by Stonemason Karl's college. If a mason could open a school, then a mechanical engineer like himself could open one too. Why did discrimination exist? Was not it because of ignorance? During any period of history, universal education was the most effective way to promote the development of civilization.</p>
|
||||
<p>He originally wanted the assistant minister to attend the class too, but the latter was too busy with other administrative tasks and politely declined his offer. Roland did not know why, but since the beginning of the winter, Barov seemed to be overzealous and took charge of all the daily management of Border Town all alone.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the prospect of gaining new knowledge, Anna's eyes immediately sparkled with curiosity. Nana also became happy for she did not need to treat any wounded animals. As for Carter, since he had nothing special to do, he attended the class to see what new nonsense the prince had thought of.</p>
|
||||
<p>But not long after the class had begun, the knight's eyes became drowsy. Nana also had a bewildered look, her eyes staring at the words "Natural Science". It seemed that Anna had only grasped the general idea trying hard to remember everything she had heard. Roland could not help but stop the lecture for a moment, letting the three of them contemplate on his lecture.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for Anna's question, he smiled and nodded. "Of course, even though they look alike."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, I don't understand, since they all look the same, how can you tell that they're different gases?" Carter expressed his doubts.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I can prove it to you"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland knew that using only words, most of the people would be confounded by listening to these theories. He decided to make them interested by showing them the example of a simple experiment.</p>
|
||||
<p>A candle, a glass, a wooden basin, a bowl of clear limewater—he had prepared these things in advance. Although at this time they only had pale brown glass, which was far less transparent than normal glass, it could still serve the purpose of the experiment. After all, there was no need to observe the modification process during this simple experiment.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had done the experiment beforehand, and the results showed that although magic existed in this world, the rules of nature were still the same as on earth. He let Anna light the candle and put it in the basin.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The process of burning requires a specific gas. This gas is also related to all life. If we stop breathing it, we'll be like this candle. Take a look." Roland put the glass on the candle, and after the flame shook a few times, it soon went out.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It exhausted the air, Your Highness, this is not surprising," the chief knight said disapprovingly, "Of course we'll die without air, for example, if we fall into the water."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana nodded repeatedly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"So, do you think that there's nothing in the glass anymore?" Roland asked and then poured the limewater into the basin. The waterline rose quickly and stopped rising when half of the glass was filled.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was a classic experiment, often used by most elementary school teachers to arouse children's interest in natural science. Until today, Roland still remembered the shock he felt when his teacher had demonstrated it. It was at that moment that he embarked on the road of science and engineering without looking back.</p>
|
||||
<p>He gently lifted a corner of the glass, and instantly bubbles of air could be seen rising out of the limewater.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then, the clear limewater appeared to be a little bit cloudy, and some white particles slowly spread within the glass.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If there was nothing in the glass, we wouldn't see any bubbles or changes on the water surface. This proves that the air contains at least two different kinds of gases. In reality, burning a candle consumes only a part of the air, while the other part doesn't take part in the burning process. ''Though they are both colorless and odorless, their nature is the complete opposite.''</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well… That seems to be the case." Carter thought for a long time before figuring out the relationship between the two. "But what's the use for knowing this?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"If we can obtain the former gas, then we can let the flame burn longer, and if we obtain the other gas, we can quickly extinguish the flame!" Anna suddenly said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What a genius!" Roland praised her silently. Even though she made a small error, she had shown herself to be a genius by suggesting separation and purification of gases before use. She had not received any systematic modern education, but yet she could quickly think of this point. This showed that her logical skills were far beyond those of normal people—at least far better than those of his chief knight.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Correct, since the time humans learned to use fire, they were separated from the animals. Perhaps it all started as a coincidence, a lightning that hit a tree and lit it up, or a spark generated between two rocks. But if no one had noticed it and tried using it, we would still be the same as animals," Roland replied patiently, "The goal of this experiment is to show you that curiosity and thinking are the driving forces for human progress. There are many similar forces hidden in nature, waiting for us to discover and use them."</p>
|
||||
<p>After he finished, Carter still had a doubtful look while Nana was staring at Roland with open eyes, amazed but unable to comprehend what he meant. Only Anna gazed down as if she was thinking about something.</p>
|
||||
<p>Well, Roland sighed that, indeed, teaching advanced theories would not bring enlightenment, and it would only make people confused. Their intellectual level determined that they would not be able to understand the significance of these forces unless they saw it with their own eyes. Only then they would understand how amazing the hidden forces in nature were.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this moment, the kettle hanging from the mantel gave off a clanging sound—the sound of the steam hitting against the lid.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah, the water is boiled." The knight walked over to remove the kettle with a fork, and soon the sound stopped. He wrapped a piece of cloth around the handle, and then filled everyone's cups with water.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Take this for example.] Roland reached out for the cup and felt the temperature of the handle. [From the discovery of fire, the principle of boiling water became a reality. Numerous people had witnessed "Boiling water" and used it, but no one thought that the gently curling and rising water vapor could also contain such a tremendous amount of energy.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[In a few hundred years, it would become the driving force behind humankind's development, and it would quickly change the history of mankind. Although the principle was simple, due to limited technology, it would not be the first choice when it came to farming. But this world was different,] he thought, [there are witches here. Using magic to fight wars was the way of barbarians… Instead, applying magic to create and to replace some of the key technologies to make civilization develop faster was the correct way to use magic.</p>
|
||||
<p>They chatted until the sunset, and after having dinner together, Roland went to his bedroom.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was no nightlife in that era, and most people went to bed early if they did not make love. He had previously considered taking advantage of his position as a prince and calling a maid to do some physical activities. But in the end, he was too embarrassed to do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right after he lit the candle in his room, he heard the sound of applause behind him, and then someone spoke, "It was a spectacular lecture. I didn't expect Your Highness was actually a learned man."</p>
|
||||
<p>It was the voice of an unknown woman. Roland instantly felt cold sweat on his forehead. If she could and would suddenly appear like this in his room without giving him notice, what else could she be if not an assassin?! He immediately ran towards the door, but before he could reach the doorknob, he felt a cold wind blowing next to his ear. When he was back to his senses, he found a silver dagger firmly logged into the door, with only a finger's width to his cheek.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
48
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00020-20-Nightingale.html
Normal file
48
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00020-20-Nightingale.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 20 - Nightingale</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Don't be frightened, Your Highness. I don't intend to hurt you. I only wish to talk to you."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Damn, what sort of talk is this?" Roland swallowed and slowly turned around. Under the threat of a dagger, he could only wait for the other side to speak.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the shadow of candlelight, Roland saw the other person. She was sitting on his bed, her body hidden under a robe, and a hood hiding her face, so he could not see her clearly. Candlelight cast her shadow over a large part of the wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Who are you?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I have no name; my sisters call me Nightingale." She stood up, pulled up her robe, and made a curtsy as properly as any lady. "First of all, I'd like to express my gratitude to you, Your Royal Highness Roland Wimbledon."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Gratitude?" Roland noticed that the pattern on her robe shimmered peculiarly in candlelight. Three parallel triangles with the shape of an eye. Where had he seen this before?</p>
|
||||
<p>"The pattern on the coin... is the insignia of the Sacred Mountain and the Magic Eye. It's the emblem of the Witches' Cooperation."</p>
|
||||
<p>What Barov had told him flashed in his mind. "You, you're a witch!?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Haha." She let out a string of chuckles. "Your Royal Highness is quite knowledgeable."</p>
|
||||
<p>After recognizing the identity of the other party, Roland was silently relieved. It seemed that she was not an assassin sent by his siblings. "So, you've come to this distant town for the sake of the witch in the North Slope Mine area? Although I have no idea how you received this information, you came much too late. If I had wanted to hang her, she'd be long dead."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm aware of that. And if you had done it, I'd have no wish to speak to you." Nightingale sat back down on the bed. "The Witch Cooperation Association prefers not to intervene in secular affairs, especially with royalty. But I prefer not to listen to them. It may be improper to kill a prince for a witch, but it's still within my power to leave a deep enough impression on you."</p>
|
||||
<p>It was an explicit threat but Roland regained his composure. "She's alive and well."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm also aware that there is another girl, Nana." She nodded. "I visited this place a week ago, but I didn't meet you. I've been watching all that you've been doing, and while I don't understand why it's that you don't have the typical hostility against us witches, I'd like to thank you on behalf of the Witches Cooperation Association."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You've been here for a week." Roland wiped his forehead. "She's seen everything?" This had been going on for a week and he did not notice anything. "So, tell me. Did you come here to talk, or just to thank me?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Isn't it tiring to stand while speaking to me?" She said as she lowered her hood. "Come here and talk. I'm not ugly. My appearance won't scare Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>She was more than not ugly. In fact, one could almost say that she was pretty. With her hood now lowered, Nightingale's golden wavy hair fell down like a cascade, dancing under the candlelight. Her nose was long and her eyes sparkled. Unlike Nana and Anna's childish faces, hers showed an air of maturity. Though in the dark one could not fully perceive her face, the delicate and well-proportioned shadows on her face could serve as enough proof of her beauty.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland slowly walked across the room, and sat next to her on the bed. He was doing so not because her beauty made him forget possible dangers, but rather because he simply believed that she was not malicious.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You can talk now."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sure enough, you're not afraid of me." The woman sounded happy. "I can see now that you're different from those people. They hate us because they're afraid of us, and I can see the fear in their eyes. But as for you..." She could not help reaching out her hand to gently stroke Roland's cheek. "You're only curious."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland made an awkward little cough and turned his head. He really wasn't sure what to think about this change in character. Just a moment ago, she was a deadly assassin, but now she was an overbearing master diplomat.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fortunately, the woman quickly suppressed her emotions. "I came here to tell you that I'd like to take Anna and Nana with me."</p>
|
||||
<p>"No way!" Roland said without thinking, his heart pounding. Fearing that his sudden exclamation might annoy Nightingale, he added, "They're well cared for here, and no one can hurt them. Besides, where do you want to take them? This is the safest place."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll bring them to the Witches Cooperation Association, and that's their destination." Nightingale was not brought down by the refusal, and kept a calm tone. "The members of the community are their companions, there's no discrimination, no persecution. There's no need for them to hide who they are."</p>
|
||||
<p>"And where exactly is the Witches Cooperation Association located? Or is it that you have no fixed location? A month ago, my guards found your camp in Misty Forest, and now the signs show you've been traveling north. What's in the north other than endless mountains!?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"You're right. We're currently hiding in a place in the mountains, where witches can be completely safe from harm."</p>
|
||||
<p>"And just how safe is it to live like a savage in the mountains over winter? Will they have clean drinking water? Enough food? A warm dwelling place? And with the Months of Demons coming, the whole northwest will be dangerous. What in the world are you thinking..." Roland stopped short. What had Barov said, exactly? "Witches travel to Holy Mountain with the intent of finding true tranquility. The Witches Cooperation Association was launched in order for witches to travel together to Holy Mountain." No way, were they.... "Are you going to the Impassable Mountain Range to try and find Holy Mountain?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I have nothing to say on this subject." Nightingale smiled, but her look told Roland clearly what to think regarding his speculation.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That being the case, I can never let them go with you," Roland said. "In just two months the demonic beasts will prevail outside the domains, and even if you can avoid humans in the mountains, you won't be able to avoid the demonic beasts. Holy Mountain can be found at any time. You should come to Border Town for winter, and stay here until it has passed."</p>
|
||||
<p>It was Nightingale's turn to be stunned. "Stay here? You really are a funny man." She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Your Highness, you aren't afraid of witches, but yet this doesn't mean that everyone else is the same. As soon as we're exposed to the crowd, the church will soon come knocking at the door."</p>
|
||||
<p>"As long as the witches can help ease the burden of the Months of Demons, my people will realize that they're not evil." Before Roland could open his mouth to speak, Nightingale stopped him. "Besides this, we have another thing to consider. Anna is about to reach adulthood."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Adulthood?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes." As if seeing through Roland's doubt, Nightingale calmly explained, "Adulthood is the first hurdle all witches need to cross. Usually the sooner one becomes a witch, the harder it's to cross the hurdle. Your highness, do you know why we're seen as the embodiment of the devil?"</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 21 - I'm Not Going Anywhere</h2>
|
||||
<p>When Nightingale finished, the room returned to silence, only with the occasional crackle of candle flame.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had a serious look on his face, for he finally understood what the witches were.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most of the witches' awakenings occurred during the Months of Demons, and it was on that day that the Gates of Hell were opened. Generally, the time when witches reached adulthood was a dividing line. If a girl had not yet awakened by her 18th birthday, then it was unlikely she would become a witch. However, the one who awoke before her 18th birthday would suffer the Demonic Torture on her awakening day every year thenceforth.</p>
|
||||
<p>It seemed that the pain was hard to understand by normal people. As Nightingale spoke about this part, her voice trembled. According to her personal experience, it was like something was trying to escape from you. Each blood vessel and tendon was in distending pain. In the end, blood would seep through your skin and eyeballs would protrude out...</p>
|
||||
<p>If you could survive, the body would slowly recover after four or five days of rest, or you would die in this torture miserably.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale had witnessed the deaths of many companions. Their body lost the energy to support the power and turned into a mass of bulging meatball. Blood mixed with viscera burst out of the body's holes, and then the air turned into black mist. Spray after spray would continue until nothing was left but sections of scarred flesh.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was why witches were regarded as the embodiment of demons.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ordinary people were terrified when seeing it, and who would care what caused the death? Plus the church added fuel to the fire, claiming that this was what would happen to demons. Over time, the witches became the spokespeople of evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how outsiders saw it, this torture was real, and it was for this reason that the lives of witches were generally short. As time went on, it got more and more difficult, and as such, many of the witches chose to end their own life.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic torture when a witch hit adulthood at the age of 18 was the most difficult hurdle to pass. In fact, prior to this point, the magic within them was incomplete, it was only after reaching adulthood that their power was stabilized. After the magic had stabilized, it would also see an increase, and new branches of the abilities could even be created.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unfortunately, the process of stabilization was extremely painful. The torture of the magical power was so strong that the ordinary adult could not take it, and many witches would die on that day.</p>
|
||||
<p>Hearing that, Roland was silent for a long time before he whispered, "According to the ancient books, the witches have to find Holy Mountain where they will receive eternal peace and save them from demonic torture. Is that true?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No one knows. Holy Mountain only appeared in the legend. However, if we bring them to the Witches Cooperation Association camp, they'll have a better chance to survive. Over there, they would not have to hide themselves and could live freely. The physical suffering will be much less than that of the past."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was vexed because Anna and Nana played an important role in his plan, but he could not bear that they would take tremendous risk for the sake of his plan. "Anna is downstairs. I'll call her over, and if she is willing to go, you can take her with you. As for Nana, I won't see her until tomorrow," he said in a weak voice.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Thank you for your understanding, it seems I didn't misjudge you," Nightingale said as she stood up to give her regards.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time, Anna had not yet slept, and when Roland called her, she was copying something at a desk. Seeing Roland she looked surprised. When she was asked to go to his chamber, she followed him without saying a word.</p>
|
||||
<p>When she found there was another person in his room, the girl was shocked. Roland took her hand and introduced them briefly, and then the three sat down around a roundtable. Nightingale repeated what she had said before. "In the camp, there are many people like you, and they'll be your sisters."</p>
|
||||
<p>"This seems to be the case, Miss Anna. Although I signed a contract of employment with you, in the event of life-threatening circumstances, I must respect your opinion. If you agree..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm not going."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was stunned. "What did you say?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I said I'm not going." Anna quickly interrupted. "I want to stay here."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna, I'm not lying to you." Nightingale frowned. "I can feel the soaring magic power in your body is close to maturity. Your day of adulthood will come two months into the Months of Demons. The earlier you come to the camp, the safer you'll be. "</p>
|
||||
<p>She paid no attention to Nightingale, but turned her head and looked at Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, do you remember when you asked me if I'd like to go back to Karl's College with Nana and learn with the other children?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland nodded.</p>
|
||||
<p>"At that time I did not respond. But what you said after... I don't care whether to live like a normal person." Anna's voice was smooth and natural. "I just want to stay with His Royal Highness, nothing more."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had thought he had understood Anna's mind, but now he realized that he did not understand it at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>He could not see any emotions in her eyes. It was neither dependency nor love. There was nothing to see... only deep, bottomless tranquility.</p>
|
||||
<p>He remembered the first time they met. Back then her eyes also looked as calm as they were now.</p>
|
||||
<p>The difference was that at this moment her face was full of life, like a blooming flower. Still, she did not fear death, nor did she await it.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The demonic torture won't kill me," said Anna, "and I'll beat it."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, I understand."</p>
|
||||
<p>"So then, will you leave us alone?" asked Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, I'll stay here," she said, pulling on her hood and standing up. "Regardless, the camp won't move until the end of the Months of Demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why?" Roland was shocked. Did she actually plan to watch them throughout the whole winter?</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't think that the chicks who haven't yet seen adulthood will understand its danger. I've hung over the edge of death and witnessed the loss of my companions. When that day comes, I'll help her. If..." Nightingale shrugged. "If she should not survive, I have experience in dealing with the funeral."</p>
|
||||
<p>She went to the door, unsheathed her dagger, and kneeled once again in front of Roland. "Then I shall take my leave," she said, and her body gradually disappeared into the dark. The mist did not even leave the slightest trace.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is this Nightingale's ability?" Roland pondered. "Her silent voice simply makes her a natural assassin. And from how she threw that dagger, she had obviously had the relevant training. Apart from being a group of the same type of people, did the Witch Cooperation Association also assist her with the training? Or was it that she had possessed the skills from her life prior to joining them?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The information available about the group was simply too little, and Roland could find nothing useful in his memories. However, Roland had a feeling that he would meet yet again with the group, as long as he continued searching for witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's late. Go back to bed," Roland said as he patted the girl's head.</p>
|
||||
<p>To his surprise, Anna pushed away his hand, and left without saying a word.</p>
|
||||
<p>As she shut the door, the lights were cut off behind her and she was left wrapped in shadow. She gently leaned against the door, and the calmness left her as her eyes filled with tears.</p>
|
||||
<p>She raised her head with her arms in front of her face, and whispered with a voice that no one could hear.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Fool."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 22 - The Declaration</h2>
|
||||
<p>The day after the rain stopped, Border Town became boisterous again. Many villagers gathered in the square, waiting for the speech of Prince Roland amidst heavy discussion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland put up the official notice a day before the speech, saying that anyone who came to the square for this speech could get a dish of oatmeal and half a piece of bread. This amounted to a free lunch for the townspeople. Thus, the audience that showed up was much more than those who watched hanging.</p>
|
||||
<p>When it approached noon, Roland mounted the elevation stand.</p>
|
||||
<p>He would be deceiving himself if he said he was not nervous while confronting the sea of people. He mainly dealt with computer monitors before. Even at meetings, he just applauded the speaker from below. Therefore, this was the first time he needed to deal with such a big crowd.</p>
|
||||
<p>But in order to make the townspeople stay in Border Town, he had to do it. There had to be a general mobilization.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland waved his hands and the people became quiet immediately.</p>
|
||||
<p>This scene had been repeated a lot of times in secret. However, when this formal performance came, his lips still turned dry, "My subjects, good afternoon. This is Roland Wimbledon, the fourth prince of Kingdom of Graycastle. I have gathered you here at this moment to declare an important message."</p>
|
||||
<p>"The envoy of Longsong Stronghold reached here four days ago for ore delivery. One clear fact is that the collapse of the mine of northern slope was a terrible accident we came across. Till today, the production there has not recovered completely and this accident meant there was only two months' output last quarter. "</p>
|
||||
<p>"I explained to the envoy this condition and hoped he would distribute enough food to Border Town and we would make up the ores at the end of winter. However, he refused and accepted no negotiation. He refused to distribute more food just like two years ago."</p>
|
||||
<p>The crowds exclaimed, showing that the food shortage two years ago left a deep impression on them.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It gets even worse this time. Astrologer of Kingdom of Graycastle informed me that this year's winter would be much longer than before and Months of Demons would probably last for over four months. That is to say, everyone might face two months of food shortage. You lost your companions, brothers or children two years ago. What else are you prepared to lose this time?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No! Your Highness, save us, please!" Someone shouted loudly and more screams came next, "Your Highness, we beg you to help us!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was relieved that he hired a few extras for this occasion. He put up his hands trying to suppress the screams of the crowd. "Of course, I won't leave my subjects behind, not even one. You may not know that the value of wheat and bread Stronghold brings every year is not equivalent to the value of ores they take away. Normally, we just need two months' ores to get half a year's food. I have sold ores to merchants from Willow Town and the freighter they sent would soon get to Border Town. Besides bread, there is also cheese, mulled wine, dried meat. This is enough for everyone during the entire winter!"</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a burst of cheer in the square.</p>
|
||||
<p>"However, that means we end our relationship with Longsong Stronghold and they won't take in anymore of our townspeople. We need to pass this winter in Border Town. As most of us can see, there is a substantial city wall being built in the west of Border Town. I want to tell you that you don't need to worry about the threats from demonic beasts. They are not stronger than the beasts from forests. Although huge and strong, they cannot pose threats to the city wall and merely serve as a target."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Make your choice, my subjects. You have two choices here. One choice is to hide behind the shack of Stronghold and die of hunger. The other one is follow my order and guard Border Town till the end to protect your relatives and children. I promise you that if you hold up until the end of Months of Demons, all those who take part in the building of city wall, will be rewarded 25 silver royals. And anyone who sacrifices his life, his family will get a compensation of five gold royals!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Fight for Your Highness!" Following the example of the extras, the audience shouted they would fight to their death. Sensing their high spirits, Roland took the opportunity to distribute lunch. He did not expect all of them to stay in Border Town. He was confident that if just half of them stayed, he could stop the demonic beasts from invading them.</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov didn't know how his Highness Prince Roland maligned him. When he delivered the message to the six nobilities of Stronghold, they all laughed uproariously.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you mean to say that the naive prince intends to throw us off? Even daring to repair the city wall before the coming of winter? Should I praise his courage or ridicule his over-confidence?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"The bravery of Your Highness is without equal and known to all. However, Prince Roland isn't equipped with this boldness. He is just ignorant!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sure, he doesn't even have any stonecutters. He just piles up those unpolished stones, and add wet mud in between. Be careful they don't all fall down after a certain height."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anyhow, it is a good thing. If he escapes to Longsong Stronghold, he has no choice but to submit to us. If he dies in Border Town...we can end this farce early."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What do you think, Petrov?" The Duke suddenly broke his silence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov stared blankly for a while and he didn't expect the Duke of Longsong would ask for his opinions. "Uh, I originally planned to carry on the monopoly management. And if the price is 30% cheaper than the market price, it is worthwhile for us. But..." He swiftly organized his thoughts, "His Highness doesn't want Stronghold to specialize in ores management. He would like to sell ores at the price 50% cheaper than market price, which means he plans to increase the output of ores. And once it doubles the output, we could earn more than before. He also intends to produce ironware. It’s popular everywhere and easy to resell. However...these are not the key points."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What is the key point?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"If he is able to guard Border Town, that would be nice for Stronghold. We don't need to spend too much effort on fighting against demonic beasts, which could save us a lot of money. Besides, the wide land between Longsong Stronghold and Border Town would belong to us. It would be a good choice to cultivate or migrate, which can relieve the condition of population congestion." Stronghold demonstrated his thoughts one by one. "Besides, Prince Roland won't stay in Border Town forever. Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince just lasts for five years. We are going to obtain a more prosperous Border Town. Longsong Stronghold will be the third largest domain of kingdom with the joining of Border Town. Thus, my advice is..." He peeked at Duke, cautiously saying, "Stronghold needs to send hands to repair the city wall and coordinate to guard Border Town."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well done," Duke smiled, "But that's just from a business aspect, analyzing the benefits."</p>
|
||||
<p>He then straightened up, glancing at all the other participants and his tone became gloomy, "I have come so far today and it is not all about benefits. Why should I deal with a person who is out of my control? You need to obey the rules or you will get punished. It is not that important whether Border Town is prosperous or not. The point is, that is my territory, and no one can interfere, including the prince.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 23 - The Source of Power</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Come and try to put the two pieces together," said Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna stretched out her fingers and pressed on the seams of the iron plate. The flame sprayed from her fingers, and the interface melted at a visible speed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Reduce the firepower, and start from the back again."</p>
|
||||
<p>She nodded and did as she was told. The two iron plates were joined at 90 degrees and firmly welded together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland scrutinized the interface and the effect was as he imagined—a perfect weld without any flaws. If the traces of grinding could be polished away when the iron was molten, the two iron plates would look no different from a single body.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Very good, Miss Anna, that was fantastic." Roland could not help but praise. "Next, we'll also attach the other two pieces of iron."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's this? An iron... bucket?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, it's a cylinder." He corrected.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Cylinder?" Anna repeated confusedly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, it can be used to fill the air." Roland pointed to another square iron plate. "See the hole above? Air flows from this hole into the cylinder, activating the piston. Hum, the piston is an iron plate smaller than a cylinder's diameter, and it can move freely in the cylinder."</p>
|
||||
<p>Even Anna, began to feel dizzy in the face of so many foreign words. "Then these... cylinder and piston, what do they do?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"They are used to create a machine that can move automatically."</p>
|
||||
<p>The steam engine, the driving force of mankind's first industrial revolution, completely liberated human and animal power.</p>
|
||||
<p>Its schematic diagram was familiar to every mechanical engineer. In short, it was a magnified version of the kettle. The boiled steam was introduced into the cylinder, pushing the piston and connecting rods, converting heat into mechanical energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>The principle was very simple, but that did not mean it was easy to manufacture. Its difficulty lay in the airtightness between the cylinder and the piston, as well as the manufacture of the gas pipe. If the metal processing was not advanced enough, relying on manual forging to create a qualified cylinder would be simply impossible.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Anna's ability made up for the deficiency in technology.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland just needed to design four same-sized pieces of iron plate in advance, let the blacksmith polish the cast, and then use the right-angled plate to fix the shape. Followed by Anna's welding, Roland could get a very stiff square cylinder. With the help of the witch, he did not need to follow the traditional production process, which firstly to make a gun barrel machine, and then to process a circular cylinder. It was the same with the other large parts. You could make small pieces and then join them. In this way, even the blacksmith shops could work together to create a steam engine with all the necessary components.</p>
|
||||
<p>In fact, before welding was invented, people could only rely on bolts or rivets to connect small pieces. The internal of the cylinder had to be smooth, and the conventional connection obviously could not do this.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only trouble was the gas pipe. Its production method was not really anything special. A long iron plate was welded untill it became red hot, and was placed into the groove-type mold, and then was knocked into shape with a hammer. This was also the method of producing flintlock barrels. But the barrel also needed to be straightened afterwards, including drilling and rifling, hence it was a little more complex.</p>
|
||||
<p>The trouble was that Roland could not call the blacksmith to his castle backyard, as the witch could not be exposed yet. Besides, he was not good at forging iron. In desperation, he had to let Chief Knight do it instead.</p>
|
||||
<p>So after three tedious days, Roland finally created the first steam engine in the backyard.</p>
|
||||
<p>"So this is your great invention?" Carter frowned at the strange machine. He also ascertained it had nothing to do with the cult. The machine seemed more like a sealed stove, each of whose iron lumps was manually installed by him. It would be strange if the demon had any interest in it.</p>
|
||||
<p>But how could a pile of iron lumps move? It looked very clumsy, and had no feet. How could it fly?</p>
|
||||
<p>But in Roland's eyes, this seemingly simple machine exuded the beauty of industrial charm. With the scientific knowledge he acquired in the previous life, he naturally would not make the Newcomen steam engine, the Watt steam engine, or the steam engine. His first trial product was a high-pressure steam engine with double connecting rods and sliding valves. Its manufacturing process was not more difficult than that of the most primitive steam engine, but the key lay in some innovative ideas.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You'll find out soon!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland poured a bucket of water into the steam compartment, and let Anna light some firewood.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ten minutes later, the water boiled, and kept boiling furiously. Soon, a crackling sound came from the cylinder, and Roland knew that was the sound of thermal expansion in the cylinder. The piston's iron plate was thin, the expansion was larger than the cylinder block, and would ultimately be edged firmly in the cylinder wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Isn't this boiling water? Didn't expect it to be a stove," Carter muttered.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the cylinder was full of steam, what happened next made Roland very excited. The piston began to push the connecting rod outwards. When the rod moved to the vertex, the other connecting rod pulled the sliding valve, causing the steam in turn to push the piston inward. The two connecting rods worked alternately to make the wheel rotate, and with the increased firepower, it quickly reached its peak.</p>
|
||||
<p>The machine let out a harsh roar, and the exhaust spat out white gas, with a kind of unstoppable momentum.</p>
|
||||
<p>"This is what you mean by... the hidden power of nature?" Anna asked blankly.</p>
|
||||
<p>The chief knight looked incredulous. He installed the big iron wheel with a huge effort. Yet now it was like a feather spinning, and he could even feel the air blowing caused by the spinning wheels—this could only mean this machine of iron lumps had a surprising strength.</p>
|
||||
<p>His heart gradually became a little uneasy.</p>
|
||||
<p>His Highness said that it could replace manpower and animal power. If this was not a lie, when it replaced the horse and the chariots, even ten knights would not be able to resist this brute force.</p>
|
||||
<p>It took fifteen years to train a qualified knight, but to make such an iron furnace, it only took three days. If the time of building certain parts by blacksmith was counted, it would only take a week in total.</p>
|
||||
<p>It did not need food, was not afraid of cold and hunger, and also not afraid of arrows, swords and guns. As long as the embolon was mounted, it would be able to rampage on the battlefield.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this way... what's the point for traditional knights to exist?</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>At night, when Roland returned to his bedroom, he saw Nightingale again.</p>
|
||||
<p>She did not wear a hood this time, sitting at the table with a smile, holding a few pieces of parchment in her hands. "It seems the rumors are really untrue. It's said that Prince Roland is ignorant and unskilled, of vile character, but you're actually much better compared to the court master. Is it the design of the iron furnace on this piece of paper? You call it... steam engine, right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Oh damn, can't I get any privacy? You come and go as you wish, do you think this is your home!" Suppressing his displeasure, he said blankly, "It's a design, but without Anna's help, it's just a sheet of paper."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What is it for?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"A lot. Transportation, drainage, smelting, forging. It's useful wherever massive power is needed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"In that case, I'll keep it." Nightingale rolled the parchment and put it in her robes. "There's also someone in the Witch Cooperation Association who can control the flames."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hang on..."</p>
|
||||
<p>She waved her hand to stop Roland's protest. "Of course, I'm not going to blatantly take your things. Take a look at this first." She placed a small lump of white thing on the table.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland went over, picked it up with his fingers and found that it was a roll of paper.</p>
|
||||
<p>He gently spread it and had a quick look. "This is..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"The letter sent by the pigeon," said Nightingale in a joking tone. "The recipient is your head maid Tyre, and it seems that your harem is not safe."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I have never laid a hand on her," Roland said, frowning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Tyre, seemed to have followed him for a long time in his memory. Originally, the prince was quite interested in her, but he failed in several harassments. After they came to Border Town, he directly promoted her to head maid, so that she could attend upon him. Her room was also arranged just next to his. He did not realize she was a spy sent by his siblings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the letter was not signed, judging by the content, it was very likely the handwriting of his siblings. The letter said the lord was very unhappy about the failure in the last attempt. She was ordered to strike during the riot at Longsong Stronghold next time and not allowed to fail again. "Well, actually she had succeeded," he thought, "or I would not have become Roland Wimbledon."</p>
|
||||
<p>This letter was unlikely to be forged by Nightingale, because only those who participated in this conspiracy, would know about the first assassination. Plus Nightingale did not need to take so much trouble to kill himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did you steal this from her?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your head maid was not so stupid. She was about to burn it, but luckily I happened to appear behind her back." Nightingale made a switching action. "So what're you going to do? Do you need my help to 'handle' this?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland definitely knew what she meant by "handle". He hesitated for a moment, and then finally nodded. "In that case, thank you for your kind help." He has no confidence in doing something like this. "If you can, please help me to find out who her mastermind was."</p>
|
||||
<p>"As you wish, Your Highness," said Nightingale with a smile. "The design will be the pay."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 24 - The Development Plan</h2>
|
||||
<p>Waking up in the morning, Roland was not attended to by Tyre, but an old maid.</p>
|
||||
<p>Walking out of the bedroom, Chief Knight Carter was waiting outside for him.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, I have to tell you a piece of unfortunate news," he said, "Your head maid was found dead last night."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What?" Roland's eyelids jumped, although he already expected this result, his heart still felt uneasy. After all, she died because of him.</p>
|
||||
<p>"She fell from the balcony of the room, and there were no traces of fighting. The guard did not see outsiders come in. So... she must have accidentally fallen. It was an accident."</p>
|
||||
<p>The knight reported the results of the investigation, while looking at Roland a little weirdly. Roland knew what he was thinking of course. In the Kingdom of Graycastle, everyone knew that Prince Roland wanted to possess Tyre. In that era, the prince and the maids having relationships was very normal. There was hardly any entertainment, much less nightlife, so there was literally nothing else to do except fornication. Besides, the prince and the noble would also exchange women among themselves, and even organized orgies. So to say that the circle of noble was chaotic was more than a harmless joke.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prince Roland was already considered tame in this aspect, and after Cheng Yan woke up as Roland, he did not touch a single woman. Other than Tyre, the rest of the maids were considered quite shabby. Plus after the time travel, he had to face the Months of Demons, so his brain was full of the farming project. He did not have the time to enjoy the decadence of noble life yet.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's a pity," said Roland, with a feigned look of remorse. "About Tyre's funeral, ask the old maid who served me this morning to handle it. And she'll now be the new head maid."</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter nodded, bowed and left.</p>
|
||||
<p>As soon as Roland entered the office, he saw Nightingale sitting on the mahogany table.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did you manage to find out anything?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Nothing, she committed suicide when she saw me," Nightingale said, with some frustration. "It was too fast, she didn't hesitate at all."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You didn't try to stop her?" Roland went round the other side of the desk, and sat back on the chair.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I had tied her up," said Nightingale, leaning over, "but I didn't know she had poison in her teeth. So I had to set it up like an accidental fall."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I thought you were very experienced, and you expect to be rewarded for this?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hey, hey, don't put it like that. Although I didn't get any information from her, that does not mean I have nothing to report." Nightingale chuckled and put a folded paper in front of Roland. "Found in her room."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland spread out the paper. It was a letter, from someone who called Tyre elder sister, and the content was just ordinary chit-chat. But he noticed that the writer mentioned the sea several times, such as how beautiful the seaside scenery was, and how she liked to stay on the beach to watch the sunset and the like. Finally the writer asked Tyre when she would come back, as she deeply missed her. Recalling the domains of his siblings, Roland asked uncertainly, "Garcia of the Port of Clearwater?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's probably the case as the sea can't be seen in the domains of your two brothers. I guess Princess Garcia Wimbledon must have taken Tyre's sister as a hostage, and used Tyre as a hidden pawn. From Tyre's decisive style of suicide, it's unlikely to be a coincidence. That means before she was arranged to be by your side, she had received at least two to three years of professional training."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland sighed softly, and reiterated that the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince would not end so easily. Even if he did not fight for the throne, it did not mean he could stay out of it. To get the throne, his brothers and sisters had no scruples, therefore it was likely something similar would happen again later.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah, somebody is here. I'd better make my move, Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale blew a flirtatious kiss through the air towards Roland, and disappeared with the blink of an eye.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if this was not the first time he saw this, it was still shocking to see this in bright daylight. He hesitated, and stretched out his fingers towards the empty space now beside the table, but was stopped halfway by a soft hand. "Your Highness, you'd make Anna sad in this way."</p>
|
||||
<p>[Well it seems her ability was invisibility and not disappearance,] Roland thought. [That would have been too scary.]</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a knock at the door. "Your Highness, I'm Barov."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland took back his fingers and became expressionless. "Come in."</p>
|
||||
<p>With a large bundle of files in his arms, the Assistant Minister began to report nearly a week of government affairs right after he came in. Roland also cleared his thoughts, and concentrated on his report. After more than a month of contact, he found himself familiar with Barov's working style, rather than being completely confused and puzzled like in the beginning.</p>
|
||||
<p>In general, the finance of Border Town had a certain degree of improvement. This was mainly due to the ore and gemstones being sold to Willow Town in exchange for nearly 200 gold royals. After being used to purchase food and pay wages, there were still 90 royals remaining.</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov was also in a good mood, now that there was some extra money, surviving this winter would not be too difficult.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Roland was determined to not let him be idle. "I want to pick a group of people from the subjects to fight demonic beasts. And from now on they must be gathered to receive training. The instructor will be my chief knight, and I'll give him the specifics later on. You need to make a purchase plan, as these people must have solid leather armor and a gun, but also two sets of winter clothes."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, this... according to the convention, isn't this a temporary recruitment of subjects for war?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Fighting on the battlefield without proper training makes them but a group of mobs. Can we scare off demonic beasts by relying on sheer masses? It's more troublesome if they break up."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don't tell me you really want to stand by Border Town?" Barov hesitantly asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If we really can't protect it, of course, I'll retreat. But I don't think we can't defeat even a few mutated beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If we go according to your plan, you'll need more money."</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov's miserly face made Roland laugh. "These're necessary expenses, go take care of it."</p>
|
||||
<p>There were still more than 300 pieces of gold royals in his own vault, mainly used to pay for the cost of building the city wall. He also paid the blacksmith shop for the steam engine materials and components. The first machine cost him almost 20 gold royals, and he needed at least three more.</p>
|
||||
<p>The steam engine triggered the first Industrial Revolution, but it did not mean that the steam engine was equal to the Industrial Revolution. At that time, the United Kingdom urgently needed a new power to replace people and livestock in order to satisfy mine production. After Watt improved the steam engine, massive orders were immediately received from overseas, and the new power quickly spread to various industries.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time, Border Town did not have the foundation for the Industrial Revolution, and industrialization did not even exist. So Roland did not expect to sell steam engines to make the first pot of gold. He just wanted to invest the machine in the Northern Slope Mine Area for mining and gravel. When the mine production increased, then he would expand the steam engine's scale of usage. This was the equivalent of promoting industrial development from top to bottom.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
47
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00025-25-The-Militia.html
Normal file
47
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00025-25-The-Militia.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 25 - The Militia</h2>
|
||||
<p>"These are the men you recruited?" Roland asked. Looking at the crowd of folks in rags, he had to hold back the urge to turn about and get away immediately.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, these men were chosen according to your requirements," Carter replied, counting his fingers. "Male, no criminal record, above 18, under 40 years old and not disabled... I have checked over everyone carefully."</p>
|
||||
<p>Alright, Roland knew that he could not expect too much. After all, the productive forces of this world were so low that it would be difficult even to fill the people's stomach, not to mention to dress decently. His identity as a prince prevented him from seeing that refugees who had no clothes on their backs and begged for a living were a common sight out of the castle. As a matter of fact, even in the capital of Graycastle, there existed the profession of corpse collecting. These people dragged away the corpses of the starving who dropped dead in the streets and burned them.</p>
|
||||
<p>[So what's warfare like in this world?] Roland closed his eyes and contemplated. It seems... it was only a little more elegant than gang fights. Generally speaking, when a lord decided to wage a war, or rather, had a fight, since Roland did not think what they were doing had anything in common with warfare, he would convene all the noble families in his domain, whom in turn convene the lower noble families in their respective domains. For example, a duke would convene his earls, while an earl would convene his viscounts, and a viscount his barons, and so on and so forth.</p>
|
||||
<p>These noble families usually had a bunch of knights and mercenaries as their own forces. These men were the main forces in a fight, and they were well armed and equipped. At the same time, they recruited common men and peasants in their domains to join the fight. To be honest, their purpose was to carry provisions for the troops and to fight in the frontline. The ones who suffered most in battle were those groups of "cannon fodder". As for the warriors from the noble families, as long as they did not die on a battlefield, they would be captured and then treated well so that they could be traded for ransom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland would not count on those few noble families in Border Town to fight for him. In fact, they had nothing to do with Border Town. Instead, their titles of baron were mostly granted by the Lord of Longsong Stronghold, and their territories also belonged to the domain of Longsong Stronghold.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this age, a platoon completely composed of common men required some imagination to understand. They were too ignorant to read documents or understand orders. Not to mention that they never had any professional training. How could they be compared with knights who started practicing sword fighting since the age of ten?</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter approached Roland and said softly, "Your Highness, this method has never been acceptable. Look at them. Which one of them can hold a sword? I'm afraid that they'd soon disperse at the sight of demonic beasts. This would instead disturb the line of defense and have a negative effect. I suggest that we should recruit professional mercenaries from Willow Town or other places to defend the city wall. These men could be kept for sundry duties."</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, I'll use them," Roland said, refusing Carter's suggestion. He did not like those mercenaries who fought for money. Besides, he was not only building this army to defend against demonic beasts. He knew from history that a powerful and dynamic army must be built from the people, and there were countless feudal, modern, and contemporary armies that had attested to this rule.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Okay, we'll do as you say," said the knight with a shrug. "Then should I train in swordplay? Though it may not be of much use..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Swordplay? No. You should instruct them to stand in formation and run." Roland held back his words after this, as it suddenly occurred to him that the chief knight himself might have never had such an experience. He said instead, "Call the hunter whom you approached last time. You both should pay attention to what I'll do."</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>The unimaginable things Van'er experienced today were more than those of the past 20 years combined.</p>
|
||||
<p>He saw Prince Roland with his own eyes! The prince walked past him and even smiled to him. God, was the prince drunk?</p>
|
||||
<p>Three days ago, when Prince Roland gave the lecture at the square, he knew that this winter would be different from before. They would not head for Longsong Stronghold, but would instead stay and pass the long winter in Border Town. Most of what the prince said was incomprehensible to him, but yet he agreed wholeheartedly with this decision. Van'er's brother died two years ago in Longsong Stronghold slum. For a whole month there had been no food supply of any kind. He shared the dark bread he bought with the few coppers he had earned unloading cargo at the pier with his brother. But that winter was too cold. Wind came in through every crack of the shack in which they lived, and what they ate could hardly keep them warm. His brother lost consciousness with an ailment and never woke up again.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Border Town, he at least had a house built by the earth, in which he did not have to fear a heavy snow that lasted long. He also saw wheat transported from elsewhere that piled up on the pier and then was transported to the castle in heaps. So Van'er came as soon as he heard that Prince Roland was recruiting for the militia.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, what had enticed him to give up his quarrying work for enlistment was the pay, which was as high as 10 silver royals per month. It was comparable to the pay of an experienced mason! He was no longer young and planned to marry Sheryl, the tavern waitress the next spring, so it would be wise to start earning money.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for what the notice said about the militia's duties, he took no notice of it. It was either to carry things for their lordships, or to facilitate the patrol. After all, they couldn't possibly be ordered to fight the frenetic demonic beasts on the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>The selection was strict. The eyes of the knight in shiny armor made Van'er a little nervous. Fortunately, he passed the selection with his rather stout figure, though the knight eliminated many bony fellows through selection. At the end, there were only about 100 people left.</p>
|
||||
<p>But it had never occurred to Van'er that it was His Highness himself that trained them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who passed the selection were brought to a meadow west of Border Town. Behind them the city wall was being built, while in front of them stretched the endless Misty Forest.</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince commanded all to stand in formation and then rested aside. It had rained a few days ago and the ground was still mushy. Moisture penetrated his shoes from the water-logged ground, making his whole body uneasy. Not to mention that the posture the prince demanded from them was quite unusual. They had to stand with hands down close to the sides of their thighs and keep their backs straight.</p>
|
||||
<p>It only took a quarter of an hour to make Van'er exhausted. It was more taxing than hammering stones during the quarrying. But he grinded his teeth and persisted, because His Highness had said the one who moved during the training would not have any egg at lunch. God knew how long it had been since he had last tasted an egg. It was obviously what others thought as well, for they all persisted with all their effort.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was not until the prince declared that everyone could rest on the spot that Van'er found himself soaked in sweat, despite the fact that he had only stood for half an hour. On the other hand, those who had not made it until the end regretted losing their egg.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet Van'er could not think of the use of this training. Could they carry a few more packs of solid food, if they stood like this?</p>
|
||||
<p>If it was not for the fact that His Highness trained them himself, he would have cried out in doubt much earlier.</p>
|
||||
<p>But after the rest, the second order His Highness made was even stranger. He commanded that everyone should continue standing in formation. If no one moved this time, each one would have one more egg at lunch. However, this time if even one person gave up, everyone would lose their chance of adding one more egg to their meal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er heard the sound of someone swallowing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Hell, was this the new joke of the nobles? With a carrot and a stick, the prince had led everyone on! But Van'er would never consider himself a dumb donkey.</p>
|
||||
<p>But what if everyone could do it? Then later on he could have two eggs for lunch.</p>
|
||||
<p>The appeal was too great. Drooling over the eggs, Van'er decided to try his best.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 26 - The Experience Learned from History</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, what's the meaning of this?" Carter thought Prince Roland was arbitrary before, but now he thought the prince had become divorced from reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>With regard to how to train a soldier, the chief knight thought that no one would be more professional than himself. His family had a complete set of training method, where a boy of 10 years old could be trained as a soldier, and would master all kinds of weapons in five years. If the soldier was further trained for five years, he would then be a top soldier, a knight who knew all rituals of upper class—of course, the trainees could not come from a civilian family.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Look at these idiots! They only think of eating eggs!] Carter thought, [Besides... the eggs are so expensive!]</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland responded casually, "Just watch them, and remember they must be trained in this way for the next few days. Of course, I'll make some changes, and I'll list down the details on paper."</p>
|
||||
<p>During the cold war era, it was impossible to train a group of qualified soldiers in two or three months. And Roland had never thought of that, as he did not need that kind of Spartan warriors who were strong enough to tear a beast apart with bare arms. The individual soldiers did not have to be strong, but they had to be disciplined and execute every order without fail.</p>
|
||||
<p>The power of a unit was usually much stronger than individual strength. This was decided by social norm and acceptance. So he needed to form them into a unit quickly. The modern military training, with some modifications to suit the current situation, was a good choice. In his personal experience of military training, it took only half a month to integrate students from all over the country into a cohesive unit. The effect was very obvious regardless of the process.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only when this group of people completely understood the importance of discipline, could Roland implement the next step of his plan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er still failed to get the second egg at the end.</p>
|
||||
<p>They had to stand twice as long as the previous round, and it did not end until someone's legs went weak and trembled.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just then, Prince Roland announced to have a rest and ordered the attendants to serve lunch. People's anger at the weakling was successfully transmuted into the eagerness toward food. Of course, Van'er began to suspect that His Highness probably had never intended to let them get a second reward.</p>
|
||||
<p>Lunch was packed in four large pots, which was transported by carriages to the outside of the town. In addition to food, they also brought a lot of wooden bowls and spoons.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er licked his lips, ready to rush to the carriages with the others, but was held back by the chief knight.</p>
|
||||
<p>His Royal Highness ordered all the people to line up in four rows and come forward one by one for bowls and spoons. Whoever dared to disturb the order would be forced to be the last one to get his food.</p>
|
||||
<p>The crowd hustled and squeezed, and lined up into four rows. Van'er was lucky enough to stand in the forefront of the outermost row. Of course, some people were not satisfied with their positions. The sound of quarrels and fighting was heard in the rows. Soon the knights and several guards rushed into the crowd and kicked the troublemakers out.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Fool,] thought Van'er when he glanced at the man who started the riot. That was Insane Fist, the most aggressive street fighter in the town. He used to stir up trouble everywhere with his brute force, but now he had to squat in the corner with swords pointed at him. Look how pitiful he was now.</p>
|
||||
<p>He felt that he had already figured out what His Royal Highness liked.</p>
|
||||
<p>He liked order.</p>
|
||||
<p>They had to stand upright in a straight line, line up to get food, and always follow orders... Van'er had heard from some knowledgeable businessmen that some of the noble had a strange habit: they could not tolerate disorder and once something was out of place, they could not help rearranging things.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Van'er's mind, this kind of person was purely bored and had nothing better to do. So they would deliberately create some trouble to occupy their mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>He did not expect that His Royal Highness was such a person.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the lids of the pots were opened, Van'er smelled the strong flavor of food.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the flavor spread in the wind, he almost lost himself in it. The crowd also became restless, but soon the knight roared to keep them quiet. [We probably have to line up again,] Van'er thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sure enough, Prince Roland required them to line up for their portions of food just like before.</p>
|
||||
<p>Their mouths were watering and their stomachs were growling. But thinking of what happened to Insane Fist, they had to line up and wait patiently.</p>
|
||||
<p>The pots were filled with hot oatmeal. To Van'er's surprise, there was even dried meat in the porridge! Even if he only got one thin slice, but that was meat! In addition, he even got an extra egg like he wished for.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er gobbled down the porridge, even licking the bottom of the bowl once. He swallowed the entire egg without biting. Since he ate so fast and carelessly, his tongue blistered quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>After putting down the pot, Van'er patted his belly and made a satisfied hiccup. He had not enjoyed such delicious food for a long time. And what was even more incredible was that he even felt a sense of satiety. Compared with brown bread, the sweet meat porridge tasted like heaven. He even thought, if he could eat such food every day, what would it matter if he had to fight against the demonic beasts in the front?</p>
|
||||
<p>After lunch, they had a long period of rest. They were brought back within the city wall, walking all the way to the camp of the battalion. A burly man of foreign nation came out and began to teach everyone how to set up tents.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er knew him—nearly everyone in the town knew Iron Axe. With regards to his superb archery skill, he even far surpassed the most experienced old hunters in the town. [Wait a moment, so now Iron Axe is serving Prince Roland? It seemed that I saw him by the side of the knights before.] Van'er frowned and thought, [What's His Highness planning? Iron Axe is a man of Sand Nation.]</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you really intend to appoint a man of Sand Nation as captain?" Carter had the same question. "He doesn't belong to Kingdom of Graycastle. And he isn't even from our continent."</p>
|
||||
<p>"The witches don't belong to the Kingdom of Graycastle either," Roland said, "but they all belong to Border Town. Besides, aren't you watching them for me?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"But, Your Highness..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don't worry." Roland patted the knight's shoulder. "The origin of a person doesn't matter in Border Town. As long as they don't violate the law of the kingdom, they're still my subjects. If you're really worried, you can choose two more excellent captains. Anyway, the team will continue to expand in the future, and you can cultivate some promising ones now. I have written down the training regulations. Compared to the people of Sand Nation, I think you'd better be more concerned about this."</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter took the parchment roll from Roland's hands. Skimming through the contents from beginning to end, he got a nasty shock. The training contents were almost unheard of. For example, they needed to run laps around Border Town in the afternoon from 2 p.m. till sunset. The regulations emphasized that everyone had to complete this, and they were allowed to help each other on the way. If they persevered and no one gave up, they would get an extra egg for dinner. Another example, when the whistles were blown at night, everyone had to get dressed and fall in as soon as possible. With these kinds of training exercises, Carter was afraid that most people would quit in a few days.</p>
|
||||
<p>The first few rules were already hard to understand, and the last one completely confused him.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Every day after dinner, they're required to go to Mr. Karl's college for cultural training."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness... What do you mean by cultural training? Do you want to teach them to read and write?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I hope so, but the time is too limited. Karl could only teach them some simple words and numbers so that they can read and write orders. I'll personally explain this part to Karl. You just need to send them over."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But, why do you want to do this? It's of no use in fighting against the demonic beasts."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Who said so?" Roland yawned. "A unit good at fighting must also be well educated. That's the experience learned from history."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
52
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00027-27-The-Past.html
Normal file
52
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00027-27-The-Past.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 27 - The Past</h2>
|
||||
<p>The weather was getting colder day by day, and Roland was waking up later and later.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the ruling class, he certainly had the right to sleep late. Especially with his large bed and three layers of velvet blankets, his whole body would fall into the soft encirclement when lying down. This made it much harder for him to get up early.</p>
|
||||
<p>After washing up, Roland stepped into his office and found Nightingale had been waiting there for a long time.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well, here is your breakfast. I ate half when it was hot, but now it's cold," she said, with her lips protruding. She nodded her head in the direction of the remaining bread on the table, as if she was the lord of the domain</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hasn't anyone taught you to be humble before the prince?" asked Roland, as he pushed away the plates and sat at the desk. "I remember you were very polite at first."</p>
|
||||
<p>He sighed inwardly. He had not realized that she made friends instantly, and she would always be accompanying Anna or him. She had kept hidden at first, but now as long as there was no outsider present, she would stroll around his office and not even wearing a hood.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Like this?" She jumped off the table and bowed in the style and etiquette of a flawless noble. "You've been getting up later and later recently. Since the breakfast remained unconsumed, I wanted to do you a favor by helping myself to some of it, Your Highness." She walked toward Roland and said, "You don't care, do you? I can see that you don't like the tedious etiquette."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did she have a third eye?" Roland wondered silently. "She could see even this."</p>
|
||||
<p>He sighed. "As you like, but you'd better finish the breakfast once you start it in the future. I'll order another portion if I want to eat it."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness!" She smiled and picked up the plate, moving quickly to one side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland rolled out a blank parchment. He was ready to complete the design drawing, left unfinished from yesterday.</p>
|
||||
<p>If he wanted to defend Border Town, he should not pursue a win with an almost equal loss in the first battle of winter. Since a corp that had not experienced war was not a qualified one, Roland feared that if there was any major loss, his soldiers who had only been trained for a short time, would not have the courage to stand on the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>He needed epochal weapons in order to have an absolute advantage over the demonic beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was no doubt that he needed the flintlock.</p>
|
||||
<p>The era was equipped with all the conditions for the emergence of the flintlock. The alchemists often produced something they called snow powder for palace celebrations. It was essentially gunpowder but with the wrong formula and could burn slowly. When put into the copper tube, it mostly just made a small sound.</p>
|
||||
<p>In about one century, the prototype of the flintlock, the harquebus, would appear. The firearm had a complicated operation, which relied on the cooperation of two people doing the loading and shooting. In general, it could only be used as a single-shot weapon. As for its speed and power, it was no match for a trained archer.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland, of course, was not interested in repeating history. It was better to make use of the witch's ability and create a flintlock with practical value, just like he had created the steam engine.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I had looked at the order on the table before you came," Nightingale swallowed the last piece of bread and asked casually, "What are you going to do with so many ices? It's winter now, and if you want to drink cold ale, why not directly put it outside for one night?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The noble liked to use ice during summer, namely, the ice made of saltpeter. Then they could cool their milk, wine or juice for enjoyment. Thanks to winter's blessing, the current purchasing price for saltpeter was very low.</p>
|
||||
<p>"To make iced cheese, the temperature is not low enough yet. It doesn't work well without freezing," Roland replied precariously.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the woman in front of him was not his enemy, he did not know her as well as he knew Anna. Unlike the steam engine, there were not so many technical barriers to the flintlock. Once it became popular, it would obviously be unfavorable to his farming project. Until he learned more about her, it was better to keep some things from her. Thinking of this, he tentatively asked, "Does the Witch Cooperation Association help to train killers in addition to searching for Holy Mountain?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, they're only a group of poor people coming together for a dream," Nightingale waved and said, "and I joined the Witch Cooperation Association only two years ago."</p>
|
||||
<p>"In other words, you were working for someone else?" She could not have gained such perfect dagger-throwing skills without someone's guidance or years of hard work. Roland was pretty sure about it. "Other than me, is there anyone else willing to take in a witch?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Take in?" Nightingale looked a bit strange. "How could it be. If he had known that I would become a witch, he wouldn't have even let me through his door. As for later on, if I had not proved my usefulness to him, I'd have been secretly killed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Oh? Can you elaborate?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale shook her head with a smile, which contained slightly inexpressible moods this time. "Your Highness, I'll let you know when the time is right. I know what you're worried about. Please rest assured that I have been free for the last five years, and no longer work for others."</p>
|
||||
<p>Negotiations failed, it seemed that he was not charming enough... However, her answer indirectly confirmed his speculations. At least five years ago, she had secretly done something for someone. Fortunately, the person had only used Nightingale by chance, instead of recruiting large numbers of witches like he intended to.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland did not ask more. He bowed his head and went on with the drawings.</p>
|
||||
<p>To his surprise, Nightingale, who had always liked being around him, became quiet, only leaving the sound of furnace fire burning in the room. When Roland lifted his head to stretch his limp, numb neck, she had left the office.</p>
|
||||
<p>"She didn't say goodbye," he muttered, folding the parchment and putting it into the inner pocket of his underclothes.</p>
|
||||
<p>He worked for a few days. He finished all the work, including the drawings, and the designs of the weapons, or the copies.</p>
|
||||
<p>He was planning to make the famous flintlock, which was time-tested and similar to the harquebus in terms of the technique level, with the ignition charge loaded into the rear, and the lead ball loaded into the front. Its rate could be nearly three shots per minute. So more than sufficiently, it could be used to cope with the unintelligent mutant beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most animals would not be able to climb the wall, so the shooting distance was approximately equal to the distance from the top of the city wall to the ground, approximately four meters. Within this distance, it was hard to miss the target and the initial speed of the bullet would hardly decrease. As long as the demonic beasts had not evolved with a skin harder than steel, they could basically be killed in one shot.</p>
|
||||
<p>The disadvantage of the flintlock was its long production time. At first, like the harquebus, it was made by craftsmen's repeated beats with a hammer. From the barrel to the trigger, it took about three months to make the whole gun. Among all the parts, the barrel was the most time-consuming. The craftsman had to beat the iron sheet into a thin and cylindrical shape, seal it with iron powder, and then engrave the rifling. Although there was no need for precise instruments, the craftsman must be skilled in order to make qualified barrels.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was why Roland had produced the steam engine first.</p>
|
||||
<p>With the steam engine available, he could directly drill a barrel into a solid iron bar with the steel drill. So, the production speed would be greatly improved, without any more reliance on the operation by the skilled craftsmen. The only thing he needed would be a table on which he could fix the iron bar.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
60
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00028-28-Fierce-Scar.html
Normal file
60
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00028-28-Fierce-Scar.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 28 - Fierce Scar</h2>
|
||||
<p>But when Roland operated it himself, he realized the actual situation was not as simple as he had expected.</p>
|
||||
<p>After slogging in the backyard for four or five days, the harder drill bits were completed successfully though. With the use of Anna's flame at a high temperature, he could easily get molten iron at over 1,500 Celsius degrees. Without any temperature constraint, he could quickly and easily produce small quantities of steel with the conventional wrought-steel method. By stirring the molten iron with an iron bar, the excessive carbon and other impurities in the pig iron would oxidize in the air, and after repeating the operation several times, the premium steel appeared as the molten iron cooled down.</p>
|
||||
<p>The problem lay in the first steam engine.</p>
|
||||
<p>When this primitive machine was working, it created loud noise and high-frequency vibration. As a result, the drill could not stably finish drilling the entire solid iron. In rough labor, this degree of tremor did not matter, but this clearly would not work with the processing of the barrel.</p>
|
||||
<p>To improve this situation, he had to create a centrifugal governor to control the output power of the steam engine, and then use the gear assembly to reduce the vibration, and adjust the bit rotation rate. Plus, the machining gears required a simple lathe. By the look of things, Roland found himself unable to achieve his goal before the arrival of the Months of Demons.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eventually, he could only apply the old method of asking the blacksmiths to gradually hammer it out. The plan to mass produce flintlocks did not succeed. According to the number of blacksmith shops in Border Town, a maximum of three to four barrels could be produced monthly, which should be on the condition that the production of the second steam engine was stopped.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only consolation was that there was no need to worry about the pass rate of the barrel. The blacksmith just needed to beat the approximate shape of round tubes. Anna would do the pipe linking. The effect was close to the seamless tube cut out by the boring tool, and basically eliminated the risk of the gun-barrel explosion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had no choice but to revise his previous plan. He had intended to recruit hunters from Border Town to set up a Flintlock Squad—they were mostly proficient in archery and both the bow and crossbow were their handy weapons. Plus a firearm training was not time-consuming, so they could be ready for combat very soon.</p>
|
||||
<p>But from now up till the Months of Demons, only four flintlock guns could be made. In this way, only the most outstanding of the hunters could form an elite team. Roland decided to entrust this matter to Iron Axe to carry out. He had stayed in Border Town for 15 years, and was also generally recognized as the best hunter.</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian was unhappy this past half month.</p>
|
||||
<p>Especially when he met the militia team in the street, his unhappiness doubled... He even could not reconcile himself to what had happened.</p>
|
||||
<p>He felt that he had been forgotten by His Highness.</p>
|
||||
<p>A month ago when he was summoned by the chief knight, he was full of excitement. Being in close contact with Prince Roland and questioned by His Highness himself was a very fortunate and glorious matter.</p>
|
||||
<p>He was born in an ordinary hunting family and grew up in Border Town. By virtue of his own abilities, he became Patrol Leader. He knew he could not rely on his background to become a knight, but could only wait for the opportunity to make a merit, and accept the conferral by the authorities.</p>
|
||||
<p>His Highness' inquiry made him sense the opportunity had come. Apparently Prince Roland did not want to give up his domain and was trying to find ways to fight the demonic beasts. Later on, the massive construction of the city wall proved without a doubt that this year they would be spending the Months of Demons in Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>If His Highness wanted to prevent the invasion of demonic beasts here, he had to set up a platoon brave enough for a face-to-face combat. Brian thought he himself was the best choice for the role, as he was proficient in investigation, swordsmanship and equestrian skill. Every year, he would remain till the time for the garrison duty to ignite the beacon-fire to prove his courage. But he never expected that His Highness would plan to choose a platoon from the populace to fight with the demonic beasts!</p>
|
||||
<p>Yes, it was a platoon of civilians. Furthermore, the whole patrol team of ten people, including him, did not pass the review by the chief knight. This was simply incredible. Did His Highness felt that these civilians who had never held swords would be better than him in battle? It was more likely they would disperse once they saw the fiendish faces of the demonic beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>But His Highness seemed to be serious... He was not only training this group of mobs but also gave them uniforms. Every afternoon, Brian could see this group of people wearing brown and gray leather armor, filed in two lines running on the streets. At the beginning, the platoon was messy, but recently it became much neater.</p>
|
||||
<p>But every day, he could only carry out boring tasks, without any hope of promotion.</p>
|
||||
<p>At night, while he was tossing and turning, there was a loud noise next door. The door was pushed open, and someone came in quietly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hey, get up! All of you," he whispered. Brian recognized his voice; he was a member of the patrol team and nicknamed Fierce Scar.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were five people in his room. Other than Greyhound and himself, the other three quickly got up, as if they had already been preparing for this as they slept with their coats on.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Captain, get up quickly. I have something important to tell you."</p>
|
||||
<p>Fierce Scar had a noble relative in Longsong Stronghold, who was said to be a great noble. Hence his position was very high in the team. Brian could not ignore him, so he got up and asked, "What happened?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Greyhound was also awakened. "It, it's so late, don’t you guys... go to bed?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I have a good job for you, do you want to be conferred as a knight?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Wh-What? Knight?" Greyhound exclaimed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian's heart skipped a beat and quickly asked, "What's the job exactly?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"You all know my uncle Hirte. He's the earl conferred by the duke, and also the duke's confidant. He personally told me this." Fierce Scar lowered his voice. "Prince Roland is ready to cast off Longsong Stronghold and this has displeased the duke greatly. The duke has decided to let the prince know that only he is the master of the Western Region."</p>
|
||||
<p>"D-D-Don't tell me... you intend to, to assassinate..." Greyhound stuttered once he got nervous, and could not complete his sentences.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How could it be," Fierce Scar said, tittering. "He is a prince after all. If he's dead, even the duke cannot protect us. As I said, it's a good job."</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian subconsciously felt that the deal was not as simple as he claimed. But the temptation of being a knight was so great that he could not help but reply, "Tell me more."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Grain. If there's no food, he'll have no choice but come back to Longsong Stronghold. The duke promised that as long as we can successfully burn the grain bought by Prince Roland, he'll make us knights. And even give us a piece of land in the eastern Longsong Stronghold. It's a golden opportunity. Captain, what do you think of it?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"You, you're crazy. His, His Highness has already said, this y-year, the Months of Demons is likely to last f-for more than four months. If you b-burn the grain, what will we eat!" Greyhound shook his head repeatedly. "Have we a-all forgotten what happened two, two years ago?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"What does that have to do with us?" The other man remarked with disdain. "Anyway, I didn't intend to stay here. After finishing Duke Ryan's task, I'll be able to live a good life in Longsong Stronghold."</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's right. Do you want to stay in this dump and eat furnace slag forever?" The others echoed the view.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Damn, they were in cahoots." Brian's heart sank. Only Greyhound and him grew up in Border Town, the rest came from all parts of the country and did not have any special feelings towards the town. Sensing it pointless to stop them, he changed the subject. "But the wheat has already been transferred to His Highness' castle. With the entrance guarded by personal knights, how could you enter it?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's why I've asked you to join," Fierce Scar laughed confidently, "You've stayed in this dump since you were young, so no one knows this environment better than you. I remember you once said the well at the back mountain, was connected to the waterway at the bottom of the castle. Through it, you can quietly access the castle garden. You even crawled through it when you were a child. So if you join me, you can become a knight in the future—and even personally conferred by the Duke."</p>
|
||||
<p>No... Knights should be courageous and fight unfairness. They should not be afraid of powers of coercion, but should protect the weak! Just for the sake of the duke's personal grudges, why should we expose the town residents to the threat of hunger and death? Such a knight is just an empty shell, without any glory at all!</p>
|
||||
<p>As he was about to refuse, Greyhound shouted.</p>
|
||||
<p>"A, a group of madmen! You, you, actually dare to mess with the grain. I'll never let you leave h-here! I want to r-report to..." Greyhound was in mid-speech when the sound solidified. He turned around in disbelief, as a former teammate stood behind him, sneering. A black dagger thrust into his back and entered the body completely. He trembled twice, opened his mouth trying to say something, but could only utter a hoarse breathing sound.</p>
|
||||
<p>The attacker swiftly moved the dagger twice, and then violently pulled it back. Greyhound suddenly lost the support like a lifeless doll, and collapsed softly to the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>"And so?" Fierce Scar came close to Brian, who could even feel the stench of his mouth. "I think you have decided. Right, Captain?"</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 29 - Brian's Anger</h2>
|
||||
<p>The lord's castle in Border Town had not been originally built in its current position.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whilst burying the foundation of the stone wall, an underground cave was uncovered. The ground suddenly collapsed, so there was no choice but to move the position of the castle.</p>
|
||||
<p>The waterways that had already been dug were mostly destroyed during the collapse. Even those that were intact were abandoned because of the reconstruction.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Brian was young, he often played in these tunnels, and one day he accidentally found that the route from an abandoned well led to the well of the castle garden. Brian told his father, and was severely beaten. His father warned him that the punishment for trespassing the castle was death. Once found guilty, he would be sent straight to the gallows.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian was terrified and naturally did not walk through the waterway again. But at times when everyone got together to drink and chat, he had more than once boasted that he knew a direct access to the castle. Now he regretted his remarks.</p>
|
||||
<p>Excluding Greyhound, there were a total of nine people. In other words, the entire patrol team had been persuaded by Fierce Scar—being able to serve Duke Ryan, the lord of the Western Region, with such a lucrative return, was a temptation few people could resist.</p>
|
||||
<p>The abandoned well was located at the outset of the collapse, and now it remained a wasteland. Held by Fierce Scar's sword and caught in the middle of the platoon, Brian went down the well. What was once a spacious waterway, was now very narrow. No one had passed through in years, plus the water direction had changed. Many vines had sprouted all over the cave.</p>
|
||||
<p>The bloke who had stabbed Greyhound was in front holding the torch and bowed. He held a short axe and used it to remove obstacles.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian pretended he was trying to remember the road, but in fact, he was thinking about getting away.</p>
|
||||
<p>Obviously in such an inconvenient place, he had no possibility of escaping. He could only wait till he got to the castle, before getting a chance. What should he do once he got there? Shout to attract the personal knights of His Highness? No. Fierce Scar would raise his hand and finish him off. He had to lengthen their distance first, otherwise he would end up like Greyhound.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thinking about Greyhound, Brian's eyes became bleak again.</p>
|
||||
<p>He and Greyhound had lived in Border Town before it was even established. The two had spent their childhood together and joining the patrol team was also Brian's idea. He had not expected that Greyhound would be elected as the patrol team leader.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian was happy for him for a long time. Because of his stutter, Greyhound had always been despised by others. Now, he had finally gotten the opportunity to be recognized. At least at the time, it was what Brian thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>But when Greyhound fell and Brian screamed, Fierce Scar told him the real reason they had been elected captains.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Fool, patrol leaders have to stay until the Months of Demons, to ignite the flames and warn everyone. If you two didn't do it, did you expect me to do it myself?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The sentence was like a sharp knife piercing Brian's heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>All those compliments and congratulations were false, and the real reason was actually so ugly. He showed a look of shock and despair to cover up his raging anger. It was simply unforgivable. Brian secretly clenched his teeth. Someone had to pay the price!</p>
|
||||
<p>After walking through the dried-up waterway for half an hour, they finally heard the sound of water.</p>
|
||||
<p>This meant that they were not far from their destination.</p>
|
||||
<p>After turning a corner, it suddenly became more spacious, and could accommodate two people standing side by side. The person walking at the head of the platoon said, "There's no way forward, just a shaft."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's happening?" Fierce Scar nudged the sword and asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ask him to look up," said Brian. "We have arrived."</p>
|
||||
<p>The abandoned waterway was connected to the middle of the castle backyard's waterway. Perhaps it had not been sealed shut due to negligence. Fierce Scar stuck to the wall and looked up, three feet below him was gushing water, and above his head he could see a small circle of the night sky.</p>
|
||||
<p>He let people guard Brian, while he pulled out a rope from the backpack, tied the hook, and gently threw it up. When a "dang" sound was heard, the hook was firmly stuck in the edge of the well's head.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fierce Scar followed the rope, and carefully climbed up. Soon, he tugged the rope several times above, indicating that the rest of the people could come up.</p>
|
||||
<p>The line of people took almost half a day's efforts to climb out from the well. The castle which was originally far from sight now stood erect in front of them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fierce Scar grabbed Brian and shouted, "Hurry and take us to the warehouse."</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian had only come here once. Though the memory of the castle was obscure, he quietly led the crowd, pried open the nearest wooden door and slipped into the castle.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this hour, most people inside the castle were asleep, and the lamp lights along the corridor walls were completely extinguished. In the pitch-black darkness, someone from the platoon lit a fire. Faint fire could only illuminate a few feet, and Brian knew his chance had come.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the platoon went to a crossing leading to the basement, he aimed at the bottom of the ladder, and suddenly rushed over. Although the person who held Brian had been paying attention to his movements, but the leap was too fast. Before he could react, he collided and began rolling down with Brian.</p>
|
||||
<p>Down the ladder, the two instantly came out of the fire's range, and disappeared in the darkness.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Oh, damn!" Fierce Scar immediately pulled out the dagger, and chased after them. He thought Brian would use the dark to play hide and seek with him. But not only did Brian not escape, he was also quietly standing under the stairs, as if waiting for him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fierce Scar saw that the associate who collided with Brian was lying on the ground motionless. And Brian was holding the man's weapons in his hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Fool, do you think you'll have a chance to win?" Fierce Scar held his attack stance, waiting for the others to come down, and then said, "There are seven of us, and only one of you."</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian did not answer, and he no longer needed to suppress his anger. He swung the sword, and swiftly struck the peak of Fierce Scar's sword, with sparks flying. Without waiting for the next stance, he stabbed the sword into Fierce Scar's shoulder!</p>
|
||||
<p>Fierce Scar roared and fell backwards. Another one stepped forward, blocking the pursuit of Brian.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was an excellent place to strike, as the narrow aisle gave the opponents hardly any advantages. He just had to stand in the middle of the aisle facing the enemy, and the opponents could not do anything. It was just too narrow here to accommodate two people waving weapons.</p>
|
||||
<p>With regards to swordsmanship, Brian was confident he would not lose to anyone of the patrol team.</p>
|
||||
<p>When this group of scum was lazing around, gambling, and indulging in the bar, he was honing his fighting skills. Regardless of wind, frost, rain or snow, years went by and his routine was never interrupted. This was also why he did not choose to immediately shout for help.</p>
|
||||
<p>He wanted to personally avenge Greyhound's death.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 30 - Coming from the Mist</h2>
|
||||
<p>The enemy only blocked Brian's two strikes before his weapons were knocked down.</p>
|
||||
<p>[They're more like a bunch of hooligans than members of the patrol team.] Brian thought angrily. [Other than blackmail and extortion, what else have they done? Greyhound and I meticulously performed the tasks given by the lord, but ended up being the weird ones out of the team.]</p>
|
||||
<p>But... it just so happened, this group of scum, in order to join Longsong Stronghold, did not care about what happened to the town, and used despicable methods to kill Greyhound.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unforgivable!</p>
|
||||
<p>He wielded the sword, aiming toward a frightened opponent's neck...</p>
|
||||
<p>At this moment, a shadow emerged from the target, and swiftly stabbed close to Brian's heart. This blow was too concealed, so when he detected it, it was already too late.</p>
|
||||
<p>In desperation, he crashed backwards to the ground, his body popping up, and felt a stabbing pain at his chest.</p>
|
||||
<p>After rolling a few laps, Brian immediately stood up and put on a defensive stance. That sword attack only pierced his coat and skin, and there was no serious harm done. But the main point was who did the attack! He did not know any guy in the patrol team with such a fencing skill.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Huh? You actually dodged the attack." The man pushed away his teammate and came forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the firelight, Brian found he did not know that person—he was not tall, and yet his hands were very long, hanging down almost to the knees. His face was unfamiliar, and Brian vowed he had never seen this face before.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You're not from the patrol team... Who're you exactly?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Despite having few dealings with the five people next door, but at least he recognized them. This guy obviously replaced one of them, followed the team in and infiltrated the castle. It was not surprising that he did not discover him in the middle of the night, but it was impossible that Fierce Scar did not notice as well. Since they did not seem surprised, then there was only one explanation that this guy was deliberately arranged by Fierce Scar.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You already know the answer, so why asking me?" He smiled indifferently. "Anyway, you're going to die."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Damn, he's injured me!" Fierce Scar shouted hatefully. "Viper, chop off his hands and feet, and I want to slowly drain his blood!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Unfortunately, Mr. Kihls, I have to first complete the tasks of the earl."</p>
|
||||
<p>Without much pause, the guy known as Viper continued attacking. His movement was swift and mysterious, plus his abnormally long arms, forcing Brian into a bitter struggle. Brian was forced to retreat, and simply could not find an opportunity to counterattack.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Too careless!] Brian began to feel anxious. [We've fought for so long, surely the people above would have noticed, right?]</p>
|
||||
<p>He wanted to personally revenge Greyhound's death, but yet now he only wished he could hold on a little longer, till the guards of His Royal Highness came to ambush this group of villains.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You seem to be expecting something." Viper suddenly paused attacking. "I guess you're waiting for the prince's men to save you? Unfortunately, this stone castle is different from your usual pubs and hotels. In those wooden houses, the floors would creak when people were entertaining. But here, as long as the door was closed, you could shout at the top of your lungs, and no one would hear any movement upstairs."</p>
|
||||
<p>After Brian's thoughts had been exposed, he could not help but hesitate, and Viper was waiting exactly for this opportunity. He kept the sword pointing down to dull the opponent while slightly raised the other hand to trigger the hand crossbow in the sleeve.</p>
|
||||
<p>A bolt with just a finger's length was shot from the cuff, and once Brian heard the light buzzing of the machine, the bolt was already thrust in his lung.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unbearable pain suddenly exploded in his chest. Brian threw the sword at Viper, and turned back to run. But the blood from the lung exuded quickly into the trachea, making it difficult for him to breathe. He did not run far, before he tripped over the threshold, with a staggering heavy fall to the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Viper caught up with him, and wanted to terminate his opponent, but was stopped by Fierce Scar.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Let me do it," he said gnashing his teeth. "I want this guy to know what happens to those who stab me!"</p>
|
||||
<p>A trace of cool flashed across Viper's face, but he eventually moved aside. "Do it efficiently, and don't forget our main business."</p>
|
||||
<p>Fierce Scar grabbed Brian's hair and shouted at him, "Believe me, you'll die a very painful death."</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian wanted to spit some blood on his face, but his whole body's strength was draining away, and he knew he did not have long to live. Past regrets surged to his heart, such as the wife he had not yet met, and the dream to be a knight. But the most regrettable was... being unable to avenge Greyhound.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wait, what was that?</p>
|
||||
<p>He blinked, and there was a woman sitting on top of a box. Although under the dim light, her look was not clear, that exquisite body proved clearly that she was without doubt a woman.</p>
|
||||
<p>Hell, was this an illusion... When he fell into the room, he did not see anyone inside. Did the deities in heaven hear his complaints, and deliberately created a fantasy to comfort him?</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hey, you guys are not only fighting in other people's territory, and even intend to kill right in front of me. Don't you think that's inappropriate?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian could feel Fierce Scar's hand tremble, and let loose his hair. He could hear sounds of weapons bursting out of the sheath, and some shouts. "Who are you!?"</p>
|
||||
<p>[Their reaction is just too... Wait!] Brian was thinking hazily. [Isn't this an illusion?]</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course I'm from here." The woman jumped from the barrel, and patted the dust from her robe. In the dim firelight, Brian saw her gown was embroidered with a strange pattern—three juxtaposed triangles, and a huge eye in the center. The silhouette of the eye shone golden bright under the firelight.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What about you guys? Rats that come from the gutter?" Her voice was crisp and sweet, yet without any emotion. This was unreasonable... Anyone who saw a murder scene would not behave so calm.</p>
|
||||
<p>Viper was also aware of this. He looked somber, walked slowly around the other's side, and suddenly stabbed her.</p>
|
||||
<p>The woman did not even turn her head, but casually waved her hand. Viper did not even see her weapon, but just felt a burst of cold wind blowing through his body.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a scream. Fierce Scar stared incredulously, and he saw Viper rush forward and retreat quickly. But the original site of the sword was now an empty space.</p>
|
||||
<p>His arms fell to the ground, as well as the sword.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fear suddenly strangled Fierce Scar's throat. The others might not know, but he was very clear about Viper's bottom line—vicious, dangerous and cunning when attacks. This was the earl's evaluation of this person. Someone who could be chosen and recruited by the earl, only meant his strength should not be underestimated. Even Brian would have difficulty in resisting his attack for more than half a quarter. But now, he was nonchalantly attacked by a woman, and his whole arm severed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What're you guys waiting for, hurry and kill her!" Viper shouted, holding his wound.</p>
|
||||
<p>After having lost a lot of blood, Brian's vision began to blur. He heard chaotic sounds of footsteps, weapons, collision, and muffled sounds when bodies fell to the ground. What had happened exactly? He tried to turn his eyes, looking forward...</p>
|
||||
<p>And then the patrol leader saw an image he could not understand.</p>
|
||||
<p>That woman's figure was like a ghost, and she strolled amongst the crowd, disappearing and appearing at times. Every attack would penetrate the enemy's vital point. It did not seem like a fight, and it looked more like a dance. He had never seen anyone use weapons with such a sense of rhythm. The sword shadow was flying up and down, and drawing an incredible orbit. The people around seemed like clumsy clowns, compared to her. They futilely counterattacked, and then fell in vain... In the end, she was the only person proudly standing.</p>
|
||||
<p>That was also the last sight Brian saw before losing consciousness.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
53
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00031-31-Our-Friend.html
Normal file
53
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00031-31-Our-Friend.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 31 - [Our] Friend</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland was sitting at his desk dumbfounded. He had never expected that someone would dare to commit murder in his castle. If Nightingale had not found the assassins in time, they would have killed him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who had plotted the assassination attempt this time? Was it his third sister? Or the other siblings? Why were they so anxious? The Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince would last for five years, and it was only a few months that had passed. Roland slammed the desk in growing agitation. [How outrageous! Can't they just let me get through the winter?]</p>
|
||||
<p>Footsteps sounded from outside the door. Chief Knight Carter Lannis swung the door open and entered. "Your Highness, the identity of the bodies has been clarified. Seven of the eight corpses were former members of the patrol team, and one person's identity is still unknown. Of the two who're still alive, one is still unconscious after being healed by the witch, I mean, by Miss Pine. Another has been cast in a cell and is being cautiously guarded.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Patrol team?" He knew that this team, trained by the former lord, was unreliable. Roland gnashed his teeth in vexation. Eight out of ten members were disloyal. It was truly the right decision to forbid these bastards from joining the Militia.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Warn the guards to watch the one that's locked up in jail carefully. Don't let him poison himself like the last time!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"The last time?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Umm, never mind." Roland shook his head. Nightingale had woken him up at midnight and his mind was a blur. "Anyway, I have to hear everything from his mouth. The chief plotter, the primary contact person, and the buyer, we need to find these people."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness," Carter responded but did not depart at once. Instead, he got down on one knee. "It was my dereliction of duty that allowed the assassins to sneak into the castle. Please punish me, Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Enough. You were not in the castle at the time. This assassination attempt had nothing to do with you."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then..." Carter hesitated for a moment. "Would you tell me, Your Highness, who prevented this assassination attempt? From what I saw at the scene, they..." The knight gulped. "They seemed to have been killed by the same person, and they did not have even the slightest chance to fight back."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You can decipher all that?" Roland's curiosity was aroused.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If the two sides were well-matched in strength, the scene would not be so neat and clean, and there would have been all kinds of wounds on the assassinators' bodies," Carter said this in a low voice. "But all the assassinators were lying on the floor of the warehouse. There was not a single broken item. On the huge boxes where we store meat, there's not even a trace of sword cuts. This means that the person who prevented this assassination attempt was able to move swiftly in a limited space without using any coverage. In my humble opinion, Your Highness, this is incredulous."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I see." Roland nodded. He understood what Carter meant. In theory, even the strongest man on earth would fall into a predicament, if he was surrounded by enemies. Real battles were not comparable to movies or shows where the hero would fight one after another. Attacks from blind spots were most fatal. That's why, in a one-to-many situation, the correct countermeasure was to utilize the surrounding environment, to face the enemies.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Nightingale was not ordinary.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No matter how, you shall do what you have to do. I won't reveal this individual's identity yet. I'll acknowledge you when the time comes."</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though, the chief knight was loyal, dependable, and was aware of the fact that Anna and Nana were both witches, Roland still decided to conceal the existence of Nightingale for now. Different from the other two witches, Nightingale was not affiliated with Roland's party. She stayed in Border Town only for Anna. She was a member of the Witch Cooperation Association and would leave the town someday eventually.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter left with apparent signs of disappointment on his face.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland could understand his thoughts. As a swordsman who had been working to enhance his swordsmanship through learning the doctrines of his predecessors, he had always viewed those doctrines as the axioms of swordsmanship. He would naturally doubt himself when seeing such a disbelieving scene. If someone's swordsmanship could be exquisite to that extent, of what heritage was he so proud of?</p>
|
||||
<p>"I thought you would have sold me out." Nightingale revealed herself. She was still sitting in the corner of the desk with her legs crossed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I thought so too. Why don't you just live here? Work as my shadow guard and you'll receive two gold royals every month, double the amount of Anna's pay. Would you consider my offer?" Roland began. He pushed his enticement. "You'll have a garden house, two days off per week. Every year, you'll have paid leaves. Well, I mean, you'll still get your salary on vacations."</p>
|
||||
<p>What surprised him was that this time Nightingale did not refuse immediately. She smiled and stated with firm determination. "I can't leave my sisters behind."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then tell them to all come to the town. Once winter has ended, Border Town will be comprehensively renovated. The town will be able to fit as many residents as you could imagine. Also, witches will be able to walk in the streets without discrimination. No one will consider you folks as the wicked."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well, inform me once you have accomplished this." Nightingale shrugged.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alright, so solicitation needed to be presented with the actual product. Roland diverted the subject. "Nana has been safely escorted?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Uh-huh, she was quite frightened."</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince sighed. It had been midnight when Nightingale woke him up. He nearly threw up after seeing the battle scene. She briefly accounted the things that had happened. Roland ordered her to get Nana secretly. The young girl who previously had only treated chickens almost fainted when she saw the soldier covered with blood.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order not to disturb Nana's family, Nightingale had to escort Nana back home as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was almost dawn when everything had finally been settled.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What do you think about this incident? Would you be able to predict which of my dear brothers or sisters schemed this?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale shook her head. "They were all the members of the patrol team. The only exception did not carry any identification documents. Anyone could have hired those assassins. But I believe perhaps this assassination attempt has nothing to do with your siblings."</p>
|
||||
<p>"How come?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"They were too careless. They went through internal conflicts for this one-time group mission. None of the assassins attempted suicide once the mission failed, leaving at least two of their members alive. Also at the time, they were not professional at all, almost like a street gang. That doesn't seem to be their usual behavior. It's more like a scheme plotted by amateurs. I believe even if I hadn't shown up, this assassination attempt wouldn't have had the slightest chance of success. Don't forget Anna was sleeping right downstairs."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale picked up Roland's cup, took a sip nonchalantly, and continued, "Anyway, your knight is heading to the cell for interrogation as we speak. I bet soon enough he'll find out the truth. Compared to the tactics that your sister plotted, this guy is so much more inferior. He even begged me not to kill him."</p>
|
||||
<p>"As for the heavily injured patrol leader, I seem to remember calling him in before."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Really?" Nightingale tilted her head. "I think you should sincerely applaud him. If he hadn't detained the other guys, I wouldn't have discovered those rats sneaking into the basement so quickly. I'm not sure why he did it, but an enemy's enemy is our friend, right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Right, Roland thought. However, his focus was not whether the patrol leader was a friend or a foe; it was the phrase that Nightingale had just used:</p>
|
||||
<p>"Our" friend.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
50
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00032-32-The-Knight.html
Normal file
50
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00032-32-The-Knight.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 32 - The Knight</h2>
|
||||
<p>When Brian woke up, the first thing he saw was the off-white ceiling.</p>
|
||||
<p>The dazzling sunlight shone through the window. Brian slightly closed his eyes and opened them again, but the glare of the sun remained unchanged.</p>
|
||||
<p>[It's not a dream,] Brian thought, [I'm... still alive?] He tried to move his body but found that all he could do was to wag his fingers a little bit. Brian felt as if all his strength was drained.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then Brain heard someone call out. "He has awoken. Report to His Highness immediately."</p>
|
||||
<p>[His Highness?] Brain felt his mind was in such a muddle that it was much duller than usual. [By the way, how did I faint?] Brian could vaguely remember that Viper pierced through his chest. He felt so close to death, but a ghostly woman showed up at the very end and defeated all the enemies in an inconceivable way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Very soon, there came maids who assisted him to lean against the bed. Another maid brought a basin of water to clean his feet. Brian apparently had never experienced such a thorough service, plus, they were all young maids, which made him felt quite helpless.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fortunately, such awkwardness did not last too long. When Prince Roland walked into the room, everyone bowed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian sensed his fervent heart pumping in his chest. Brian had too much to ask, but when he opened his mouth, he did not know where to begin. Instead, Roland nodded and said, "I've heard about your contributions, Brian. You're the well-deserved hero."</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the word "hero" was said, Brian felt a sourness in his eyes, and his voice even started to choke. "No... Your Highness, my mate is the real..."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland patted Brian on the shoulder to comfort him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just like Nightingale's speculations, Fierce Scar divulged everything as soon as he was dragged into the interrogation room. The prison warden did not even need to work him over.</p>
|
||||
<p>The chief plotter of this group was not Roland's siblings. Instead, it was the Elk Family from Longsong Stronghold. Earl of the Elk Family contacted his distant relative Kihls Medde, which was Fierce Scar, and controlled a majority of the patrol team through enticement and segregation. Besides that, the earl also replaced one of his elites into the patrol team as the insurance to prevent any accidents in his plan. The purpose of these people was not to kill Roland but to burn all the storage food so that Roland would have to return to Longsong Stronghold.</p>
|
||||
<p>This conspiracy caused the death of an innocent member—Greyhound. He tried to stop the criminal plan of Fierce Scar's group, but he was killed by a patrol team member with a dagger. The whereabouts of patrol team member, which Viper replaced, was unclear. He probably escaped after he noticed that their scheme had failed since the castle did not catch fire and Fierce Scar did not promptly return either.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland waited until Brian calmed his emotions and said, "Your friend Greyhound will receive a decent funeral. His family will also be properly taken care of so that his family shall not worry about food anymore."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Thank you, Your Highness." Brian took a deep breath. "May I ask... whether Fierce Scar is dead?</p>
|
||||
<p>"He's still alive for now."</p>
|
||||
<p>The patrol leader closed his eyes in agony. He would rather drag Fierce Scar into hell with him than be saved alone. His hope, however, had become almost impossible... Undoubtedly, Fierce Scar was guilty, but a crime by the noble could be lessened with monetary exchanges.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland certainly noticed Brian's thoughts. "Kihls Medde, or Fierce Scar in your tongue, is a member of the Elk Family from Longsong Stronghold. The family is in the charge of Luke Medde, an earl anointed by Duke Ryan and also Fierce Scar's distant uncle..." Roland paused for a moment. "But all of these shall not affect the final jurisdiction, and Fierce Scare has been sentenced to death by hanging. He'll be executed in three days. If you're recovered by that time, you could probably take a look."</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian suddenly opened his eyes wide. "But, but Your Highness, the noble could be atoned with gold royals. Your jurisdiction will probably infuriate the..."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland waved his hands, and gestured Brian to compose himself. "The noble? Perhaps for you guys, Fierce Scar who was born in the Elk Family hold the social status that was distinctly different from yours. But in fact, he's hardly a noble, for he has neither title nor lands. Besides, even if he's a noble, there's no way to spare his life for what he has done—intruding the quarter of the prince, attempting to burn down the grains and disregarding the life of over 2,000 people living in Border Town."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had a bit of hesitation when he ordered death sentence to Tyre, but Fierce Scar will definitely not be excused from his wrongdoings. If Fierce Scar's plan had succeeded, Roland's foundation in Border Town would be destroyed. Roland would have no chance to turn the situation around. This was even more abominable than killing Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would his jurisdiction infuriate Longsong Stronghold? Who cared?! Since the earl was unwilling to have peaceful business transactions with Roland and decided to harm Border Town, Roland would not give in for sure. This assassination attempt also gave Roland a warning—the political struggles in this world were far different from that of Roland's former world. In Roland's former world, the political leaders preferred to keep the fights in the shade. In this world, people were more inclined to confront one another.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Rest well. You lost too much blood, so you'd better not leave the castle." I've assigned your work in the patrol team to someone else. I'll hold the canonization ceremony for you after the Months of Demons ends.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness." After hearing the last sentence, Brian looked at the prince incredulously. "You mean..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, you'll be my knight, Mr. Brian," Roland answered with a smile.</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ready, stab!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er thrust out his long wooden pole, using the same strength from last time and also a similar angle.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the 100th time that he thrust out his wooden pole.</p>
|
||||
<p>His arms turning sore, Van'er thought that he would not be able to stand such exercise anymore. Even though he already felt like that when he thrust out his weapon for the 50th time, but the conditioned reflex after a week's training made him obey the order. Van'er himself was surprised that he was able to go this far.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Everyone, rest!"</p>
|
||||
<p>The moment when Iron Axe called out the instruction, he heard heavy breathing from all around him. Van'er was relieved too. He put down his pole and slumped down onto the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Until now, Van'er finally understood that the Militia to which he belonged was not an insignificant troop that was only responsible for running errands for soldiers or knights. After a week's peculiar training, their training mission became more and more official. Like now, they were standing upon the city wall thrusting out and withdrawing their spears—although these spears were replaced with wooden poles, Van'er soon understood his role and responsibility in his troop.</p>
|
||||
<p>Logistics team would never do such training. This means that Van'er and the other members would actually confront and fight against the demonic beasts on the city wall. It was such a frightening thought. Van'er originally planned to sneak away, but after seeing the other members who went through the same training with him, and also thinking about the palatable meals and lucrative salary, Van'er could not make the decision.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 33 - The Gunpowder</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Everyone stands up. Prince Roland is coming." They had not rested for 15 minutes when Iron Axe clapped and yelled.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er soon returned to his position; the previous special training caused him to have reflexes towards conforming commands. Almost subconsciously, he held up his wooden pole and assembled himself in the preparation posture for thrusting.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prince Roland and his retinues walked upon the city wall and passed the troop from behind. Through the corner of his eyes, Van'er noticed that His Highness slowed down when passing himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland groaned in his heart. It was truly the axiom that "getting up late will ruin your morning while getting up early will ruin your whole day." He just finished dealing with the aftermath of the raid on the castle, and then he had to come to inspect the recent training results of the Militia. The poor guy did not sleep all night, and now he was sleepy. But he had to come, for the team had been in the training stage. As the commander, his prolonged absence would lead to a diminished sense of existence and the morale of his team would also become unstable.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Umm... What do people usually say when inspecting the troop?] Roland pondered for a moment. "Hi, comrades! Good job, comrades! If nobody responded, it would be very awkward after I called out that phrase. Or perhaps it'll be better to have casual conversations with someone. That would help me to express my kindness and also raise my reputation."</p>
|
||||
<p>He thought to implement his plan and patted a muscular young fellow on the back.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You were laborious. Did you feel tired? Did you like the meals?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Depended on the past experiences from reading the news, Roland was expecting the young fellow to answer his questions with a loud and excited response such as "Not tired at all, I feel excellent!" However, the young fellow was so excited that he immediately knelt down on his knee after he turned to Roland, which surprised Roland quite a bit.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er felt that he was being blessed by the heaven that Prince Roland was asking him if he was tired with the training in such a kind tone. Not to mention the royal family, even the ordinary nobles were normally reluctant to talk to plebeians. Almost by reflex, he imitated knight's salutation to honor Prince Roland. He did not care whether if he was appropriate to do such practice. Van'er only had one thought in his mind that after he returned to his hometown, he would be regarded as a substantial figure.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er felt the chaos in his mind after Roland asked him to stand up. Van'er could not even remember how he replied to Roland's questions.</p>
|
||||
<p>At last, His Highness asked if Van'er had any opinions about the training. Van'er suddenly cleared his head. [This is a great opportunity! If I could make Your Highness believe that the Militia alone wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility of defending the city walls, then perhaps I won't need to worry about whether to stay or sneak away.]</p>
|
||||
<p>He carefully cogitated his word choice. "Your... Honorable Highness, the number of the members of the Militia is small. If we continue the current alignment training method, when the demonic beasts attack, we at most can only defend one third of the city wall. Will you consider..."</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if Prince Roland recruited more members, there would not be enough time for training, Van'er thought. Besides, there would be a huge expense for their weapons. It would be arduous to gather enough spears for 300 members within two months in Border Town. It would be difficult to assemble even a hundred spears, therefore, they were still training with wooden rods.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Prince Roland could realize that, then perhaps he would recruit mercenary from other towns as the primary defense force. At least the mercenary would be able to go on the battlefield without training. They would have their own weapons and armors, except that the price would be a bit high.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland pondered for a moment and nodded. "You have good points. It's unrealistic to have the Militia alone guard entire city wall."</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er felt delighted. His Highness meant... to agree with his thoughts?</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Prince Roland did not say what Van'er was expecting to hear. Instead, he called Iron Axe. "In a sense, demonic beasts are just mutated beasts and that they don't have the ability to think, right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness. The normal demonic beasts are no different from those wild beasts, and even their habits are almost the same... As for the demonic hybrids, I haven't seen many so I'm not sure."</p>
|
||||
<p>"That'll be okay. Even though it's almost 600 meters from the Redwater River to the foot of North Slope Mountain, we can lure the demonic beasts to attack the specific areas."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You mean setting up traps?" Iron Axe asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's a trap, but not the kind that hunters would typically use. Standard traps capture preys by concealing themselves. Well, I want to do the opposite. I'll set up roadblocks from places far away from the city wall, such as fences, earth slopes, ditches to force the unintelligent demonic beasts to detour. The continuous roadblocks will lead the preys to assigned locations, and at the end gather at the defense area that we prepared." Roland looked at the Iron Axe. "As for how to lure those beasts, I think no one knows better than you do."</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe thought for a moment. "It'll be fine to guide then, and demonic wolves don't like water, demonic boars are afraid of light, and all the other demonic beasts have their own habits. But Your Highness, in this way, we'll have all the demonic beasts gathered within this area of 600 feet, wouldn't that be too dangerous?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's true if we only have spears and arrows as the weapon," Roland said confidently, "but now, we have a new weapon."</p>
|
||||
<p>When it was about the time to leave, the prince once again came to Van'er and patted on his shoulder. "You have a good observation. What's your name?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Van-Van'er, Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll propose to my chief knight to appoint you as the Deputy Force Commander of the Spear Squad. Mr. Van'er, I'm looking forward to seeing your more achievements."</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland built a flat house in the yard of the firing room to produce snow powder—in other words, the gunpowder.</p>
|
||||
<p>This 300-square-meter house only had one entrance and was heavily guarded. There were two knights guarding the entrance. To prevent anyone from bringing flammables to the room, all visitors were required to register and go through the security check.</p>
|
||||
<p>"This is the new weapon that you talked about?" Carter, who was summoned by Roland, pinched the black powder with his fingers, and sniffed it. "Isn't it the snow powder?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps Iron Axe did not know, but Carter often attended the royal ceremonies, and of course, he knew that snow powder was something that people place in the ceremonial barrels. It was the proudest production of the alchemical workshop and its prescription was a confidentiality to outsiders. However, the prince could get whatever he wanted.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's snow power, but not entirely the same," Roland said, "and it's the newest modified product of the alchemical workshop. I call it the gunpowder."</p>
|
||||
<p>Gunpowder was known as the secret weapon for mass production. Its ingredients were easily accessible. The prescription required three ingredients: sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. Gunpowder would be made by just mixing these three ingredients at a 1:1.5:7.5 ratio. It could be easily produced without any technical barriers.</p>
|
||||
<p>The snow powder in this age consisted of 60% of charcoal, 20% of sulfur and saltpeter, and 20% of other bizarre, inferior ingredients (such as mercury, butter, honey, etc.). It could not function as gunpowder due to its slow combustion speed and insufficient gas release. However, Roland knew that the alchemists were trying to test other prescriptions. In at most 30 years, a prescription similar to the standard gunpowder prescription would be developed.</p>
|
||||
<p>In history, after the invention of gunpowder, it still took a long time for people to forgo the usage of cold weapons. The reason rooted in the prescription of gunpowder and also the stagnation of the related armament manufacture industry.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, many people overlooked the fact that gunpowder itself could be an extremely formidable weapon even without relying on firearms.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 34 - The Trial Blasting</h2>
|
||||
<p>Right when the firing room for cement was built, Roland had already assigned labs for the several follow-up projects. Most of the labs were being built around the North Slope Mine area so that the labs could be efficiently guarded—the construction of the labs was speedy due to their simple composition of adobe walls and wooden roofs. And their construction would not intervene with the construction of the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>The saltpeter purchased from Willow Town was delivered to the nearby warehouse to be stored. It would be ground, measured, and sent to the labs when it was time to use them. Charcoal and sulfur would go through the same process. The transport and mixture of the three ingredients would be completed by different groups of people. This way, Roland could eliminate the risk of the plan being leaked out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland took 20 pounds from the pre-made gunpowder, and slowly poured it onto a cropped sheepskin.</p>
|
||||
<p>The gunpowder all went through the process of soaking, compressing, drying, grinding, and screening. They were all in similar sizes and extremely inflammable. To prevent any accidents due to the collision of sparks, the entire manufacturing process did not use any metal products. Instead, they used ceramics or wooden products.</p>
|
||||
<p>After pouring the gunpowder, Roland folded the sheepskin to three folds and tied it with string.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's all I need to do?" Carter asked. This object in front of him could also be called a weapon? Although it was the modified version of the snow powder, it would not do any damage just by its loud noise. Perhaps it would be effective to farmers who had never been to the battlefield, but it certainly would not frighten the trained soldiers and mercenaries. However... the chief knight pondered cautiously, although the things that His Highness had been doing seemed unreasonable, they all turned out to be extremely efficient. If the demonic beasts had similar intelligence to ordinary beasts, perhaps this gunpowder thing would actually work? For example, a sudden loud noise could make them flee in startle. That way, the stress on the troop could be lessened.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland gave the wrapped up gunpowder to Carter and took a bag of the inflammable gunpowder that had been ground. "It's almost the time, let's head to the outside of the city wall. Iron Axe should already be prepared."</p>
|
||||
<p>About two miles from the city wall to the west, the vacant space between Misty Forest and the Impassable Mountain Range would be the area to do the trial blasting.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe and the other hunters had already been waiting here for a long time. Besides Iron Axe, everyone was local and also the ones with the best archery skills. Hearing that Prince Roland had a mission to assign them, they immediately followed Iron Axe over.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone knew now that the new Lord of Border Town was generous about giving remunerations.</p>
|
||||
<p>Following Roland's command, they set up long wooden poles on the four corners, tied up strings, and enclosed a watch circle for half of a mile. Roland assigned knights to scout near the city wall in case anyone approached by accident.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland examined around the watch circle, and nodded. "Did you bring all the preys?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, the preys are here." Iron Axe came up with a cage. Carter noticed the hens and rabbits in the cage.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Very well, put them on 5 steps, 10 steps, 15 steps, and 30 steps away from the center and tie one on every wooden pole."</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter shook his head and suggested, "Your Highness, I'm afraid the preys you selected could hardly have any test effect. These animals are timid by nature. They will flee if there're any noises nearby. Even if the noise could scare them, but it wouldn't be able to startle the demonic beasts."</p>
|
||||
<p>"To startle the demonic beasts?" Roland paused for one moment and realized. "I'm not planning to scare them, even though this thing is astonishing when it explodes."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland brought the chief knight to the center of the circle, dropped off a bag of gunpowder, and tore an opening in the bag to allow some powder to leak out. Then Roland pulled out the leather bag with gunpowder, and continued to sprinkle the gunpowder from the opening while stepping backward.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was a windless day, perfect for such a primordial explosive method.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland retrieved the leather bag only when they retreated to 100 meters away.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's enough, let's ignite it here." He repeatedly estimated the distance, making sure it was errorless, and then said to Carter, "Bring all the hunters here."</p>
|
||||
<p>At this moment, Roland was quite excited. He had done a smaller scale of the explosion test so he was not that concerned with the outcome of the experiment. What he really cared about was that this moment would be a moment of great invention. The thermal weapon would officially step on the stage and Roland would be recorded into history as the chief leader.</p>
|
||||
<p>After everyone gathered, Roland ignited the gunpowder.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter lay on the ground. He felt uneasy as he watched the spark furthering away.</p>
|
||||
<p>With such a long distance, plus it was not even put in the bronze barrel, the exploding noise of snow powder might not even be reached here. It was unnecessary for Prince Roland to demand that everyone had to lie on the ground. However, there was nothing left to say since Prince Roland took the lead himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ground was freezing cold during winter. Carter could felt the chill even if he was wearing chain armor. Carter moved a bit; an astonishingly loud sound broke out as he was about to lie on his side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because the distance was too close, the exploding noise and the shock arrived at the same time. He felt a sudden buzzing in his ears and the world became quiet. The shaking of the ground continued momentarily. He lifted up his head and saw a black cloud rising into the air, followed by the falling of stones and mud.</p>
|
||||
<p>The shock that Roland received was much less than the chief knight's. As someone that would cover his ears even for firecrackers, Roland promptly prepared protection for himself. The explosive point was unlike in movies, where there would be huge fireballs; the glaring light of flame flashed, multitudes of mud were blasted off the ground, reaching a height of 10 meters in the air. When everything settled down, the only thing that Roland felt was this noise was much louder than firecrackers.</p>
|
||||
<p>Regarding Iron Axe and the other hunters, they were flabbergasted by what they just saw and heard. Only Iron Axe knew that this experiment was to test a new weapon, but he also did not expect the momentum of the weapon to be so groundbreaking.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only the thunder of God's Punishment could be comparable to this!</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland stood up. He led the group to the center of the explosion. There was a half-meter deep hole on the ground. The bunny that was closest to the center had utterly disappeared, leaving only a short stake on the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland examined every other prey. The hens that were placed on the 10 step point and 15 step point were lying on the ground, apparently dead. Although there were no physical damages on them, Roland knew that they died of the shock from the explosion.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only survivor was the gray bunny that was placed on the 30 step (about 15 meters) point. There were drops of blood from its ear, and it even gave up struggling when people walked near it. It seemed like that the massive blast of the explosion had deprived its soul.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter swallowed. The buzzing in his ears was gradually recovering. Until now, he finally understood what Prince Roland meant by "not planning to scare them away." Was that the outcome of the modification of snow powder? With such accomplishment, the power of alchemists would be much superior to the power of astrologers.</p>
|
||||
<p>The way Iron Axe looked at Roland had changed. "Your Highness, if the Militia could utilize such a weapon, then Border Town would no longer be threatened by the demonic beasts. Could this weapon be mass produced?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland shrugged. "Probably not, we would only be able to produce 20 to 30 of them before the Months of Demons." The key issue was the saltpeter. The manufacture in this age was still quiet primordial. The only way of manufacturing was to collect the nitric acid crystals separated out by the lime mixture of human and livestock' waste. Other than the alchemists and the upper nobles that had a demand, there was almost no other uses. So there were few refining fields, if they were all used to do explosives, they would soon be exhausted.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the ultimate weapon, it had to be used along with flintlock and crossbow bolts.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
66
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00035-35-The-Home.html
Normal file
66
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00035-35-The-Home.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 35 - The Home</h2>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale walked in the Mist.</p>
|
||||
<p>In it, she could see the world had only two colors, black and white.</p>
|
||||
<p>The outline of all things turned vague, and the lines that used to be straight were folded, and curved, as incomprehensible and abstract as doodles painted by children.</p>
|
||||
<p>The feeling was hard to get a sense of, and it took her a long time to distinguish the different types of lines. If she handled them well, there was nothing that would restrain her, and she could travel unimpeded in the Mist. Though the wall seemed to link up into one stretch, with a little change of the angle, she could see a gate to the real world, a gate that never existed in reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Mist, the concepts of up, down, forward, and backward were not consistent, and they would shift and even overlap. Now she did this again and sneaked into the castle under guards' noses, following the changeable lines. Step by step through the void, she went through the ceiling and entered Anna's chamber.</p>
|
||||
<p>For Nightingale, it was an absolutely free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Mist was the only place where she truly felt at peace. Quiet and lonely as it may be, she enjoyed the safe, unthreatened feeling it gave her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Mostly, it was black and white, but sometimes she could see other colors.</p>
|
||||
<p>Such as the color of Anna who was in front of her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Different from ordinary people, the witches were an aggregate of magic power which was the only color in the Mist, and Nightingale could see how the power flowed and faded.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, she had never seen colors as strong and rich as Anna's. There was a dark green light glittering on her that led to a dazzling bright white core. Nightingale was confused. Generally, the color of magic power was connected to the owner's performance of ability, and for the witches that she knew in the Witch Cooperation Association who had the power to control fire, the light that shone out of them was dark red or orange and shaped like a fireball. Whether in size or radiance of light, Anna's fire was far above theirs.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition, there was something even more miraculous.</p>
|
||||
<p>How was she still alive with so much powerful energy converging on her?</p>
|
||||
<p>Of all the witches in the Witch Cooperation Association, no one had power as strong as Anna, not even the adults. And when Anna became an adult...</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale sighed. She knew that Anna no longer had any hope. The bite grew with power, and she was afraid to even imagine what horror would come to Anna when the Demonic Torture began. She knew the feeling too well. From your skin to your guts, the constant sharp pain tore at you, keeping you conscious until the moment you gave up and accepted death.</p>
|
||||
<p>Stepping out from the Mist, she restrained the depressed mood and braced herself up, greeting, "Good morning, Anna."</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna, who had been used to Nightingale's abrupt and uninvited visits, nodded. She did not reply but continued practicing with her fire.</p>
|
||||
<p>Rubbing her nose, Nightingale headed to the girl's bed and sat down.</p>
|
||||
<p>She had seen Anna practice many times, from the beginning when she set fire to her own robes accidentally and had prepared a full bucket of robes in a shed in the backyard garden till later when she could easily make the flame dance on her fingertip, and Roland had to dismiss the supervision and take down the shed to make room for afternoon tea and sunbath.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even so, Anna still followed the old instruction of Roland and kept practicing two or four hours every day in her own chamber.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've brought some fish cake, do you want some?" Nightingale took out a little bag and unfolded it, handing it over.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna smelled it and nodded.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Go and wash your hands." Nightingale smiled, feeling lucky that Anna did not hate her but was simply bad at talking. In fact, Anna barely even talked to Nana who she cared about so much. She scarcely talked to anyone except Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>In contrast, Roland talked too much of his endless principles. Even for dinners, he had many rules, like washing hands before eating, eating slowly, and never putting anything that dropped on the floor into your mouth, etc. He could go on and on about every principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Though Roland's sermon sounded annoying to her at first, she had to listen and obey because Roland, the fourth Prince of Graycastle and the lord of this land, had accommodated her under his roof. Now, she actually formed those habits and somehow, felt a sense of odd fun when competing with Roland and Nana to be the first one to wash hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna washed her hands in a pail and lit a little fire to dry them before she pinched a fish cake and returned to her table and ate it slowly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did you really make up your mind not to return with me?" said Nightingale, trying to start a conversation. "We have a lot of sisters there and they would take care of you."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Over here, the castle is the only place you can stroll and roam. It's quite boring, isn't it?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Indeed we don't have much food or goods, but we're a family having joined together for the same purpose."</p>
|
||||
<p>"A girl like you who has such power will be most welcome."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm afraid that you'll not make it through this winter..."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale's voice lowered. "Maybe it's too late," she thought. Even if she went back to the camp, Anna's power was so strong that she would never survive the adulthood. All Nightingale could do was to watch her die.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Where did you live before joining the Witch Cooperation Association?" Anna asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale waited for a little while, for Anna barely asked her anything. "I... used to live in a big city in the east, near the capital."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Were you happy?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Happy? No." It was a piece of memory she would never recall. It was when she had to depend on others for a living, being despised and mocked. And things turned worse when she found out she was a witch. She was watched and chained around the neck, just like a cat or dog, forced to follow their commands. Nightingale shook her head and asked softly, "Why are you asking?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I used to live in the Old District." Anna briefly went through her story. "My father sold me for 25 gold royals to the church. It was His Highness who released me. I'm very happy here."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But you cannot get out of this castle. Except for Roland Wimbledon, everyone still hates witches."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't really care about it, and he promised that he would change them all, didn't he?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"As long as the church stands, witches will always be treated as evil, and that will make the change extremely difficult."</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna did not contradict her and was quiet for so long that Nightingale thought she would never speak again. Then she asked suddenly, "What place makes you happier to live in, the Witch Cooperation Association or here?"</p>
|
||||
<p>The question caught Nightingale unprepared, and she was flustered. "What, what're you talking about? O-of course, it's..."</p>
|
||||
<p>The Witch Cooperation Association? Honestly, she did not have much interest in searching Holy Mountain, but in the association, she had some friends who she would never leave behind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Border Town? She would not have been here if she hadn't heard the news of endangered witches!</p>
|
||||
<p>The answer was obvious, so why was she hesitating?</p>
|
||||
<p>This time, a smile appeared on Anna's face, the smile that Nightingale had hardly seen. Her eyes were as clear as water in the lake twinkling in the early sun, and brought her a feeling of odd relief – even though she did not walk in the "Mist". "Roland used to tell me that you girls are looking for the Holy Mountain among the northern mountains, and I've found mine if it's the safe and home that you want to find there."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale realized Border Town was Anna's Holy Mountain. However, death was coming upon her, and her spirit would approach the next world earlier than most witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were hurried footsteps outside the door. Listening carefully, Nightingale figured out it was from Nana.</p>
|
||||
<p>The door was flung open before Nana dashed in.</p>
|
||||
<p>She ran into Anna's arms, weeping, and said, "Anna, my sister, wh-what should I do? My father has found out I'm a witch."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 36 - The Negotiation</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland was dragged out of bed by Nightingale.</p>
|
||||
<p>He was taken aback when hearing the news that Nana Pine's father was waiting for him in the hall. But he realized it was a good opportunity—in order to have the girl's support in the fight against the Months of Demons, he must persuade the Pines to spend winter in Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>It had been a tricky situation for Prince Roland, as his reputation and popularity had hit rock bottom among the noble. Even his relations with Longsong Stronghold had turned strained. He would not stand a chance to keep the nobles at Border Town in winter, as their business lay mostly in the east of Longsong Stronghold. From the very beginning, Roland had not thought of cooperating with the nobles, who were good at winning power and possessions, rather than fighting side by side.</p>
|
||||
<p>He got dressed quickly and briefly cleaned himself, before heading to the hall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Being left alone for so long that he could no longer hide his rage, Tigui Pine stood up and asked as soon as he saw the prince, "Your Highness, where is my daughter?"</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the first time Roland saw Nana's father. He was strong and sturdy, not very tall, and had a thick beard that made him tough looking. From his attire of the waisted cotton garment and leather pant attached with big pockets, he looked like more a huntsman than a noble.</p>
|
||||
<p>"She's fine, Mr. Pine..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why did your guards let her in but yet bar me outside?" Tigui interrupted loudly. "I need an explanation, Your Highness! Please take my daughter to see me!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland did not expect this and got stunned for a little while. He had pictured a scene that a father, who knew that his poor daughter was a witch, would beg his prince to hide the news, or ask him for help to deal with the problem. However, a father who was so pushy and discourteous without his noble manner, did surprise Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly, he knew why the guards allowed Nana in, for they were under his command. They became familiar with Nana who had been coming here for Anna from time to time.</p>
|
||||
<p>After a moment's thought, he summoned the maid to take Nana here.</p>
|
||||
<p>[However rude he is, Tigui Pine is Nana's father. Let's see what'll happen when they meet each other. If he has any plans to send the girl to the church or abandon her, I'll intervene and take action,] Roland thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>Following Anna, Nana stepped in the chamber.</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing his daughter, Tigui Pine's anger died away at once. He opened his arms and called Nana, "Come here, my daughter."</p>
|
||||
<p>The young girl did not move. Hiding behind Anna, she popped out half a head and asked, "Will you sell me to the church?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Nonsense... what are you talking about? Silly girl, the church doesn't want a girl as silly as you. Come home with me now."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was confused about what was happening. Nightingale told him that after Nana's father bumped into her when she was doing magic, she ran to the castle for Anna in panic. Her father was after her, his face murderous.</p>
|
||||
<p>But all he could see from Tigui was how he cared about and loved his daughter, unlike ordinary people who loathed the witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Do I have my facts wrong?]</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland hesitated for a little while and decided to be frank. "Mr. Pine, I believe you've already known that your daughter is a witch."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Pardon me, Your Highness, I don't understand," said Tigui, as he stepped over and tried to grasp Nana's hand, but was blocked by Anna.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Father, I'm a witch now... sorry," Nana whispered.</p>
|
||||
<p>Tigui became anxious and said, "Nonsense! Witch? Must be the teachings from the damn guy Karl. I shouldn't have sent you to the school because what you've learned is nothing but bullsh*t!"</p>
|
||||
<p>These words hit Roland's mind, and he realized that all the concealing Tigui had done for Nana might be due to his misunderstanding of him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, he was so anxious and worried before seeing Nana.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna." He winked at the witch, and she nodded. She reached out her right hand to Tigui who tried to bypass Anna and get Nana. Fire burst from her palm, flying pass his top.</p>
|
||||
<p>Tigui's eyes widened, flustering backward to dodge the fire. Nana held Anna's arm in alarm. "Sister Anna, No!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, what's..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"As you see, she is also a witch, like your daughter." Roland extended his hand and said, "Maybe you've misunderstood the reason why Nana is free to walk in the castle. Shall we have a real talk now?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Tigui seemed awakened. "Ha! Ha!" he said, "Your Highness, I..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Take a seat." Roland pointed to the table and said, "Let's begin our talk with some nice tea."</p>
|
||||
<p>He sighed secretly. [Now I see now how notorious my reputation is. They even think I'll put my claw on little girls. Now, I've understood everything from Tigui's ungracious behavior. What will a father, who loves his daughter so much, think when he sees his girl running into the castle where the guards are accustomed to her?</p>
|
||||
<p>If I'm the father, I'll bring down the castle on my own.]</p>
|
||||
<p>The words Tigui used to cover up the truth that his daughter was a witch had proved all things clearly—worrying that the prince would threaten him with some excuse that Nana had fallen into depravity, and only cleansing could save her. He personally did not care much about whether his baby daughter was a witch or not.</p>
|
||||
<p>Tigui hesitated for a long while before taking the seat. He drank up a cup of tea, dried his lips with his sleeves, looked awkward, and said, "My apologies, I've been rude. Please tell me when did you know my daughter was a... witch?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It was before winter, and it was not me but her teacher Karl Van Bate who found her awakened. He entrusted me to protect Nana because of Anna, his friend." Roland explained explicitly. "In this half month, she came to the castle to practice her power when she was available. By the way, she has the power to heal."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Has she?" Tigui scratched his head and said, "That was why the cat started to run and skip again."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Cat?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Er... Nothing special. When I came back home, I found her sitting on porch and carrying a cat wounded by a carriage. I was about to scare her from her back, but when she spotted me, she ran away immediately. The cat had broken legs, but suddenly it recovered." He gazed at Nana and Anna and asked, "You two are friends?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana nodded quickly before Anna could make any response.</p>
|
||||
<p>Tigui's face turned gentle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing this, Roland asked, "It seems that you don't trust the rumor that the witches are the evils seduced by the demon."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Certainly, my daughter is no evil!" he said firmly, "and whatever she turns into, there's no doubt about that."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was touched by Nana's father who was much different from Anna's father. He finally understood the reason why Nana was always so sweet and innocent, wearing a smile on her face almost every day. This family was like a warm cradle for a kid to grow up in.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I have no doubt either, Mr. Pine." The prince was straightforward. "Your daughter has a marvelous power to heal the wounded. I hope she'll stay in Border Town, assisting me to fight through the Months of Demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>Tigui was indecisive. "Your Highness, forgive me, I have no choice but to refuse. When the Months of Demons come, Border Town will be deadly dangerous, and I'd never allow her to stay in danger."</p>
|
||||
<p>[Tigui Pine's land is beyond Border Town's governance, I can't command him directly even in the name of a prince.] Still, Roland believed that nothing was impossible when they were willing to sit down and talk.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 37 - Tigui Pine's Family History</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Danger is relative, Mr. Pine, yet opportunity comes with danger," Roland said, as he read over the relevant materials collected by his assistant minister in his mind. "You inherited the title from your father, am I right? He had been a knight and was rewarded the name and land for his valor in battle."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Exactly," Tigui said, nodding.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The battle also started in the Months of Demons, and it was an honorable battle fought for the innocent. At that time, a small number of demonic beasts accidentally crossed our stronghold defense through the Redwater River into the hinterland of the Western Region. Your father came across those beasts when he was in his patrol duty. Considering that the town behind him had no fortifications, though it was not in his governance, he chose to attack the beasts. Rather than avoiding and retreating for support, which most man would have done under the same circumstances," Roland stated, watching Tigui. "I believe you're clearer about what happened afterward than me. Together with the men who he gathered in town and his squire, your father marched on the beasts and defeated them."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Indeed," Tigui said, his voice trembled with excitement, apparently admiring this glorious history. "One of the monsters, dreadfully huge, looked like either a stage or an ox or the combination of both. Its leg was thicker and sturdier than my father's trunk and shook the ground when it ran. I could never defeat this kind of monster if I were there."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But he did it. Standing near a shallow groove, my father lured the angry beast to him, and when it sped up to strike, he lay down in the shallow groove, holding the sword on a stone with the tip right up. The seemingly invincible beast was too foolish to dodge the sword tip which ripped open its belly, and the guts poured out, covering all over my father. By now, above my hearth still hangs the reward from that battle—a large horn from a demonic beast."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland drank some tea and said calmly, "The battle was worthy of admiration. Your father had kept his faith, compassion, and bravery of a knight. Joe Kohl, who gave your father the title and the land, was an earl in Longsong Stronghold back then. 25 years ago, he was promoted to a duke by my father, King Wimbledon III. He was appointed as the Guardian of the Southern Border with his governance extending all over the Southern Territory. It was a pity that with no one staying in Longsong Stronghold to back the late Pine. After Joe Kohl had received the new appointment, he became a thorn in the eyes of the Duke of Longs Stronghold, when he stayed at the east of Longsong Stronghold."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You know it all too well." Tigui exhaled, looking a little helpless. "Lord Joe doesn't get along well with Duke of Longsong Stronghold and didn't obtain his earl's title from the duke, either. With a bloodline tracing back to the branch of the crown, he's not beneath Duke Ryan, whether by family or blood."</p>
|
||||
<p>"This is politics", Roland thought secretly, a trick played by King Wimbledon III that would balance two powers.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to fully understand the complicated relations between these two families, he had spent a whole day with his assistant minister.</p>
|
||||
<p>The lands and governance among the noble are extremely complicated. In theory, the superiors were able to command juniors within his land. But it turns out that was far more complex to carry out. As we could see from Joe Kohl and Duke Ryan, though having his land in the Western Region, Joe Kohl, who was an earl named directly by the king, was as respected and beloved as Duke Ryan by the subjects.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Joe had been titled the Duke of the Southern Territory, the crown would surely arrange new spies on his land, which was the usual means to keep political stability.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Therefore, when the land was passed to you, the trade and farm had turned bad gradually, and the property was no longer as prosperous as it had been," Roland said slowly. "Now, here is a new chance for you."</p>
|
||||
<p>"A new... chance?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I suppose you heard the famine that happened two years ago. Longsong Stronghold detained the food supply of the next month in the name of insufficient ores trading. This year we have the same trouble. The unexpected collapse that happened in the Mine of Northern Slope has backed my people into a corner, and we have to ward off demonic beasts with the help of our newly built city wall. The war will be tough and hard, but yet chances come with danger, as I said before."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." Tigui knew what the prince meant. He frowned and said nothing.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It seems to me that you're not a general noble." Roland smiled. "For no nobles dress like you when they're out and no high-borns get their palms full of horns. Mr. Pine, you haven't left behind your father's legacy, have you? The fighting skill of a knight."</p>
|
||||
<p>It was certain that he did not leave behind the skill, Roland thought, or he would never spend so much time on the Misty Forest. From the information offered by Barov, he spent at least three days every week in the Misty Forest during his days in Border Town. Each time he was fully equipped and brought hunters with him because he could not afford to keep squires. Some people liked fighting and apparently, Tigui Pine was one of them.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll offer you this chance to win back the honor of your father—to fight for them with your sword and courage. I'll reward you a piece of land in the east of Border Town, an appropriate piece of land for the viscount if you're doing well in battle."</p>
|
||||
<p>Though it rarely happened, the offer was valid. When a prince had come of age, he had the power to name the viscount, baron, and knight according to law. However, he barely did it to the men who were under other lords' authorities. He was afraid of either being inappropriate to poach from other lords or being awkward to be rejected. But in Roland's eyes, manners meant nothing compared to Nana's healing skill, neither did he worry about being rejected by Mr. Pine. Since Joe did not bring Tigui's father with him when he was the Guardian of the Southern Border, it seemed that Joe had given up the Pines.</p>
|
||||
<p>Finally, Tigui said, "Your Highness, may I send Nana back to Longsong Stronghold? No one has ever defeated the demonic beasts here, and I don't want my daughter to perish here in case we lose the battle."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've told you from the very beginning, Mr. Pine, that the danger is relative. Have you ever thought what if anyone in Longsong Stronghold finds out Nana is a witch? Unlike here, the church has its root deep and long in Longsong Stronghold. With disciples and spies everywhere, I can't even save her, once her identity is revealed."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland paused for a moment and added, "Border Town will not fall, for I'll fight with my people side by side on the city wall when the Months of Demons comes. Our enemies are mutated beasts not unbeatable demons. You father defeated them on a plain without any cover, and we have more now, an unsurpassable wall that stands between the beasts and us. If... I mean, if we're truly in danger, I'll send Nana away to secure her safety." He paused. "And Anna, too. I'll prepare a boat on the dock in case. I promise they'll be safe."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then... I lay my trust on you, Your Highness," said Tigui Pine, and he stood up and kneeled, his chest straight up and his belly flat, before he saluted the prince with a knight courtesy and pledged. "I'll fight for you."</p>
|
||||
<p>...</p>
|
||||
<p>After Tigui and Nana had taken their leave, Anna rolled her eyes to Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What're you dreaming of?" she said, "I'm not going anywhere."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 38 - The Era of Firearms</h2>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe knew that he was under surveillance.</p>
|
||||
<p>The hunters involved in the trial blasting were gathered in a two-story building near the castle. Looking through the window, one could see the stone walls enveloping the castle and the guards stationed at the entrance.</p>
|
||||
<p>It didn't bother him. Rather, he felt that it was reckless for His Highness to send only two guards to watch over them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even now, the roar of the trial blasting echoed in his mind. There had never been a weapon that left him in so much shock. In the Southernmost Land, he had witnessed orange fire erupting from within the earth, which burnt for decades. He had also seen the monstrous winds and waves at the Endless Cape... However, those were the immeasurable prestige of the Heavens, the will of the Mother Earth or the Sea God, as well as the iron whip of the deities used to punish all creatures.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet His Highness alone had usurped the power of the three gods and obtained God's strength to punish all creatures. His power was still lacking compared to the Heavens' thunderbolts, but it was already in a realm untouchable by mere humans.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the participants in Iron Sand City proved to be still useful, their tongues would generally be cut off. Of course, that was not the safest practice to keep their secrets. Only the dead would carry their secrets to grave. As for the foreigners, even just the sight of them was considered blasphemy. It was impossible for any of them to assimilate into the core class of the Mojin Clan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though the prince was aware that he was from a different race, he still allowed him to witness the Fire of God's Punishment. The prince even intended for him to form the Hunter Squad. His trust roused Iron Axe's spirits and set his blood boiling.</p>
|
||||
<p>After being betrayed and framed countless times in Iron Sand City, he fled to the Southern Territory in the Kingdom of Graycastle. But he still suffered discrimination there due to his mixed blood of Sand Nation and Graycastle Nation people. Dispirited, he came to Border Town with the intention to work as a hunter for the rest of his life. Yet he unexpectedly won the prince's favor here.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had no doubts that this new weapon would pave the way for Roland Wimbledon's victory in the Selection of Crown Prince.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe was thrilled to know that he would have an opportunity to serve the future king.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Everyone, gather downstairs!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Hearing the shout, Iron Axe looked out. The voice belonged to Carter Lannis, Prince Roland's Chief Knight.</p>
|
||||
<p>He finished dressing up and hurried downstairs. He walked towards Carter and stood upright in front of him. He had participated in the training of the Militia, so he knew that His Highness favored disciplined and well-organized troops. The other hunters, however, were much slower. The six people spent about half a quarter just to line up.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The same old place. Follow me." Unconcerned, Carter headed straight to the city wall with everyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was the same site for the trial blasting, but without cordons this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Other than Roland, there were four knights with him; all of them Carter's subordinates. Iron Axe noticed that the prince was fiddling with an oddly-shaped long metal stick as he explained something to the knights.</p>
|
||||
<p>Noticing the arrival of Iron Axe and the others, Roland approached them and asked, "Have you all got used to living in your new place?</p>
|
||||
<p>"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Everyone bowed and answered that their new houses were very comfortable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe thought that the new houses were much better than the old ones. At least, they did not leak. The roofs were not covered with thin straw blankets, but neatly lined with tiles instead.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's great." Roland nodded and added, "The current arrangement is for security reasons. You can return to your old houses after the Months of Demons ends. I've also distributed your first month's salaries to your families. You can meet them on weekends, accompanied by guards of course."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness." The hunters' replies were cheerful.</p>
|
||||
<p>This came as a surprise to Iron Axe. Never mind the law of Sand Nation, even the military management of the Kingdom of Graycastle should not be this lax. Was this His Highness's benevolence towards them? He became a little worried. If the prince wanted to fight for the throne, he must be merciless. That Iron Axe knew all too well, having lived in Iron Sand City.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, when Prince Roland said that they would test a new weapon based on gunpowder next, Iron Axe immediately threw his worries behind. He stared without blinking at the prince as he showed them two oddly-shaped iron sticks.</p>
|
||||
<p>"They're called flintlocks," said Roland. "I'll tell you how to use them next."</p>
|
||||
<p>...</p>
|
||||
<p>It took Iron Axe only half an hour to learn how to use the new weapons.</p>
|
||||
<p>Put gunpowder—that was, the black powder which would cause the Fire of God's Punishment—into the barrel, put a lead pill, and poke it until it reached the end. Then pour the gunpowder into the flash pan at the rear, aim at the target, and pull the trigger.</p>
|
||||
<p>He believed he had a talent for killing and were skilled in all kinds of weapons, whether it was the sword, knife, hammer, axe, or spear. But that was due to years of training and combat experience. To master a weapon in only half an hour, this learning speed could only be comparable to that of the hand crossbow.</p>
|
||||
<p>The other flintlock was handed to Carter.</p>
|
||||
<p>Chief Knight was also intrigued by the novel weapon and was unwilling to put it down.</p>
|
||||
<p>After several rounds of simulations, Roland let them test the power of the weapons with live ammunition. The target was already prepared. It was a plate armor propped up by a wooden stick, held up by two knights standing about 30 feet away.</p>
|
||||
<p>Following the shooting method the prince demonstrated, Iron Axe and Carter aimed and pulled the trigger.</p>
|
||||
<p>The loud noise coming from the first fire startled everyone present. Iron Axe was no exception. But very soon, everyone's faces were colored with astonishment.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a small hole on the plate armor. The lead shot had cleanly penetrated the thickest part of the armor.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe had carefully observed the armor before they began shooting. It was evidently not some shoddy product from a handmade workshop. The mark of the hammer and anvil on the neck showed that it was a standard armor from the Blacksmith Society in the Kingdom of Graycastle. The thickest part of the armor was half the thickness of a finger, strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a crossbow at a close distance. The wiser choice to deal with this kind of armor would be to use a heavy crossbow, war hammer, or halberd.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, the flintlock was equally easy to operate as the hand crossbow, but far stronger in power. Its loading speed was also equivalent to that of the hand crossbow. As for the accuracy... A target 30 feet away would be nothing.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, the output of this weapon..." Carter said.</p>
|
||||
<p>"There are only two at the moment. We can produce two more at most until the Months of Demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe saw that Carter was visibly relieved. He could roughly guess his thoughts. If this weapon could be manufactured easily, it would take only a few days to train a large number of "quick warriors" with the flintlocks. There would be no restriction in age, occupation, or even gender. Even a fragile woman could pose a great threat to the knights.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although it was not as shocking as Fire of God's Punishment, it was still a good weapon. Iron Axe thought it would be easy to kill the giant pachyderm demonic beasts outside the city wall with this power. If he had a flintlock when he was facing the demonic hybrids back then, the outcome might not have been so pathetic.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the scene, Roland alone understood the true meaning of this weapon.</p>
|
||||
<p>With his own hands, he had unveiled the curtains to a firearms war.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
79
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00039-39-The-Winter.html
Normal file
79
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00039-39-The-Winter.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 39 - The Winter</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland stood on the city wall and looked out toward the north. In the past month, he repeatedly inspected the castle, the mine, and the city walls, checking every possible detail that might have been neglected.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Militia became increasingly skilled at handling the weapons. Under Carter's repeated drills, they had been able to stabilize their spears until the captain who was in charge of the observation gave the order to attack.</p>
|
||||
<p>Standing behind them was the Hunter Squad. The hunters who stayed in Border Town that were skilled in bows and crossbows were absorbed into this squad. These experienced hunters were the main force to kill the demonic beasts. Standing on the 4-meter-high city walls and shooting at the corner, it was almost impossible for them to miss the target.</p>
|
||||
<p>The last squad, which was comprised of Iron Axe, Carter, and other two elite hunters, was the Flintlock Squad. It used four pre-installed flintlocks that were forged by the Blacksmith Society and welded and assembled by Anna. Their job was to kill tough monsters whose skins could not be penetrated with crossbow bolts or demonic hybrids. In that 200-meter section, they would be anywhere if there was a need for them.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for the explosive packages, they were stored in a tightly guarded warehouse next to the city walls. They would be separately transported to the city walls when needed—after all, if there was an accident, the explosive packages might cause greater destruction than the demonic beasts did. The demonic beasts could not bite the cement or the rubble, while the explosive packages could send the whole city wall to heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>So far, Roland had organized two actual combat exercises, including the use of explosive packages. Thanks to these two exercises, the Militia was not so scared of the noise of the explosions that they would throw their weapons away. The other benefit was that the team morale suddenly rose up when it was discovered that the prince held such powerful weapons.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness," Barov tightened his collar and said, "we've spent half of the income of the ore trade. If the Months of Demons are as long as the astrologers said, I don't think we can get through the winter."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then use mine to fill up the vault," Roland said without hesitation, "and continue to trade with Willow Town. The first steam engine has been transported to the mine, and the cleaning of the collapse has almost been completed. So we'll still get a little yield in winter. Especially the rough gemstones, they should be sold as soon as possible and you don't have to consider too much about the price. Storing more food, especially jerky, is always right."</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov nodded. "I will, Your Highness. But... "</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing the hesitant look on his assistant minister's face, Roland surely understood what he wanted to say. "Don't worry, I've arranged a boat. If we're totally defeated, I'll leave."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then I'm relieved," Barov said.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland smiled at him. "You can go and do your work. I'll have a look again."</p>
|
||||
<p>When Barov left, the prince slowly went up into the watchtower. It was the highest point in the center of the city wall. Standing here, he could overlook the vast jungles and rolling hills ahead. The cold wind whistled, but he did not care. Only in this open and high platform could his tense mood in the face of a war calm down.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You lied to him," said someone around him. "You don't intend to leave at all."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Since life is so hard, some things are better hidden."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't understand what you're talking about. If you think it's difficult being a prince, imagine how hard it is for us?" Nightingale appeared. "Even if you won't become a king, as long as you get through the five years of the Royal Decree on the Selection of the Crown Prince, you'll become a lord. Instead of worrying about this, you'd better accompany Anna. I'm afraid... she won't live long."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was silent for a moment. "I don't think she'll die during the Months of Demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why do you think so?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"She said she wouldn't lose to the Demonic Torture." He paused. "And I believe her."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You even believe a witch," said Nightingale shaking her head. "We are cursed by the demons."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Really? I believe you, too."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..."</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian wore casual clothes and stood in front of Greyhound's grave.</p>
|
||||
<p>He gently touched the brand new stone, and looked at the line of words engraved on the pure white surface: "Nameless but long-living. In memory of the hero of Border Town."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Greyhound."</p>
|
||||
<p>[I've realized my dream. At the end of the Months of Demons, Prince Roland will hold a canonization ceremony for me.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[But I don't want to sit on the bed waiting.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[My wounds have healed, so the city wall is where I should be.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[The Months of Demons are coming soon. The demonic beasts may be terrible, but they'll be held back by the line of defense we built together and they can't move a step further.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[I'll wield the sword to guard the town, for you, and for myself.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[This won't be the end.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[The man who framed you is still alive... but he won't live long. It's His Highness' commitment to me.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[Next time I come to you, I'll bring good news.]</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian bent down and placed a bunch of flowers at the grave.</p>
|
||||
<p>"So, goodbye, my friend." Brian silently said to Greyhound.</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sister Anna , aren't you scared?" asked Nana lying on the bed with her legs crossed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Scared of what?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"The Demonic Torture. Nightingale said it would be in winter. I became a witch in autumn this year, so it'll be my first time... "</p>
|
||||
<p>"The first time," Anna said, "will really hurt, and sometimes you even wish to die at once."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah!" Nana shouted and immediately covered her mouth.</p>
|
||||
<p>"But you'll survive, just like me."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't know... " Nana whispered. "I'm not as strong as you."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm not that strong." Anna closed her eyes and envisioned the scene when she met Roland for the first time. It was in the dark and cold dungeon that he put his clothes on her body and softly said he would hire her. Until now, she still felt it unbelievable. "You'll encounter some things that make you want to live on, even if you have to struggle to survive."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Such as…?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Such as a steak with sauce." She sighed. "How can I know what you want, huh?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing Nana staring at herself, Anna wiped her face with her hand and asked, "Is there something dirty on my face?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No... " Nana shook her head. "I'm just a little surprised, you never talked to me so much before... Sister Anna, you were so beautiful when you were thinking with your eyes closed."</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna rolled her eyes, jumped out of bed, and went to the window.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana followed her. "What are you looking at, the Misty Forest?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"The Forest is in the west," Anna said sourly. "I can only see the Redwater River here."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sister Anna, look!" The girl pointed at the sky.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna was startled, and then pushed open the window. A cold wind mixed with little snowflakes poured into the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>She stretched out her hand and squeezed the crystal-clear snowflakes. A chill came to her fingers.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's snowing."</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>"..."</p>
|
||||
<p>After a long silence, Nightingale said, "You didn't lie."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course." Roland laughed. "I rarely lie."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale did not say anything. She tilted her head, with some unknown look in her eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suddenly, she felt cold on her neck and could not help shrinking. She looked up and found that snowflakes were floating over the city wall. It seemed that there were countless white spirits in the gray sky. They danced in the north wind and flew around, accompanied by the slogan of the Militia.</p>
|
||||
<p>... The Months of Demons had begun.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 40 - A Family Letter</h2>
|
||||
<p>The firewood burned, but Gerald Wimbledon felt little heat.</p>
|
||||
<p>The tent was large and made from leather, with its bottom rim running flush to the ground. There should be no air leakage. Nevertheless, he still felt cold, especially his toes, which were frozen almost to the point of being numb.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Even your piss will freeze in this damned place." He spat and stood up, placing his hands on either side of the table, with the veins on his hands bulging as he lifted upwards and the six-square-foot, solid wooden table was lifted off the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Releasing the table near the edge of the fire, Gerald felt a wave of comfort. He took off his shoes and put his feet over the fire to warm himself. Then he unrolled some parchment, and continued to write the unfinished letter.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Dear Olivia,</p>
|
||||
<p>I've been in Hermes for more than a month, even though the men in the church like to call it the 'New Holy City'. Were it not for the Agreement on the Months of the Demons, I still wouldn't wish to stay here. All I want is to return to your home and share a warm bed with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thanks to the agreement, the corps monitoring the church became their allies. Very ironic, isn't it? Speaking of the church, I have to admit that what they have done is truly amazing. 20 years ago, Hermes was nothing but mountains and stones, and the church's towns lay at the bottom of the mountain. But now they have paved the way for carriages to go up the mountain, and have also built a large fortress city at the top of the hill.</p>
|
||||
<p>If it were summer, you should have come with me to see this place. The so-called New Holy City is even more magnificent than Graycastle. And do you remember the theatre in Graycastle? We went together and saw Hamlet. Then you sighed with emotion about how clever the theater was, and the interior was so spacious.</p>
|
||||
<p>But if you see the Hall of Military Affairs in New Holy City, you'll find that the theater in Graycastle isn't even comparable. I would consider it to be an exquisite work of art instead of a building. Even though the theater is so large, it doesn't have even one pillar to support it. Rather, eight things like demon's bones stretch out to the outer walls. Then, many branches and hemp rope are attached to these curved bones, and the roof is suspended in the air. How did they figure it out?</p>
|
||||
<p>And as for those bones, if they were in fact taken from demonic beasts, then the demonic beasts must have been more than 33 meters tall. Only in Hermes would one encounter such a creature. But my dear, please don't fear. Even if the demonic beasts are huge, they are no more than minions of demons. And no evil can escape the sanctions of God, neither demonic beasts, witches or demons themselves. Rather, they'll turn to ashes."</p>
|
||||
<p>At this point, Gerald Wimbledon put down his pen, and shook his tingling hands. It was weird that he felt relaxed swinging around a 15-pound, two-handed sword all day, while he felt tired when he wrote for a short time. He laughed at himself, "I'm really suitable for some rough work."</p>
|
||||
<p>Speaking of demons, I suddenly remember that my brother was assigned to some sort of poor places like Border Town. I'm afraid that he's already fled to Longsong Stronghold, even though the demons there cannot be compared to those in Hermes. I cannot blame him. If I had gone to such a place, I would have also sought refuge. Therefore, you can see how unfair my father is. Did he intend that my second brother inherit the throne just due to his intelligence? Father has forgotten that he himself didn't win the throne of Graycastle by intelligence. Since the death of my mother, I've had more and more difficulty figuring out his thoughts."</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald did not know how to continue, for he did not know whether or not he should tell Olivia the truth. He paused for a moment, and decided to keep writing. If the plan went well, he should have already arrived at Graycastle Palace when the letter was received.</p>
|
||||
<p>"My dear, Astrologer Ansger is right. If I don't do anything, the throne will definitely not belong to me. He's read this in the star image, 'The Apocalypse Star is moving away from the sun. It'll completely deviate from its orbit in at most four months." As the astrologer has told me this, there must not be much time left. I cannot remain idle.</p>
|
||||
<p>After today's battle, I'll secretly return to the king's city with my loyal knights. Coldwind Ridge is far behind Valencia in terms of wealth. But they aren't lacking in courageous warriors. As long as gold is promised, they'll seek the given goal like hungry wolves. Of course, that isn't my ideal method. All I want is to ask father in person the reason he issued the Royal Decree on the Selection of the Crown Prince. In the end, what makes him forget that I should have the right to inherit the throne?</p>
|
||||
<p>Astrologer Ansger has already arranged everything. Olivia, my love, you won't wait much longer. The day I become King, I intend to marry you and make you my Queen. If I should fail... you have no need to return to the king's city, and you should live a good life in Coldwind Ridge.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald loves you."</p>
|
||||
<p>He carefully placed the folded letter into an envelope, and sealed it with wax oil. After checking it a number of times, he knocked on the table, and a bodyguard quickly entered the tent.</p>
|
||||
<p>"This letter shall be sent to Rose in Coldwind. You needn't travel all day and night, and don't have to ride a horse. You'll be dressed as an ordinary traveler, and should travel between the two places on a business trip. Most importantly, this letter must be sent personally."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Royal Highness!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Good, you may leave." Gerald waved away the guards and simply sat down on the table, his feet hanging over the fiery pit.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was no way back.</p>
|
||||
<p>He closed his eyes and recalled his childhood. At that time, he played hide and seek in the garden of the king's city with Timothy and Garcia. When Garcia fell down, he and Timothy went to accompany her. When did the three of them become so distant?</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald shook his head and put away the confusing thought. Such sentimental things did not suit him. After all, he knew when the confusion would end—when he was on the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just then, the dull sound of a horn came through the tent.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Waaawaaawaaa—!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"They're here!" He jumped up from the table and put on his shoes. Outside the tent, the battalion was already on the move. Running soldiers and flags came together to create a torrent, heading for the battlefield. The sound echoed over the distant mountains, never-ending.</p>
|
||||
<p>Demonic beasts were coming.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Come with me!" He rode his warhorse and came to the top of the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only when you stood on the walls of New Holy City could you feel its magnificence. It was like an insurmountable natural moat, standing in the foothills of the Impassable Mountains. The top was flat and wide, so that dozens of people could stand side by side. In front of it lay natural glaciers, and its rear was a plateau.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the reason that the church so desperately wanted to build New Holy City on top of the mountain.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this harsh terrain, it was almost impossible to break the lines of defense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald Wimbledon had a long-term vision. The strength demonstrated by the church in the creation of Hermes was staggering. They established it in just 20 years, taking timber and stones from the foot of the mountain to its peak.</p>
|
||||
<p>But even though he was no longer disgusted by the church scoundrels, there was something Gerald had to admit. If they did not support the holding of Hermes, all the countries on the continent would face a catastrophe, which was the basis for signing the Agreement on the Months of the Demons.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the Months of the Demons came, the four kingdoms bordering Hermes had to send troops to aid the church and fight with the church's Judgement Army.</p>
|
||||
<p>The four banner flags flew in the wind, the Kingdom of Dawn's serpent scepter, the Kingdom of Wolfheart's knife shield crossing, the iceberg rose of the Kingdom of Everwinter...</p>
|
||||
<p>and the tower and spear of the Kingdom of Graycastle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking at the black spots in the distant sky, Gerald Wimbledon clenched his sword.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 41 - Demonic Beasts Appear</h2>
|
||||
<p>As Brian said, when it started snowing in Border Town, it did not stop.</p>
|
||||
<p>The town had been wrapped in a layer of white yarn overnight. In the morning, the amount of snow lessened with only a few snowflakes falling every so often, while the sky remained gray. Roland felt incredulous at the fact that it would be a few months before the sun would be visible once again.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It was simply unreasonable," he thought. "It was hard enough to find sense in a world with witches and magic power, but how could demonic beasts affect the heavens?" Unfortunately, he had no meteorological tools to help him know about the world's current cloud distributions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Walking along the road to the city wall of the Western Region, Carter could not help but exclaim. "The town seems deserted, and with that, there are some people leaving with the noble families."</p>
|
||||
<p>"At least this way, they won't drag us down," said Roland. "I've arranged Barov for a population census this winter."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What's that?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"That means, you need to go door to door and record how many people are left, their name, and career they're engaged in, and then register it," Roland explained. "In this way, we can quickly and effectively allocate human resources during war and distribute pensions after war."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Uh... human resources?" Carter blinked and then laughed. "Your Highness, you really have changed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"In the past, you would also say some things I didn't understand and act strangely. At that time, some of what you did didn't match a prince's behavior, but now... " Carter paused for a moment, and seemed to look for his words. "Whether it's your quirky training regulations or the alchemical tests, the results are surprisingly effective. Perhaps this is what my grandfather said that what made someone extraordinary was that they can see what normal people ignored. I'm beginning to think maybe you really could become the next king."</p>
|
||||
<p>"... Is that so?" Roland's heart felt warm. Was there anything more fulfilling than being approved by heelers for men? For a time he felt that his hands and feet were full of strength, and the dark sky was not so oppressing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Along the city wall, the militia team was cleaning up the aisle of snow. When they saw the prince, they all bowed and gave a salute.</p>
|
||||
<p>"They should be taught a proper salute," Roland thought. "How was the situation last night?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"There was no trace of the demonic beasts." It was Iron Axe who answered him. "Your Highness, according to previous experience, there'll be a relatively stable period after the first snow. During this period, the number of demonic beasts is small. And mutated animals are small and weak."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland nodded. "Then keep alert."</p>
|
||||
<p>The rear section of the city wall had been transformed into a battalion. When all was quiet, most people would rest in the battalion to save energy. For the guards, a rotation system was implemented. Due to the low winter temperature, each warning patrol only stayed out for two hours before being replaced.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was Roland who laid these measures into place. When asking Brian, he found out that Longsong Stronghold had no experience in the fight against the demonic beasts. The most unlucky recruits would be sent to monitor the evil creatures for a whole day on the city wall. This meant that each winter saw 20 to 30 people being hung for the dereliction of duty or the violation of military orders.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the demonic beasts appeared, it was a mess. The defense was not put into divisions, and as such, responsibility was not specified. Thinking of the level of war in that era, Roland understood. There was an extreme emphasis on personal bravery, honor, and pillaging. Even the knights would charge forward in person out of impulse, and one could not expect too much.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland toured the walls once again. It seemed that all was going smoothly, but Roland found himself ignoring a problem.</p>
|
||||
<p>That was the guidance of the roadblocks.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the moment, these obstacles clearly led the demonic beasts to the center of the city wall, but if what Brian said was true, snow would cover these obstacles within two to three months. If that happened, they could have to defend from the beasts in a line as long as 600 meters. His staff could not take such wide range into consideration.</p>
|
||||
<p>He could not send a platoon to remove the snow as a few demonic wolves were enough to make the team suffer heavy losses.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps he would have to rely on the power of the witches once again.</p>
|
||||
<p>For example, let Nightingale sneak out of the city with Anna and melt the snow with fire, and then sneak back—that was similar to how she stole Nana from the Pine's.</p>
|
||||
<p>At that moment, the observation alarm on the left side of the city wall was sounded.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Look ahead!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland and Carter looked at the position he was pointing to, and a small shadow came out of the snow and moved slowly toward the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, do you...?" a hunter responsible for defense turned around and asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"According to the previous exercise, you should judge whether or not to blow the horn," Roland said, "and at this point, you're more experienced than me."</p>
|
||||
<p>He hesitated, and ultimately decided to pull on the strings of his crossbow and continued to observe from the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland nodded with satisfaction. For the moment, the order on the city wall was still well maintained. He just did not know if the defense would swiftly organize according to their drills when a large number of demonic beasts attacked Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>The shadow gradually approached. When it came to about 50 meters in front of the city wall, Roland was able to see its appearance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Was it just a variant of fox?</p>
|
||||
<p>Its fur was gray and black, and its eyes were flushed. It panted as it reached the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>"This creature seems to have been just attacked, and it's no threat to us," Iron Axe said as he aimed his bow.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You said they were all infected with the breath of hell, and exiled to the west?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Not only to the west," said Carter. "When the Gates of Hell open in Barbarian Land, any place beyond the protection of the Impassable Mountain Range will be attacked by demonic beasts, especially in the north. There, the Impassable Mountain Range seems to be cut off, and the gap is about 5,000 meters. It's also the main direction of the attacks by the demonic beasts."</p>
|
||||
<p>The manic monster wandered around the city wall for a while. Then it raised its head and grinned at the soldiers on the city wall. When it leaped, Iron Axe released his bowstring, and the arrow penetrated its neck, nailing it firmly to the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland noticed that the blood flowing from it was black.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why could a witch stay conscious after their awakening, but a beast became frantic and alienated when they were ambushed by the same demonic power? If there was ever the chance, I should go to the rear of the Impassable Mountain Range and take a look for myself," he thought. From the prince's memory, the Gates of Hell was located in a place where humans could not reach. However, as no one had ever gone there, the information found in the ancient books was all rumors and speculations, and not verified. That was questionable.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
53
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00042-42-An-Accident.html
Normal file
53
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00042-42-An-Accident.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 42 - An Accident</h2>
|
||||
<p>"If someone is bitten by a demonic beast," asked Roland, "will he turn into something like the beast?"</p>
|
||||
<p>He hoped that this was not some otherworldly version of Resident Evil. They could not extract virus antigens with the current technology.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course not," said Iron Axe, making a confused face. "Humans will simply turn into corpses."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Can we eat the flesh of the demonic beasts?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter exclaimed. "Your Highness! How can you eat these beasts? They're all tainted by the touch of hell!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland turned to Iron Axe, who nodded. "Your knight is right. Once I tried to cut off a piece of flesh from the beasts and feed it to a hound, but it died soon after."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is that so? What a pity." Roland sighed. Food was so scarce in this era, so if demonic beasts could be eaten, then they could have a huge harvest in the winter. Just imagine, with all the crazed beasts running from the forest to Border Town, they would not even need any hunting tools.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once he finished patrolling the city wall, he decided to pay Nana a visit.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had expropriated a nobleman's house, which was the closest to the city wall, and transformed it into a field hospital. Of course, it was simply a normal hospital to others. Just to be safe, the place was the most heavily guarded place except the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the house owner escaped to Longsong Stronghold, he took all of his properties with him. Border Town was a place where one could give up at any moment. Even though the house was large, there were no frescoes, carpets, or porcelain to decorate it. If it were not neatly cleaned, it would just look like a house that has been abandoned for a long time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland tore down the wooden partition on the first floor to make one large room, leaving only the hallway and entrance intact. He then placed 10 beds to form a simple hospital. There were no nurses, no doctors, and even these 10 beds were unlikely to be occupied. After all, Nana's treatment did not require bed rest. It was immediately effective.</p>
|
||||
<p>During the day, she was on the second floor of the hospital on standby. Anna accompanied her whenever she had spare time. Tigui Pine and Brian were in charge of the first floor, with two more guards posted at the entrance. It was foolproof.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Roland did not expect that the first patient that the hospital received would be a worker from the North Slope Mine, rather than some soldier defending the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>*******************</p>
|
||||
<p>Nail felt his hands shaking.</p>
|
||||
<p>When he heard Iron Head's hoarse screams, he once again quickened his pace. He wished he could fly to his destination.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything was a result of his negligence, he thought. He really deserved to die. How could he forget the veteran knight's warnings?</p>
|
||||
<p>He knew that he should not have agreed to operate the large machine alone.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ever since the big, dark machine was installed at the entrance of the mine, work had become a lot easier.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the first place, the most tiring job was removing the ores from the mine. When the basket was filled with ores, it would take three to four people to drag it. Usually two people pushed in the back, with the others pulling from the front. After years of mining, the uneven surface of the tunnel would become flat due to the repetitive transporting of the baskets. The iron pads under the baskets also had to be changed frequently.</p>
|
||||
<p>A week ago, Chief Knight ordered Iron Head and his men to haul some oddly-shaped metal pieces up the mountain. After a few days, they assembled the pieces in a furnace. Nail did not expect that the furnace would come to life and start moving on its own. It was both powerful and dynamic.</p>
|
||||
<p>The veteran knight said it was an invention by His Highness called a "steam engine".</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as they tied the mining basket to the machine with a hemp rope and ignited a fire, the machine would let out a cry. Then it would turn the winch to pull the basket to the entrance of the mine.</p>
|
||||
<p>It sounded incredible!</p>
|
||||
<p>The veteran knight demonstrated it a few times, and then asked Iron Head to select a person to operate the steam engine. Nail's heart soared when he was selected. As long as he stood in front of that machine, he would never have to dig in the mine or push the basket. That was what he thought, but he had been terrified ever since the landslide accident.</p>
|
||||
<p>He kept the veteran knight's words firmly in his mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Making the contraption work seemed easy. All he had to do was to lift the green rod and press the red rod down. The veteran knight said that the green rod was connected to the air intake valve, and the red rod was connected to the exhaust valve. And the steam would enter the cylinder through the pipeline. When the basket was pulled up, he would stop the machine by lifting the red rod and pressing the green rod down. Then steam would come from the side of the boiler into the tube. After each cycle, the boiler must be filled with water. Although Nail did not understand the meanings of the valve and cylinder, he promised to operate it step by step.</p>
|
||||
<p>But the veteran knight stressed two points. Firstly, he should not mess up the order. He must start from the green then to red rod, and end with the red rod followed by the green rod. If he did this incorrectly, he would probably damage the machine. Secondly, he had to clear out the surrounding miners before emptying the exhaust, and continue shouting out to remind others what he was doing, until the red rod was completely lifted.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nail was sure that he absolutely could not mess up the first point. As for the second, he had some problem.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today, when he turned off the machine as usual, there was no one around. He felt like a fool calling out to an empty room, so he proceeded to pull the red rod silently. The rod was tight, and it took quite an effort for him to lift it.</p>
|
||||
<p>He did not expect Iron Head to appear right then in front of the boiler. Nail swore that he did not see him approach, and the loud roar of the machine masked his footsteps. White steam screeched from the exhaust port and headed straight at Iron Head's face!</p>
|
||||
<p>Nail was frozen in horror, seeing Iron Head fall to the ground. Iron head clutched his face, rolling around. The mournful screams that he let out gave Nail goose bumps.</p>
|
||||
<p>Soon other miners gathered around. They held down Iron Head who was still rolling, and forcibly removed his hands. His face was a mess, with blood oozing from the cooked flesh of his skin. His eyes were mere white beads. Everyone there knew that it was the end for him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Behind them, tears welled in Nail's eyes. Iron Head had always taken care of him. Considering his young age, Iron Head assigned him less work than others, but never reduced his pay. But now this happened because of his negligence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Caught in his grief and anxiety, Nail recalled what the veteran knight had said. If someone was accidentally injured in the mining area, they could bring them to the new medical hospital near the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>He knew that there was little hope to mend such a serious injury. The wound was too serious and herbs would do little to help. Iron Head's skin would continue to rot, and he would soon fall into a coma because of his fever. Nonetheless, Nail put Iron Head on his back. Clenching his teeth, he ran, ignoring the surprise of the people around him.</p>
|
||||
<p>He knew if he did nothing and simply watched Iron Head die, he would not be able to forgive himself in this lifetime.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
67
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00043-43-Be-Strong.html
Normal file
67
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00043-43-Be-Strong.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 43 - Be Strong</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Where's Anna?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and ran to the door to see who it was. She was disappointed to find that it was His Highness.</p>
|
||||
<p>"She's still working. She may come later."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Work?" Nana heard the prince say that word often these days. "Do you mean she's burning that gray powder?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"For the time being, yes."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana pouted and went back to the table. "I also have work," she thought. "I stay here and treat those who are injured while defending the town."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What is it? Are you bored when Anna is away?" Roland smiled. Taking a chair, he sat down by the fireplace.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well..." Nana looked down. Honestly, she did not want to help the injured. It was just… too terrible.</p>
|
||||
<p>She remembered the scene when she first treated Brian. He was soaked in blood, and the reddish-brown clots solidified in his chest. Red and white blood bubbled out of his dry lips. Upon seeing this, she fainted...</p>
|
||||
<p>She was so ashamed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana looked up and stared at the prince, only to find he was snoring in his chair. "He seems exhausted, too," she thought, "he must have been constructing the city wall and training soldiers to protect Border Town from the demonic beasts."</p>
|
||||
<p>When he invited to come to the castle, she had hesitated for a long time, but in the end she agreed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You'll also encounter something that you want to live for, even if you have to struggle." Nana did not understand the meaning of these words, but when she closed her eyes, she could see Anna. Her blue eyes were like a lake, gently enveloping her. It was because of her that she agreed to help Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>She wanted to be as strong as Anna.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suddenly, she heard footsteps downstairs. Nana jumped up from her chair to see if it was Anna. However, she was stopped by an invisible hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Wait, there's more than one person."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana patted her chest, unnerved. "You scared me, Nightingale."</p>
|
||||
<p>The door was pushed open, and Brian, who was in charge of the first floor, came in. "Miss Pine, please come down. Someone was burned."</p>
|
||||
<p>This is my work, isn't it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, I got it."</p>
|
||||
<p>She went downstairs. The two guards were busy placing a man who was moaning painfully on the bed. Next to them stood a small man, looking anxious. Brian came forward and tied the wounded man's hands and feet to the bedside. The guards then sent the small man out of the room and drew the curtain.</p>
|
||||
<p>"What happened?" Roland went downstairs, rubbing his eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, this man came from the mine of the northern slope. He seems seriously burned."</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince looked the man over. "These are steam burns. Is there any problem with the first machine? Who brought him here?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"He's in the hall." Brian pointed at the door.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll go and ask about the situation. You stay here," Roland said as he left the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana slowly went closer and glimpsed at that man from the corner of her eyes. She saw that his face was melted into a ball. His original ruddy skin became pale with dehydration and was hanging onto his face like a rag. On his neck were blisters as large as bowls, some of which had been broken. Mucus with blood wetted the pillow. In the flickering light of the fire, his appearance was more terrible than a demon from a nightmare.</p>
|
||||
<p>She retreated a few steps and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw her father was watching her with care.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Are you alright?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana nodded and thought about what Roland had told her: "It's best to think of treating the wounded like treating a small animal." With this in mind, she went back to the bed and stretched out her hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>An incredible feeling emerged from her body, and she gathered a small part of this power into her palm. She saw a ray of green light flowing out of her palm and onto the injured man's face. Although this green light was so visible to her, others could not see it. The wound then changed. The scalded skin fell off and new skin grew quickly underneath it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The painful moaning of the wounded man gradually stopped. His breathing became even as if he had fallen asleep.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana exhaled. She performed better than she did the last time, didn't she?</p>
|
||||
<p>"My God, is this the healing power His Highness mentioned? This is the first time I've seen it," said Tigui Pine. "My dear daughter, you're amazing!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's the power of the deities," said Brian. "I'm so grateful that Nana helped me when I was injured."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah, this fool." Nana clutched her face and thought. "Didn't he know that Nightingale helped me sneak out to cure him?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"When was it?" Tigui said, surprised, "Why don't I know?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well... Her strength has nothing to do with the deities. It belongs only to the witch herself." Roland opened the partition and coughed as he joined the two men's conversation. "How's the injured man now?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Basically healed," said Brian excitedly. "It's like he was never injured! Your Highness, with Miss Nana's, everyone will have a chance to survive the Month of Demons!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"As long as you don't die on the spot, it's not a problem to keep you alive." The prince nodded, motioning Brian to wake up the man. "You're Iron Head, am I right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Head sat up. He said in confusion, "Is, is this a dream?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No," said Roland. "You're still alive."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You're... I've seen you in the square!" The man suddenly realized the identity of Roland. He abruptly got down from the bed and fell to his knees. "Prince Roland, did you save me?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Tigui Pine's daughter saved you. She's a witch with healing powers."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana tensed and wondered if it was okay to say that she was a witch so directly. Sure enough, the look in the man's eyes changed. "A... witch? Your Highness, aren't they demons...?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"What the hell are you saying!" Tigui stood up and shouted unhappily. "My daughter doesn't have anything to do with demons. She did save your life. Do you think a demon would lend you a helping hand?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, no! Please forgive me for my rudeness." Iron Head lowered his head. "You saved my life. Thank you, Miss Pine."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nana was overwhelmed by her feelings. She wanted to run out of the room. Still, there was a voice repeating in her head, reminding her to "be strong".</p>
|
||||
<p>When Iron Head was sent away, Tigui asked with concern, "Is this really alright, Your Highness? If you do this, I'm afraid my daughter won't be able to live a normal life."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Think about the positive side, Mr. Pine," the prince said. "If we take advantage of this period to break the ice, Nana may be able to have a future where she's truly free. Otherwise, as time passes, she'll one day be exposed. When that day comes, I'm afraid I can do nothing but hide her."</p>
|
||||
<p>Truly... free? Nana did not know, but right now she felt like she was free. But if what His Highness said became true, then Anna could also leave the castle on her own. Would she return to Teacher Karl's college?</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 44 - The Unspoken Answer</h2>
|
||||
<p>When Roland returned to the castle, it was already dark and snowing heavily again.</p>
|
||||
<p>He went into the bedroom and removed his coat. He shook off the snow at the collar, and hung it on the hanger beside the fireplace.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, don't you think this matter was handled too hastily?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale appeared in front of the prince.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Nana?" Roland poured a glass of ale for Nightingale and himself. Although the wine was much bitterer than the beer he was used to in his past life, he had gradually become accustomed to its taste.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale took the cup and held it in her hand but did not drink—she was waiting for the prince's answer.</p>
|
||||
<p>"There's no better time than now." Roland downed his wine and refilled his cup. "If we want to develop Nana's power before the Months of Demons, we can't conceal her identity as a witch. She can instantly heal fatal injuries in a way more efficient than the ordinary herbal medicines or bloodletting therapy. I'm sure people will realize this."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's a blessing that this small town is outside the border of the Western Region, therefore, the church has very limited influence on it—if I were them, I would not be willing to spend gold royals on this unimportant place either." Roland went on. "The town didn't even have a chapel, and the missionaries returned with the noble to Longsong Stronghold a long time ago. What do you think of Border Town now? It's an island cut off from the outside world."</p>
|
||||
<p>"... you planned this long ago?" Nightingale asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland nodded. "The snow will bury the road leading to Longsong Stronghold, and the docking of the ships at the port is controlled by me. We have at least three months to correct the wrong idea that "witches are evil". If we depend just on publicity, the effect is very limited. So we need to rely on close contact, in order to quickly eliminate this layer of misunderstanding."</p>
|
||||
<p>That was why he wanted to keep Nana at all costs. He wanted to create a Florence Nightingale in this world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Due to this legendary nurse's dedicated efforts to take care of the wounded, the casualty rate was reduced from 42% to 2%. She was conferred the title of "The Lady with the Lamp", and she raised the reputation of nurses.</p>
|
||||
<p>And Nana's ability was even more magical. Through magic power, she could cure trauma and revive lives as long as it was not death on-the-spot. This was probably better for the morale of the Militia than any weapon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Moreover, thanks to her father's identity as a noble in decline and his association with hunters and farmers, he had a peaceful attitude towards civilians, and even allowed Nana to attend Teacher Karl's college. As compared to the other nobles, even the lowest ranking baron, would not be happy to allow his daughter to mix with civilians—in their eyes, these people were so-called lowlifes.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Can these... really be done?" Even if it were Nightingale, when faced with the powerful authority like the church, she would still appear particularly weak.</p>
|
||||
<p>"If we don't try, we'll never know the answer."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland did not expect the whole town to change their view, but at least this new platoon he formed had to be firmly grasped in his hands. Later on, he would rely on these people, who came from the civilians, to promote his ideas.</p>
|
||||
<p>Three months were enough to change a lot of things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale was silent for a moment, and then whispered, "Why are you doing this for the witches?"</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to liberate productivity, become more powerful and have a place in the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince—of course, these answers were not suitable to be said at this moment. Even though Roland was a mechanical engineer, he had also played a variety of GALGAME. So it could be said he had also seen many battles. Two decades of experience reminded him that this time he was facing a key question.</p>
|
||||
<p>He pondered the right words to say, and then slowly replied, "I've already told you a long time ago, that Border Town doesn't care about your background. I hope that one day, even a witch, can live like a free man in my domain."</p>
|
||||
<p>This time Nightingale was silent for a long time. Only the crackling of charcoal burning could be heard in the room. Her side profile shone like a beautiful picture under the bright firelight.</p>
|
||||
<p>When she spoke again, Roland felt time had regained movement. "In fact, you don't have to do this." Her voice was remote yet gentle. "Please forgive me for lying to you earlier on... My sisters of the Witch Cooperation Association have been drifting around for a long time. They don't have many expectations. Just a place to settle down would satisfy them, even if it was in the castle."</p>
|
||||
<p>"How would that be different from a cage." Roland shook his head. Then suddenly it dawned upon him. He stared at Nightingale. "Hang on... are you saying that you now allow them to come over?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale sighed and avoided eye contact with the prince. "In that case, you'll become an enemy of the church."</p>
|
||||
<p>"They had gone too far," Roland said nonchalantly. "Once the divine right of kings becomes a slogan, the conflict between the church and the mainland countries will break out sooner or later. As for Border Town, as long as we can live through these three months, the church can't do much harm to us. We're far from the base of the church. Will the bishop bring the Judgement Army across the entire Kingdom of Graycastle to capture me? My father won't allow such a thing to happen. This would be a serious provocation of the royal majesty."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..."</p>
|
||||
<p>After Nightingale bowed and left, Roland lay in the bed, and let out a sigh of relief.</p>
|
||||
<p>He did not tell her all his thoughts, such as the church was far away, and according to the speed of communication in that world, they probably would not respond until early summer. Plus the long distance and his identity as a prince, it meant the church would probably only send envoys to investigate the situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>It would take half a year to carry out a round trip. By then, he would have the ability to break the ties with them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, the biggest danger was not the church, but the witches themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>This point was noticed only by Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the witches were now at a disadvantage, the situation would not last forever. Witches did not rely on blood heritage, but instead a random awakening, which meant witches could not be exterminated, and they would only increase in numbers.</p>
|
||||
<p>The church relied on God's Stone of Retaliation to maintain their advantage over the witches, but this could only be used to offset the magic power. By the look of things, the witches' awakening not only gave them a variety of abilities. Even their physical qualities, thinking agility, and their appearance were superior to ordinary people.</p>
|
||||
<p>They were in essence, considered "New Mankind".</p>
|
||||
<p>The more brutal the oppression was, the more intense the resistance would be. When a riot led purely by the witches arose, how much damage would that cause to the Kingdom of Graycastle? The hatred caused by the church, once uncontrollable, could very likely be transferred to the same hate toward the kingdom and its people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland did not wish to see that happen.</p>
|
||||
<p>So he needed to start from Border Town. He first had to frame a structure to accommodate both parties, and promote this to the entire Kingdom of Graycastle, and even the mainland kingdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>He wanted to build a world where witches and ordinary people could coexist.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 45 - The Conspiracy (Part I)</h2>
|
||||
<p>When the moon started to set, Gerald Wimbledon saw the flickering silhouette of the city wall of the king's city.</p>
|
||||
<p>After a few months, he was finally back. Thinking of that, he felt the fatigue of the long journey diminished greatly. But he still remained vigilant, and tightly pulled his horse, beckoning his assistant to go ahead and inquire about the situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the plan did not change, Astrologer Ansger should have already replaced the city guards with Gerald's men. After the assistant shot out the signal, Ansger would let down the side drawbridge.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald kept his eyes wide open, as if he was afraid to miss the faint fire.</p>
|
||||
<p>He did not have to wait long, but Gerald felt like time had stopped. When his eyelids became too weary, he finally saw the distant flickers—twice under the city wall, and thrice above, just like it was planned. He took a deep breath and waved his troops forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the look of things, he was only one step away from the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald rode through the side door of the city wall, with the assistant by his side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Behind him were more than twenty cavalries. They were all silently pulling the reins, and controlling the mount to inch forward slowly.</p>
|
||||
<p>The city walls of the king's city were made of materials obtained from Fallen Dragon Ridge. The gray-colored stone had a dark red luster under the torch as if it was soaked in blood. The whole city wall was about 6 meters wide. And in order to build this wall that was out of this world, more than 1,000 slaves and masons died on the site.</p>
|
||||
<p>An army of 10,000 could not overcome this impregnable wall, but yet he was sliding through it so easily. Gerald thought to himself that any loophole must have started from the inside. All of a sudden, he recalled New Holy City. Would their seemingly more magnificent and indestructible wall be destroyed from the inside as well?</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, I've been awaiting your arrival for a long time." Marching through the gates, he saw Astrologer Ansger and a small platoon waiting. Seeing Gerald appear, Astrologer Ansger quickly dismounted, bowed and saluted.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald cast his distractions aside. He was probably so excited that he unwittingly let his imagination run wild. "You did well. Have you also swopped the palace guards?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, the plan had a small mishap. Silver Knight who promised to serve you, was transferred to the Southern Territory three days ago. So now there's only time to replace the palace chamber guards."</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald frowned, as this meant that he could not bring all the 20 people into the palace. The guards would not attempt to stop him, but would also not allow so many armed men to enter the royal premises.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Oh well, assign me two guards from the chamber platoon. The rest can stay the entrance, and ensure outsiders don't come in and bother me." He hesitated for a second before confirming. Although the plan had changed, the situation was still under control. Father's guards would generally stay overnight in the outer rooms. As long as someone could hold them off for a moment, he was confident that he could obtain victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Entering the inner city, he saw everything he used to be familiar with. Although it was night, he could still recognize every street. This was his territory without a doubt. Everyone jumped off their horses, and advanced quickly toward the palace. As they arrived at the door, the cavalry spread out according to the new plan, forming an ambush outside the palace. Just like Astrologer Ansger said, although the guards were surprised as to why the prince returned at night to the king's city, they still let him enter as Gerald lied that he had something important to report.</p>
|
||||
<p>After all, he was the eldest son of the Kingdom of Graycastle, first in line to the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince and Astrologer Ansger went through the garden and the hall, and right in front was King Wimbledon III's residence. The astrologer lifted the torch in his hand and shook it from left to right. Immediately, guards walked out of the darkness, and knelt down to the two men. "Your Highness, please come with me."</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald sniffed his nose and smelled a bloody odor.</p>
|
||||
<p>Had not the chamber guards been completely replaced? He looked at the guard by firelight, and it was someone familiar—a knight of the earl who supported his succession plans. This made him feel a little more at ease.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did someone get into the castle?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, His Majesty summoned a maid in the evening. And when she came out, she saw our exchange," replied the other. "Please rest assured. We've dealt with it."</p>
|
||||
<p>[A maid? Father has not touched a woman for a long time—ever since Mother died.] Gerald felt a little surprised, but now it was not the right time to bother about such a minor thing. He nodded and did not say anything more. He followed the guards into the castle, and the others followed behind them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald knew the castle like the back of his hand, and he could walk from one end to the next with his eyes closed. He had lived here for more than 20 years, and he knew exactly where the secret tunnels or hidden doors were. But his purpose now was to persuade his father to pass the throne to himself. Sneaking into the chambers was meaningless. He also had to get rid of the guards outside, so that his father could completely understand his situation. Then they could sit down and talk seriously about the attribution of the inheritance.</p>
|
||||
<p>If he could not convince his father...</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald Wimbledon took a deep breath, reached out and beckoned everyone to stop. He then pulled out the hand sword at his back.</p>
|
||||
<p>The bronze door at the end of the corridor was the only entrance to the palace chambers. Behind the door was the outer chamber, but also the last line of defense. Two to three guards were usually stationed there, so that they could rush into the chambers to protect His Majesty at the first sign of danger.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald first pushed the door to open a small slot. Then he used his shoulder to bang the door, fleeing quickly into the room, whilst holding his sword in an attacking stance, but the outside chamber was silent, without a single soul. At the same time, a strong bloody stench covered his nose.</p>
|
||||
<p>His heart flashed an unknown premonition, and he ran straight toward the bedroom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Shortly after, Gerald witnessed a scene that he could hardly believe...</p>
|
||||
<p>King Wimbledon III was sitting on his bed in his robes, and his upper body leaning against the pillow. His robe was open, and a hilt was inserted into his chest. Blood dripped down his raised stomach and soaked the quilt.</p>
|
||||
<p>Standing beside his father was his younger brother, Timothy Wimbledon.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How, how could this happen?" Gerald stood motionless.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Just like you, my elder brother." Timothy sighed. "I didn't want to do this."</p>
|
||||
<p>He clapped his hands, and a number of armored warriors quickly poured through the door to surround the royal prince. "This is a chess game, and I originally wanted to follow the rules. Brother, did you know? Garcia did not respect the rules from the start, of course... you too. If not, why would she rush to the king's city after hearing the astrological prophet of Astrologer Ansger? Seriously, if you didn't show up, I wouldn't know what to do."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Astrologer!"</p>
|
||||
<p>He gritted his teeth and looked back. Astrologer Ansger stepped back and said, "I didn't lie to you. 'The Apocalypse Star is far away from Blaze day' is a metaphor that the lost has strayed from the right path, but it also has the meaning of destruction."</p>
|
||||
<p>Now Gerald finally understood. He had fallen into a well-designed trap from the very beginning. The stench of blood at the door of the castle was not left by some maid and Silver Knight had not been transferred away. But the most disappointing fact was, Astrologer Ansger, who had taken care of him for more than a decade, and taught him to read and write from an early age, still chose the 2nd Prince—just like his father.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Timothy Wimbledon! We're both his sons, but he devoted so much effort to you and assigned the best territory to you. Yet you were the first to lay your hands on him! You're a demon from hell!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anger flashed in Timothy's eyes but quickly disappeared. "Do you really think so? Dear brother, if you failed to persuade him to let you inherit the throne, would you really walk away quietly? Don't deceive yourself."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 46 - The Conspiracy (Part II)</h2>
|
||||
<p>"..." Gerald knew that he was now backed into a corner, and all he could do was to drag his younger brother together to hell. At this moment, he was actually calm, "Do you just want to get rid of me?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Get rid of you? No, that's of no help to me, my dear brother. I had no choice but to resort to this." Timothy's tone was still calm as if he was stating a fact. "If I had patiently waited for five years, I would probably end up having to face Garcia's pirate army. Do you know what she has been up to recently?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Gerald shook his head and estimated the distance between himself and the 2nd Prince. He remembered his younger brother was very smart since childhood, but he was not good at riding and battle. As long as he could find the opportunity to rush forward to cut off...</p>
|
||||
<p>"She is forming her own army, Brother. Really, I admire her. She did this even before the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince. Even I, did not expect this from her. When we were children, we all got along so harmoniously. How did we end up here, planning to kill each other?" He said, and then retreated two steps." For example, I'm afraid now you just want to split me into two halves with your sword, right?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I know it, Brother. You are still the same as before. When you want to kill, your eyes have a horrific stare," Timothy sighed. "Let me tell you honestly. I want to terminate the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince. If not, the fleet of Garcia would be waiting for me five years later. She had already controlled the Port of Clearwater a few years ago. And Valencia was suitable for creating businessmen, but not for raising fighters."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I need an army that can resist Garcia's fleet, and this can't be achieved by a trade city." Gerald Wimbledon, tomorrow you'll be judged because you left your domain and assassinated the king. I have to return to Valencia tonight to make preparations before the bad news spreads to the Eastern Region. I'll be deeply sad, and step up rightfully as the second successor. And you'll be sent to the guillotine on the charges of killing the king."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You..!" Gerald screamed and rushed toward his younger brother, but the distance was too great. His sword was intercepted by two armored guards. Then his calf numbed, as a dagger pierced his calf. Gerald suddenly lost his balance and fell crooked to the ground. The crowd swarmed forward, and he was tightly pressed to the ground, bound and unable to move.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Judge? Do you think you're qualified to judge me? I'll divulge all of this, and let the people who support you know what kind of monster you are!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course you won't, my brother," said Timothy patiently. "The Alchemic Workshop has a medicine called 'Forgotten Language', which is made up of mixed lizard venom and horse's milk from the sandy land of the Southern Territory. After drinking it, you won't be able to make any sound. Rest assured you won't feel any pain. Instead, the taste is sweet, smooth and quite intoxicating. If you want to blame someone, then blame our talented sister. If not for her, I would not have to do this."</p>
|
||||
<p>He waved to the leader of the guards, and the latter also nodded in reply and saluted. The royal prince was pulled out of the palace. The other armored guards also filed out. Finally, only the 2nd Prince and Astrologer Ansger were left.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, your throne is now secured, so I should call you Your Majesty," Astrologer Ansger said bowing.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You did really well, and when I get on the throne of the Kingdom of Graycastle, I will fulfill our arrangement. But...seeing my brother's tragic appearance today, I feel certain promises should be accompanied by a guarantee clause."</p>
|
||||
<p>The astrologer's expression immediately changed. "Your Highness, you mean..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don't worry. I just don't want to be betrayed." Timothy pulled out a wax pill from his arms. "You must have seen this quite often. The wax pill's shell takes seven days to completely dissolve, about the same time it takes for me to return from the king's city to Valencia. I've used the position of Chief Astrologer as the price for your collaboration, and I don't wish for others to pull you away at a higher price."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness... you must be joking." The astrologer's face turned white blank. Yet he still bit the bullet and swallowed the wax pill in the end.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Smart choice," said Timothy nodding with satisfaction. "Now you can go."</p>
|
||||
<p>...</p>
|
||||
<p>When the palace was empty, the 2nd Prince's face was gloomy.</p>
|
||||
<p>He grabbed the porcelain on the bedside table and thrashed it on the ground. The porcelain was smashed into pieces. A guard came in immediately. "Your Highness?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Get out!" He roared.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes." The latter quickly headed out of the room and shut the door.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Damn it! Things shouldn't be this way!]</p>
|
||||
<p>His plan did not include killing his father. By virtue of the king's preference, he just needed to highlight Garcia's actions to the king and stop her. Plus he had Prince Gerald Wimbledon as bait.</p>
|
||||
<p>Timothy thought that his plan was infallible. He used the position of Chief Astrologer to lure Gerald's enlightenment mentor—the low ranking Astrologer Ansger in the Astrologers Association, into writing a letter to Gerald. And Gerald got hooked quite quickly. This was also in line with Timothy's judgement. His elder brother was stronger at fighting than thinking, whilst not willing to hand over the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next few letters stirred up the ambition of the first Prince Gerald, and Timothy also finished preparing the next step. When the last letter with the astrological prophecy was issued, he secretly returned to the king's city, to reveal the news that the first Prince Gerald might be planning a takeover. There was no doubt that once the matter was confirmed, his father would fly into a rage and send the first Prince Gerald into prison. He would face either imprisonment to death or exile.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then, his father would look upon the other children, and Garcia who was expanding her army rapidly, would certainly be a natural choice.</p>
|
||||
<p>But... why did it turn out like that? Father heard his news, smiled strangely instead, pulled out a dagger, and pierced his own chest!</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything happened so fast that Timothy could not react in time, and could only watch his father die in front of him.</p>
|
||||
<p>He sat down feebly along the bedside. For the first time, he felt he was also a pawn in a game of chest. Father's last smile was like a nightmare, making him feel creepy. He went over the whole thing repeatedly, and even examined the body, but still, could not find a clue—why would father do that?</p>
|
||||
<p>He also suspected that this person was a fake. But he could find no evidence, and even the hidden wound at the back was a match.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing Gerald was about to arrive at the king's city, he had to pretend to be calm, and replace the whole program. He would blame the death of King Wimbledon III onto Gerald, and then use his position as second heir to succeed the throne ahead of time. As long as the coronation was smooth, he would no longer be subject to territorial restrictions. This meant he could directly mobilize the power of the Duke of the Southern Territory to threaten Garcia and force her to give up the Port of Clearwater.</p>
|
||||
<p>So it seemed that the outcome was not bad either, but Timothy could not help but feel uneasy... as if there were an invisible hand, that had unsuspectingly joined the struggles at the Kingdom of Graycastle. However, he was completely ignorant about it.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the moment, other than firmly grasping the throne, he had no choice. Timothy Wimbledon swore to himself. If he found out who was behind this, he would be sure to let the culprit know the consequences of annoying a king!</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 47 - The Market and Cycle</h2>
|
||||
<p>Border Town had been fairly peaceful over the week.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to Iron Axe and Brian, the strength and the number of demonic beasts would gradually increase as the Months of Demons continued. Taking advantage of the current defensive pressure, Roland sent a sloop loaded with ores to Willow Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>Due to the use of the steam engine, the number of workers in the North Slope Mine had been reduced by half, while the output increased steadily, allowing it to the level it had been at before it collapsed. The use of machines greatly lowered the manpower required.</p>
|
||||
<p>Meanwhile, Roland carried on a preliminary reform of the mining system, turning the fixed compensation into a floating salary. He set a daily average output tallied by Barov as a standard, and going above by a certain amount would end in additional remuneration. In addition, anyone who found gemstones or mineral veins could claim extra rewards. This measure effectively promoted the workers' enthusiasm, and lively scenes could be seen everywhere in mining areas.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland naturally would like to do something now that the ore was in his hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>Besides the steam engine, he also planned to manufacture a series of machine tools.</p>
|
||||
<p>Machine tools had a long history, and generally speaking, they were tools used to produce other tools. So an anvil, which was manually fixed and forged, could be regarded as the most original machine tool.</p>
|
||||
<p>Making tools by hand was not all that bad, however, the issue lay in the ungainly positioning of the tools. Thus, people added clip or groove on the tool stand to fix the parts that were processed. The early harquebus and flintlock were both handmade on anvils with grooves.</p>
|
||||
<p>As time went on, merely depending on manpower could not meet the demand of processing, and then the machine tools evolved and expanded. The machine tool applied different fixed methods and toolings according to different usages. In addition, the linkage of handwork and machinery could effectively improve the efficiency of process.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland considered making the manual milling machine.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the milling machine had versatile functions, he would simply use it to produce involute gears and its frame could be simplified. All it needed was a pair of card slots and a rotatable steel mill. With the help of Anna, a specific molding mill specialized in cutting gears could be easily produced. The top of grinding tool was polished into the shape of a trapezoid and was heated to a hot red state. Then marks were drawn with iron bars, followed by a quench hardening treatment in water. That was how a customized mill was produced.</p>
|
||||
<p>After solving the key problem, Roland immediately called Carter to hire two carpenters to forge the milling machine base, while Anna continued to make other metal parts in the castle backyard.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was no doubt that metal processing had become as easy as making pottery with the help of Anna, especially after she grew skilled in controlling her flames. The initial production of small parts all depended on her. Seeing her melting iron ingots into a fluid iron liquid and kneading it, Roland marveled unceasingly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without the witches, it would have taken over 10 years to achieve what he had imagined.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two days later, the first simplified milling machine was placed in the backyard.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently, Roland had been busy designing a set of gears, which would be used to regulate the speed and stabilize the output of the steam engine. The relevant fluted discs were in the molding process. Once the milling machine was finished being assembled, the process of gear milling would be carried out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gears were nothing new for Chief Knight Carter. The drainage of water in most of the mines in the world was achieved by livestock pulling wooden gears with a winch mechanism. Carter was satisfied this time. He was able to understand what the prince was doing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland told him to bring three blacksmiths and their apprentices to learn how to operate the milling machine in the backyard. It was unlikely that Roland was going to operate these machine tools, so he had to train some skillful workers.</p>
|
||||
<p>After their respectfully saluting, Roland started to demonstrate how to use the milling machines to produce gears.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland did not mind serving as the demonstrator at all. Actually, he just would seem like a type of prince that had various hobbies. Besides, being considered as half-assed, it was easy for him to operate the machine tools.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter was responsible for pouring warm lard on the side. In that era, it was a waste to replace oil lubrication by lard. However, something was better than nothing. The lard fell down into a ceramic bowl after soaking the mill, and it could be used repeatedly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland firstly carved an indentation on the fluted disc according to the designed angle. Then he set the fluted disc upright and fixed it on the working table. Next, he pulled the mill above the fluted disc, aiming at the inscribed line, then pressing the pedal. The belts transferred the power generated by pedal's wooden wheels to the mill shaft.</p>
|
||||
<p>Later on, Roland held fast to the mill handle and pulled down slightly, and then the rotating mill cut the fluted disc slowly at an angle of 90 degrees.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the material of the fluted discs was pig iron, it was not hard to carve the indentation, despite the fact that the mill was working the rolled steel after the quenching process. The air was thick with the fragrance of lard, causing the blacksmiths and apprentices who did not eat meat for a long time to swallow their saliva.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the demonstration, it was time to sign the contract. The business in Border Town had just begun, and the industry was even more recent. Therefore, neither steam engines nor machine tools would get popular immediately. At this time, the majority of people could hardly understand the huge power those things represent or their potential. As a result, Roland had to promote the machines by himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>The contract said that the smithy using milling machines had to process one set of gears every week. All the needed materials should be provided by the castle and the processing fee was ten silver royals. Besides, the machine tools were not free, and the process functioned more like renting. The smithy had to pay two silver royals to use the tools.</p>
|
||||
<p>During the Months of Demons, the business in the smithy was not as prosperous as before. It was an order from the prince and it could also benefit the smithy. Thus, nobody went against this order. At the same time, Roland told them that it was the first milling machine and there would be more milling machines being produced constantly. Anyone who was interested could apply at the City Hall.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, why don't you directly make the processing fee eight silver royals?" Carter asked, confused, after the blacksmiths went away.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The amount is the same, but the meanings are different," Roland explained. "This is probably the first commercial lease contract in Border Town. I need to set an industry standard."</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter wiped his forehead, knowing that His Highness was talking nonsense. He had experienced this situation. The prince would carry on talking if he pretended to listen carefully.</p>
|
||||
<p>"A good start can lead to a virtuous cycle. At present, only I need to buy gears, so I provide machine tools. They get rewarded for their labor. Later, when others also need them, the blacksmiths will realize that they can get more commissions from buying the machine tools than renting them." Roland paused, "Thus, whenever they confront new things, they would consider applying the method of alternative production to avoid the risks. I can get rewards by renting the tools out and the subsequent development of new things will be decided by the market. That's a virtuous cycle."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 48 - The Assembly</h2>
|
||||
<p>With high spirits, Roland was about to give a long harangue on how to establish a reasonable market when there came the hum of horn.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was unusual as only when the patrol team could not handle the issue would the alarm signal sound out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland and Carter looked at each other and then rushed to the castle's backyard. Roland mounted the horse which had been prepared by the guards and headed for the city wall with Carter and his heelers.</p>
|
||||
<p>When they boarded the city wall, the Militia was already in place. To Roland's relief, there was suddenly an array of guns on the top of wall. It seemed that the eggs did work.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland looked northwesterly, finding a group of demonic beasts approaching Border Town. Roland guessed there were about 20 evil beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe ran to Roland from his guarding position, giving a salute and reporting to Roland, "Your Highness, there is something weird about those demonic beasts."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Weird? Do you mean that they generally don't take collective action?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No," Iron Axe explained, "colonial animals would forever be colonial animals. Take wolves for example. Their habitual nature won't be changed. However, these demonic beasts are not the same kind, and they are not supposed to take actions together. Some hunters even witnessed them fighting with each other before."</p>
|
||||
<p>Demonic beasts were often mutated. They had a burning desire to hunt, were prone to be infuriated and did not know how to avoid risks. In a sense, they had lower intelligence than beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland carefully observed for a while, finding different sizes and species of beasts, including demonic wolves and demonic bison. Roland thought it didn't mean that they knew the importance of collective actions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because they were still guided by the barriers and traps furnished by Iron Axe. All the beasts had been gradually getting close to the front of the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er was so nervous that his wet palms could not grip his gun tightly. While nobody was noticing, he secretly wiped the sweat using his clothes.</p>
|
||||
<p>The hunters who were responsible for observation repeatedly said, "Relax and take a deep breath." Van'er did as what the hunters said over and over. However, his could not cease to be nervous because he had heard so many rumors about how fierce the demonic beasts were for the past ten years when he lived in the Western Region. Since the start of Months of Demons, the Hunter Squad had killed some scattered demonic beasts under the city wall, which had eased his fear for them a little and he had thought he could be brave enough to face the fierce beasts. The fact was, he was not that brave.</p>
|
||||
<p>Being picked out by His Highness to be Deputy Force Commander of the Spear Squad, Van'er tried to keep his expression calm, maintaining the appearance of an armed guard.</p>
|
||||
<p>The beasts were getting closer to Van'er and he could recognize what they looked like. At the head of the beasts was a demonic bison, whose two shiny black embolons were as thick as his arms. Its fur was just like a cloak, fully covering its body. Van'er felt the ground was quaking while the demonic bison was about 70 meters away from the city wall. He licked his dried lips, waiting for the "thrust" order from the hunters.</p>
|
||||
<p>A loud noise was heard.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic beast did not slow down and directly ran into the city wall, shattering its brain and splashing its black blood.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before Van’er could catch his breath, two demonic wolves swooped down.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Stab!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Hearing the order from the hunters, Van'er subconsciously raised his gun and tried to stab the wolves even though they were not in his attack range. The effect was not as good as they trained: Some thrust their guns immediately after the wolves jumped up, and some failed to react in time after receiving the order.</p>
|
||||
<p>As a consequence, there was only one demonic wolf being pushed back, while another one fell down on the top of the wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Stay in formation!" the hunters shouted loudly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although he was wondering which side the demonic beast would attack, Van'er still remembered what Iron Axe had warned them. When you focused on the things behind you, the danger would come from the front. He kept closely staring at the oncoming beasts, holding fast to his gun.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Hunter Squad was obviously more experienced than the Spear Squad.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before the demonic wolf fell down, the hunters had pointed their machetes at the beast. Iron Axe was pretty nimble; he directly dashed to the beast, smashed at its waist with his gunstock and then watched it roll a few circles in the air.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic beasts were great in both physical stamina and defensive ability. Thus, such attack would not cause it too much damage. Alter falling down, the beast got up instantly and showed its sharp fangs.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe had already pointed his gun to its forehead.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then came a gunshot!</p>
|
||||
<p>The skull of the demonic beast flew into the air and its body retreated back, collapsing and trembling.</p>
|
||||
<p>"The damn beast was dead now. You need to continue keeping your position."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ah, my stomach." Someone was screaming.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er glanced at him from the corner of his eye and saw a member of the platoon team sitting beside the city wall, hands stained with blood.</p>
|
||||
<p>"His tharm was out!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It was scratched by the claws of demonic wolves."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Please help me..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Damn it! Bind up with a cloth!"</p>
|
||||
<p>The scene was chaotic. A few demonic boars with rough skin rushed at the city wall and were hit by crossbows of the hunters.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Calm down!" Roland shouted loudly. He was blocked by Nightingale just now and arrived at this moment, "Don't you remember what to do if someone get hurt during the training? Follow the rules!"</p>
|
||||
<p>What prince said reminded Van'er of his responsibility. As Deputy Force Commander of the city wall's defense team, there should be someone organizing the rescue when there was an injury.</p>
|
||||
<p>He named his two teammates and said, "You take him to the hospital quickly!"</p>
|
||||
<p>According to his previous experience, there was no chance that this man could survive. His Highness, instead, considered it to be more important to follow the orders and regulations, especially for the member of the Militia.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the wounded were carried away, the order was restored on the city wall. The demonic beasts seemed to be of numerous quantities, only a few could impose threats on the people atop the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Hunter Squad shot the left demonic beasts one by one and Van'er eventually took a deep breath. He felt he had use up all of his energy during this half an hour's battle.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this moment, the hunters on the alert in the watchtower of the city wall shouted again, "My gosh, what's that..."</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er also saw it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although it was a long distance from the city wall, it must be a buster from its silhouette. Van'er firmly believed that it would be larger than ten cattle together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only Iron Axe recognized what that monster was at once.</p>
|
||||
<p>He sucked in a breath. There was no doubt that it was a demonic hybrid and that this would bring them big troubles.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 49 - The Demonic Hybrid</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland could not believe his eyes. [What the hell is this? If the mutation of demonic beasts is at least biologically sensible, this monster is so incredible that it seems to have come out of a horror film.]</p>
|
||||
<p>From a distance, it looked like a gigantic tortoise with two heads. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to have two wolf heads.</p>
|
||||
<p>[Is this the guinea pig of Dr. Frankenstein?] Roland thought to himself. The gigantic demonic beast was as high as the city wall and almost six meters long, with six short and thick feet in the shape of rhinoceros' legs. The size of each leg was equal to that of an adult human's body. As for its heads, the two wolf heads were unlike those of the common two-headed monsters in films, which either let out howls in turn or snapped at each other. Instead, the two heads sank low, with their eyes dimmed and their movements like zombies.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most eye-catching thing about it was the shell on its back. The shell's surface had a dim grayish brown color and was covered with moss. With one glance one could tell that it was incredibly hard. This shell was similar to that of a tortoise, it covered the monster from head to tail. If the monster could retreat into its shell like a tortoise, it would definitely be hard to kill it.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Roland was not worried since a demonic beast that moved so slow was destined to be a target. Even if firearms could not penetrate its shell, it would be easy to hit a wolf head outside the shell. If it hid in the shell, they could blow it with dynamite.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, this is a demonic hybrid." Iron Axe approached him with a grave face. "Now I understand why there has been a collective action of demonic beasts of different species. They were all driven by this demonic hybrid."</p>
|
||||
<p>[Just like a lion that drives a herd of sheep?"] Roland thought and nodded. "This one is rather different from the one you saw last time."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's also the first time that I've ever seen a demonic hybrid of this kind. Though it looks clumsy, you shouldn't underestimate it. Any of the demonic hybrids would be hard to tackle."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's almost within the range," Roland said, "and let the archers try first."</p>
|
||||
<p>It snowed lightly, while the wind blew rather unpredictably from the northwest. The weather was not good for archery. But the two huntsmen chosen by Iron Axe seemed confident enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>They ascended the lookout tower and shot their arrows according to their judgement of the instantaneous wind direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>The two arrows behaved like a pair of eyes. After they rose to a vertex, under the influence of both wind and gravity, they fell and landed almost vertically on the targeted shell.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just as expected, the arrows were repelled and this action even sounded off an attention tone like a game in Roland's mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>The two huntsmen continued to shoot their arrows calmly for another two rounds.</p>
|
||||
<p>The last round was successful because the arrows landed at the anterior of the monster. One arrow landed right onto a wolf head, while the other stuck into the neck of its target.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, it did not screech angrily or increase its attacking speed. It stopped for a moment, and then hid its heads and feet into the shell while moving on.</p>
|
||||
<p>This incident baffled everyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>The beast looked then like a tank with its chassis lowered. The ridge of the shell almost touched the ground. In this way, even the best archer could not shoot their arrows into its body.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Use flintlock." Roland commanded.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now the target was about 17 meters away from the city wall. Even a flintlock without rifling could not miss it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter and Iron Axe came to the parapet quickly, mounted their guns, aimed, and fired.</p>
|
||||
<p>While the smoke was dispersing, Roland could see clearly how the bullets hit the shell and made tiny fragments sputter. A small section of the shell cracked. Yet the demonic hybrid was unaffected and maintained its speed.</p>
|
||||
<p>[The hardness of the shell still corresponds with that of a carbon-based organism,] he thought to himself. It was a pity that the lead bullets were too soft and prone to deformation. They were unfit to penetrate the thick shell. It would be unrealistic to attempt to shatter the hybrid's shell with these four guns. They would have to resort to the explosive packages.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe made the same judgement like the prince. He commanded Deputy Force Commander of the Spear Squad to carry the dynamite, while the beast was already butting the city wall. When it found it could no longer advance, its shell began to vibrate with such an unbelievable speed and hit the wall with high frequency like a rotary hammer. Stone chips instantly splattered and several cracks spread quickly along the weak spots.</p>
|
||||
<p>The rubble wall had a high compressive capability, but yet its tensile and shearing strengths were extremely low. To be more specific, it was almost defenseless against vibration. The people on the city wall all felt it. Soon, a loud friction noise pierced the ears of everyone and informed them that the hybrid's shell had cut a slit into the wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet the crashing did not stop. The beast moved again until the whole anterior of its body was embedded into the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Militia fled from the part of the city wall that was covered with cracks, while the invisible Nightingale carried the prince in her arms and jumped from the wall—if anyone had stared at the prince at that moment, he would find the prince had descended like an apparition.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Van'er arrived carefully with a pack of dynamite, he found that the middle part of the city wall had an almost three-meter-wide opening. The demonic beast who had crossed the wall then stopped vibrating and continued to advance with its previous speed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hurry up!" Iron Axe said loudly, "Light the dynamite and place it under the beast!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Though his hands were shaking, Van'er retained the clearness of mind. He remembered every detail of the training about how to use an explosive package. Unlike the packages used in training, each of these explosive packages contained less dynamite and was sealed with wooden planks. Fragments of mining waste were stuffed between the packages and planks. Its firing equipment was also optimized with an extractor of flint and copper wire. When this part failed, at the end of the package there was still a normal fuse. He tore the cloth soaked with oil at the outermost layer in a flurry and pulled at the copper wire with all his strength. From the wooden box there soon came a short buzzing sound. Then smoke appeared—that was a sign it had been successfully lit.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fuse that had been soaked in salt burned rather slowly and would take about 30 seconds to burn. The world turned quiet for Van'er when he saw the white smoke that came out of the box. He had seen how powerful this thing could be. If it exploded in his hand, not even a fragment of his corpse would remain.</p>
|
||||
<p>27 seconds.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er listened to his pumping heart and silently counted. He walked up to the demonic beast and placed the lighted explosive package on its path.</p>
|
||||
<p>15 seconds.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then it crushed the package. Nothing could stop its advancing movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>9 seconds.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er turned around and ran.</p>
|
||||
<p>6 seconds.</p>
|
||||
<p>3 seconds...</p>
|
||||
<p>There came a boom. Van'er felt the ground beneath his feet vibrated. Then the world continued its hustle and bustle.</p>
|
||||
<p>He turned and saw white airflow gush from beneath the shell—it was the snow on the ground that had been blown up by the explosion and looked like a misty flower. The demonic beast stopped advancing at last, as if it was unable to withstand the burden it was carrying. Its gigantic shell fell rumbling to the ground. Black blood gushed out from beneath the shell and soaked the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ooh..."</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a burst of cheer in the crowd.</p>
|
||||
<p>Van'er fell and sat on the ground. Only then did he realize that cold sweat had soaked through his clothes.</p>
|
||||
<p>[It had finally ended.]</p>
|
||||
<p>When everyone thought so, the horn sounded loudly again on the border.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another herd of demonic beasts emerged from the horizon and came toward Border Town.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 50 - The Wall of Flame</h2>
|
||||
<p>"Do you feel better?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna patted Nana on the back. She also felt like throwing up, but she restrained herself.</p>
|
||||
<p>A wounded man was brought to them and while he was still conscious, he repeated, "Save me, save me..." The despair and plea in his eyes was heart-wrenching to watch. When she saw the bowel hanging out of his body, Nana vomited.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even so, she made up her mind to complete the healing. After Brian placed the bowel back to the wounded man's body, Nana reached out her hand and healed the wound with her eyes closed.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Um..." The little girl seemed a little dispirited. She leaned on Anna and said softly, "Today is the first time I heard the sound of the horn. Did His Highness get into trouble?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't know." Anna shook her head. She wanted to take a look at the city wall so much. But she was also worried that she might only make things more troublesome for Roland. She was now a little envious of Nightingale's power of invisibility, for that power would make going out very convenient.</p>
|
||||
<p>At that time, there was a booming sound from the city wall. Everyone felt a slight vibration.</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian stood up and walked to and fro impatiently in the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Take it easy, lad." Baron Pine was wiping his sword. "Losing patience before going to the battlefield would only make bad things worse. Not to mention, now things are still far from bad."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm sorry, Your Excellency," Brian answered. "I just can't calm down. I just don't want to sit here wasting my time while others are fighting on the city wall at the cost of their lives. Defending this little town should have been my duty."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Perhaps." Pine shrugged his shoulders. "But the duty of defending the town doesn't belong to you alone. I've heard that His Highness will grant you the title of knighthood. Then you should understand that a knight's foremost duty is loyalty. If he asked you to protect Anna, then it would be your duty to obey."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You're right." Brian returned to his seat after a moment's hesitation.</p>
|
||||
<p>But soon, they heard the second horn blow—more desperate than the first and rumbling like a thunder in everyone's heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>Pine frowned.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna!" Nana cried out in surprise.</p>
|
||||
<p>When he turned his head, he saw the witch walking directly to the door. Brian caught up and stood in front of her.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Didn't you say that you wanted to defend the city wall? Now it's time," Anna said calmly. "As long as you come with me, you aren't disobeying the order of His Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>Brian became bewildered. He turned his gaze to Pine.</p>
|
||||
<p>[That was clever,] the Baron thought to himself. [What she said makes sense. The prince didn't make it a rule that she should only stay at the hospital. According to Nana, she can summon fire. If things are really urgent, the participation of a witch might turn the situation around.]</p>
|
||||
<p>Finishing his thought, he nodded. "Take care of her."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, I will," Brian became spirited instantly and replied cheerfully.</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing the two leaving, Nana asked, "Father, will you go to the battlefield?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"My battlefield is right here, my sweet one." The baron smiled. "Whether they're demonic beasts or demons, I'll never let them hurt you."</p>
|
||||
<p>The city wall was not far from the hospital. Anna and Brian ran eastward on the flagstone pavement along the wall. When they came to the central lookout tower, they realized things had escalated for the worse.</p>
|
||||
<p>The city wall had then a huge opening. Roland's guards were defending the opening with shields, but still, a few of them were knocked down. Among the demonic beasts, there was one with the look of a boar that was particularly ferocious. The guards at the front who got hit were almost sent flying with their shields.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hey, it's dangerous here. You should leave right now!" Someone warned when he saw Anna in her strange outfit.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna acted as if she had heard nothing. She walked directly to the opening. When the demonic beast made its way through the crowd, it turned and headed for Anna. Brian the guard came to the side speedily, lowered his body and waved his sword horizontally—the frenetic beast did not dodge, and one of its forelegs hit the blade and sent the sword flying, while the force of its own body weight severed the leg.</p>
|
||||
<p>It fell down shrieking and struggled like a fish out of water. No one dared to come close. Anna walked near it and placed her hands on the ground. Soon fire rose from under its body and quickly burned it into charcoal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland also noticed the flame that emerged all of a sudden. When he found that it was Anna who did it, his heart almost leaped out of his chest.</p>
|
||||
<p>That was never in his plan!</p>
|
||||
<p>He had planned to make Nana win the affection of the Militia first. After most of the people had accepted witches as one of them, he would slowly make Anna known to them.</p>
|
||||
<p>But now it was too late. He said immediately to Nightingale, "Pay no more attention to me now. Protect her first!"</p>
|
||||
<p>[No harm must come to Anna. She's the key in the development of industrialization. If she was injured, the loss would be immeasurable,] thought Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Got it," Nightingale replied. "Take care of yourself as well."</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna walked to the opening. Roland's guards made way for her since they had all seen this girl in the strange outfit many times. She stood right in a wall of shields, stretching her arms out horizontally. Flames grew from her hand like vines and climbed onto the surface of the city wall where the opening lay.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone who saw this wonderful scene was dumbfounded. They could not believe their eyes when they saw a wall of flame rise unhurriedly and fill the opening in the city wall. This, however, could not be an illusion, because the high temperature of the flame made the guards step back involuntarily and the snow around melted instantly, giving rise to dense white mist.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic beast also felt the heat of the flame wall. They fled from it, though a few still darted into the flame before they soon burned in it.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Everyone, get to the top of the city wall!" Roland grabbed the chance and shouted, "Spear Squad, resume your formation! Hunter Squad, fire!"</p>
|
||||
<p>After saying this he grabbed Carter's flintlock and ascended the wall, shooting at the demonic beasts which had no way out.</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince's action inspired everyone. After all, in this era, the noble and the royal members hardly fought in the front. When Prince Roland chose to fight with the Militia whom he had selected from the common people, it seemed inspiring indeed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone shouted "Defend Border Town! Fight for His Highness" and resumed the defensive formation as if the city wall had never been damaged.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fight lasted till dusk. There was eventually no more demonic beasts alive in front of the city wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>The flame gradually dimmed and vanished. Anna wiped the dampness from her forehead and walked out of the opening.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then Roland saw an incredible scene.</p>
|
||||
<p>The guards all touched their chest and nodded respectfully to her. The Militia, as if affected by the guards, watched her quietly. No one shouted "demon" or "sorceress". Peace prevailed at the moment on the border.</p>
|
||||
<p>An unknown power was dreadful indeed. But when the owner of it stood by the people's side and fought against the evil with them, trust and gratitude would gradually replace fear.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland tried to suppress his excitement and walked over to Anna, only to find her pale and staggering. It seemed she would collapse any minute.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Are you okay?" He held the maiden's shoulders worryingly, while the latter gave a faint smile, passed out and fell in his arms.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 51 - Her Majesty the Queen</h2>
|
||||
<p>Through the narrow and high window on veranda, the setting sun shone its scarlet light on the floor and imprinted vermilion strips on the wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the whole kingdom, there were only a few places left, where one could still see sunsets, and Port of Clearwater was one of them. It was rumored that the Months of Demons in which heavy snows and storms prevailed had almost no influence on this place. Apart from the fact that Blacksail Fleet couldn't sail forth from the harbor, the whole city was as busy as usual.</p>
|
||||
<p>The lord of this harbor city, Garcia Wimbledon, was sitting at the table below the window and reading the letter in her hand attentively. Her gray hair had a tinge of gold in the setting sun. And the play of shadow and light on her face made her features even sharper, lending it even more charm and audacity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan had stood beside her for quite a while.</p>
|
||||
<p>Though the letter had occupied the queen longer than usual, Ryan chose to wait quietly aside, for he doesn't want to be the one who disturbs the peace in this room.</p>
|
||||
<p>At last, Garcia let out a sigh and put down the letter.</p>
|
||||
<p>"My father died."</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan was dazed for a moment until he said: "What?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"My father, Ayling Wimbledon, the King of the Kingdom of Graycastle, has died."</p>
|
||||
<p>She seldom repeated what she had said, he thought to himself. She would have ignored his question if she had reacted according to her usual manner. But couldn't she be joking? Could the king really be dead?</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." Ryan opened his mouth in attempt to comfort her, but his words turned to a question: "how did he die?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Fortunately, Garcia took no notice of all this psychological activity — she was Princess Garcia, Lord of the Port of Clearwater, the Supreme Commander of Blacksail Fleet, and cared for no one's comforting, "The letter said, it was my brother Gerald who killed the father and was later caught by the guards. He didn't commit suicide to escape punishment, so the Hand of the King and a few other ministers made him go through a public trial and sentenced him to decapitation."</p>
|
||||
<p>"This couldn't be the case," replied Ryan subconsciously.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course this couldn't be the case," said Garcia impassively, "My brother was stupid, but not stupid enough to court his own death. Without someone else's instigation, he couldn't have done this."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did someone set him up?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Let me guess..." Princess Garcia closed her eyes in contemplation, "Maybe someone made a detailed proposal to him, saying that they could help him to take the throne — to bring assassins into the King's City is impossible unless careful arrangements are made, including killing, swapping, and buying off personal. But that has never been what Gerald is good at, or rather, he doesn't care to deal with these trifles. So it's not hard to conclude that the ones who made the arrangements had all his trust, yet betrayed him at the last moment."</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan didn't reply, for all was just speculation. How things happened no longer mattered. It was the result that mattered the most. He believed that Princess Garcia was of the same opinion.</p>
|
||||
<p>As expected, Garcia opened her eyes and continued, "There were so many stupid men around my big brother, every one of them a muscular beast. No wonder they were all duped. It was only..." Her voice was then tinged with anger, "Timothy's ways were far too cruel."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Are you saying that it was Timothy Wimbledon who did this?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Who knows Gerald better than he does? Who will benefit the most from this state of affairs?" Garcia said, knocking her fingers unconsciously on the table, "A blind man can see that! But he didn't have to do this, for he had been father's favorite."</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan realized that Her Highness was upset. It was unusual for her to put on such an expression. Much as she complained about King Wimbledon III's excessive partiality, she would have never wanted her father to have such an end.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan could understand her feelings more or less. It was exactly how the younger generation felt towards the elder in a big family — the elders are like a mountain to cross, arousing respect, awe and loathing. If she had been right and Prince Timothy had done all this, then the prince could be called cruel.</p>
|
||||
<p>"But... why did he have to do this?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Because he was afraid of me," Garcia took a deep breath and seemed to be gathering herself together, saying "He was afraid of the Blacksail Fleet."</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing that Ryan didn't reply, she continued to explain: "Timothy have informers in the Port of Clearwater. There's nothing strange about that, just like I have arrange informers in Valencia and King's City. When he knew about the existence of Blacksail Fleet, he could easily guess what was my next plan. However, Valencia doesn't have an army that can resist Blacksail Fleet. So he used the most stupid way, making Gerald his stepping stone to get what he wants."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you mean that he wants an army?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"He wants the crown," said Garcia, "When Gerald dies, he will be the first in line of succession. Now that my father had died, he must have been on the way to King's City." "As long as Timothy becomes Wimbledon IV, he can muster the forces of feudatory and army beyond the limit of domains," She continued, shaking her head, "But as I have said, he didn't have to do this as father's favorite son."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Isn't this the worst situation?" Ryan said worriedly, "What if Prince Timothy is successfully crowned, declares that Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince has come to an end, and then summons you to King's City?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Garcia replied scornfully: "This step of his was much too blunt. My father's partiality doesn't entail the support from most ministers. The murder of the king is no trivial matter — though Timothy has shifted the blame to Gerald, he could only fool the commoners. It would take him a long time before he could seize the power of Kingdom of Graycastle completely. So..." She turned to look at Ryan, "I may have to change my plan a little."</p>
|
||||
<p>Ryan at once went down on one knee and said: "I'm all at your service."</p>
|
||||
<p>Garcia stood up and walked to the window, her back to Ryan, "He would take on me as soon as he were crowned. But what he could think of could only be ordering Joey Kohl, Duke of the Southern Territory, to exert military pressure on me. Yet the latter would probably take the mourning of the latest king as an excuse to hold back his troops — the old man's too sly to take any risks. The most Joey Kohl would do might be mustering his feudatories and making a show of it next to the border Port of Clearwater." Princess Garcia made a little pause, "But these possible movements might bring unnecessary troubles to us, so we shall sail forth tomorrow."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sail forth? Your Highness, would you want to..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"As it lies at the heart of the kingdom, Eagle City has been a city almost without defense. It is possible to arrive at Town of Clear Spring by the tributary of Sanwan River, and from there one can reach Eagle City within a day. After taking over Joe's city, the whole Southern Territory will be in my command. There will be such an interesting time lag: when he sits on the throne and wants to command Joey, he will find that the whole Southern Territory has been seized by m. I'd love to see his face then."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But as you have said, King Wimbledon III has just passed away. In this way —"</p>
|
||||
<p>"What then? Shall I shed tears first?" Garcia turned, while the setting sun on the sea surface cloaked her with magenta gossamer. Her face was hidden in the dark, yet there was still some flickering light in her eyes. "Her eyes are so firm," Ryan thought, "though there could be anger or pain in them, but there should be no place for sadness."</p>
|
||||
<p>Sadness is not for Her Highness.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, you shouldn't," he answered earnestly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Garcia nodded satisfactorily, "Go and gather the captains here for me. Now that Timothy wouldn't wait until five years later, I'd certainly not disappoint him. The whole Southern Territory will be declared independent, after I seize the Eagle City."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It doesn’t' matter to her if it was done by Timothy," Ryan thought, "she can always find her way in the most turbulent situation and head for her goal once a decision is made. This is where her charm lies and the reason why I've followed her."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll do as you bid, Your Highness...No," Ryan answered respectfully, "Your Majesty the Queen."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 52 - The Flame of the Heart (Part I)</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland knocked on the door and pushed it open after he heard Nightingale's consent.</p>
|
||||
<p>The heavy drapes hung in the room would only be pulled apart in the early morning and evening, to let in some fresh air. At other times they were down for warmth and shade.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only source of light came from the two candle stands at the end of the bed. The candles burned in silence and projected two crossing shadows on the objects in the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>He walked to the bed and watched the still unconscious girl buried in soft pillows and quilts. He let out a little sigh.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Everything is okay at the border front line?" Nightingale came to hand him a glass of warm water.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Everything has gone on well." Roland took a sip and handed the glass back to her. "After that day we didn't encounter any more large groups of demonic beasts. When the injured Militia members returned to the army, they were... inspired."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What about the opening in the city wall?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Karl moved the shell of that hybrid demonic beast to the damaged spot by rolling logs, and attached it to the city wall with hangers and winches." Roland knew that Nightingale was trying to divert his attention to keep him from worrying too much. But ever since he stepped into the room, all his attention could not help but be on the girl in slumber.</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who contributed the most to the last victory against the demonic beasts was Anna. If she had not blocked the damaged spot on the city wall with her flames, what would become of the battle was hardly imaginable.</p>
|
||||
<p>But she collapsed in his arms and had not woken up since.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's been a week," Roland said softly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Theoretically speaking, if someone was in a coma and did not eat, drink or get nutrition through other means (for example, by injection) in more than a week, the body function would then deteriorate until the brain died gradually in the process. But Anna did not show any signs of serious illness or even weakness—her look was at least much better than when she fainted off. Her cheeks were rosy. Her breath was smooth. The temperature one felt by touching her forehead was normal. All indicated that Anna was healthy, yet... unable to wake up.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's also the first time that I'm faced with such a situation." Nightingale, who stood aside, shook her head and said, "The magic in her has been emptied during the battle. But now it's almost saturated and even thicker than before. If my estimation is right, she'll have her Day of Adulthood this middle night.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you mean that she'll come to adulthood in the coma?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, she might die in the coma." Nightingale spoke frankly, "One has to undergo the pain on the Day of Adulthood with the utmost willpower. As soon as one gives up resisting the pain, the magic power will bite a witch's body and destroy it irreversibly."</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland took a chair and sat beside the bed. "However, I remember you told me that when Demonic Torture happens, no matter how painful it is, one will retain clear consciousness until one either overcomes this crisis or dies."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, indeed. In the Witch Cooperation Association, some witch had hoped to pass the Demonic Torture in a coma. It was not even Day of Adulthood pains... but less severe pains that happened once a year." Nightingale hesitated for a moment, and then said, "She sank into unconsciousness with the aid of alchemical potion, but that attempt was meaningless... The magic power bit her body and made her awake yet defenseless."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Does the pain increase gradually?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No. When the time comes, the pain strikes like a thunder. But as for how long the pain lasts, it varies from one person to another. My sister was not weak. It was only..." Her voice lowered.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland understood what she meant. The uncertainty was a trial in itself as one did not know how long one had persisted, and how much longer one would still have to persist—this felt like a lonely boat in the stormy sea, thereby making one lose hope even more quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the silence, he felt a hand upon his shoulder.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've seen too many deaths in my many years of vagrancy. The witches have been treated like animals—hanged, burned or tortured to death by the noble who take pleasure in their pains. The fortunate witches that survived could only distance themselves from the crowd and live in isolation, while Holy Mountain, a place that is nowhere to be found, serves as a feeble hope for them." Nightingale's voice became softer than usual. "But Anna is different. It's the first time that I've seen someone outside the Witch Cooperation Association who cares so much for the witches. She's needed, respected and treated like a normal person... Your Highness, even if Anna doesn't come to adulthood successfully, she has found her own Holy Mountain."</p>
|
||||
<p>But this would not be the ending that he wanted. Roland closed his eyes and recalled the first time he met her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Her feet were bare and her clothes were ragged, but yet she did not show any fear in a prisoner's cage. Her eyes were like unsullied lakes, serene and clear.</p>
|
||||
<p>She was the flame, yet not so flippant like the flames.</p>
|
||||
<p>Pictures flashed quickly in his mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Now that I've satisfied your curiosity, Sir, could you kill me now?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've never used my power to hurt anyone."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I only hope to stay by your side, Your Highness. That's all."</p>
|
||||
<p>"The demonic torture won't kill me. I'll beat it."</p>
|
||||
<p>"What are you thinking of? I'm not going anywhere."</p>
|
||||
<p>...</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland suppressed his emotions and said softly, "I'll be at her side until the last moment."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Me, too, and... thank you."</p>
|
||||
<p>After dinner, Nana came as well. When she heard that Anna would come to adulthood, she insisted on staying. Roland had to arrange a room on the second floor for Tigui Pine who had accompanied her.</p>
|
||||
<p>So just like that, Roland and the other two witches sat by the bed and waited quietly for midnight to arrive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale and Nana had to undergo the demonic torture in this winter as well. Fortunately, the awakening time was different for every witch. Otherwise, Roland thought he could not have acted so calmly if the three witches had to undergo their trials of life and death all at the same time.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was no belfry in the little town. The passing of time became unnoticeable in the dimly lit room. From time to time there was a shrieking sound of the wind current that passed through the window gap. Just when Roland began to feel drowsy, Nightingale observed. "It's started."</p>
|
||||
<p>Only she could see the magic in Anna that then became active. The green flame became thicker and thicker, and its center turned from bright to dark. The restless magic gradually converged to the center, as if dragged by something. It struggled and seethed, but yet its effort was in vain.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland did not see this change, but he still felt that something was different.</p>
|
||||
<p>The flames of the candles flickered, though there was no wind in the room at the time. The flames became darker and darker as if devoured by the shadows around. Then the color of the flame changed from red to green.</p>
|
||||
<p>He turned his gaze to the girl in bed. Anna was still in slumber without the slightest change of expression on her face, as if nothing in the room that happened was relevant to her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then the candlelight became almost invisible—the flame was not out, but the green part of the flame was nibbling away at the red part until all light vanished and darkness prevailed.</p>
|
||||
<p>But soon light returned to the room, while the flames of the candles remained pure green. In the green light, the three looked at one another in confusion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then Anna's groan pulled their attention back to her.</p>
|
||||
<p>She slowly opened her eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna..." Roland was in a daze and thought, [Is she waking up?]</p>
|
||||
<p>The girl blinked and smiled, and then reached out her right palm to the prince.</p>
|
||||
<p>Green flame leaped from her palm and burned quietly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland understood her intuitively. He placed his finger into the flame after a second's hesitation, but the expected burning pain did not come. Instead, what he felt was only gentleness and warmth, as if he had placed his finger in lukewarm water.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 53 - The Flame of the Heart (Part II)</h2>
|
||||
<p>The next day after Anna woke up, Nightingale came to bid farewell to Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Though we don't know why, Anna is probably the first witch to have spent the Day of Awakening without pain," Nightingale said excitedly before leaving. Having lived with Roland for a long time, she got used to the word "awakening" to describe the transformation of witches. "I'll bring my sisters in the Witch Cooperation Association to Border Town. I hope you'll accept them, just as you have accepted Anna."</p>
|
||||
<p>That was exactly what Roland prayed for. Anna's ability alone helped the town to improve the hot forging process so that the town could see the dawn of the Industrial Age, let alone the ability of a bunch of witches? Of course, considering Nightingale's safety, he asked her to stay, hoping that she could go to the Impassable Mountain Range after the Months of Demons.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Nightingale was obviously too eager to wait. "Many of my sisters will face the difficult period during the winter. If I could tell them the news earlier, maybe more of them can survive the awakening. Don't worry, few demonic beasts can sense my whereabouts."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then, when is your Day of Awakening?" Roland finally asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale mounted her horse and said, "The end of the winter or early spring." She waved to Roland and rode off. "Don't worry about me. That pain becomes lighter and lighter these years."</p>
|
||||
<p>Her reply made Roland lost in thoughts.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had been thinking about the reason why Anna got through the Day of Awakening successfully. After all, Anna said after awakening that she did not feel the slightest pain, which was a total reversal of Nightingale's notion—"A witch gains her power from the demon, and thus she is tainted and evil." Such notions were rooted in people's mind, as they saw the witches would suffer terrible pain on the Day of Awakening. And when the witches died in the awakening, their blood and flesh would be dried and their skin would be burnt, which became the irrefutable evidence of their depravity.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Roland never believed in that notion.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had probed the memory of the real Prince Roland, but yet failed to find any evidence of the existence of God or demon. Since power was not endowed by God, then it should not be regarded as a standard to distinguish between good and evil. In fact, even if the gods existed and frequently interfered in the secular world, believers should be endowed with power after they chose their camp, and not the other way around.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to the description of Nightingale, the magic power gathered in the witches' body. Then was it possible that the vessel was damaged because the magic power could not be released? Roland thought it was quite possible, as the witches, faced with most people's hostility and oppression, had to hide their ability and pretend to be normal. Therefore, they had few opportunities to use their magic power before they reached their adulthood.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, Roland would not think that his castle happened to be a wonderland. He had already talked to Anna, knowing that she experienced insufferable pain before. If anything was different during this year, then it was the fact she used her ability almost every day since she came to the castle.</p>
|
||||
<p>And what Nightingale said before she left implicitly confirmed his assumption—Nightingale often used her ability of invisibility as it was hard to be noticed, and she had also been forced to train her ability; what's more, she could use her ability without any misgivings now. And that was why the bite on the Day of Awakening had little effect on her.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Roland returned to the castle, he immediately asked Nana to strengthen her training. If no one was hurt while defending the town, she would have to heal a variety of small animals. If the assumption was proved through Nana's training, it would have an earth-shattering effect on the witch community, as the curse of demon would change into the endowment of God. As long as he could ensure that his domain was safe and open to the witches, they would come here endlessly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyhow, everything got back on track after this incident.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland urged the production of Steam Engine II, which could also help Anna to familiarize herself with the new ability.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another shed was put up in the castle backyard, but to shelter snow this time. He felt that it would be safer to build his experimental base in his own territory.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to what Nightingale said, a witch's ability would be stable in her adulthood, and she might generate new derivative skill. Though he had not seen Anna's new skill yet, her way of controlling flame was completely different now.</p>
|
||||
<p>No, whether it could be called as a flame was uncertain now, Roland thought. If the former flame could be barely understood with common sense, the green flame now was utterly unexplainable.</p>
|
||||
<p>He named it as "Heart Fire".</p>
|
||||
<p>Because it could exist away from Anna, and change its shape at Anna's will, just as what she was doing now.</p>
|
||||
<p>A flicker of flame stood on the iron plate two meters away from her, swinging slightly back and forth, as if it was saluting. But Roland knew that it was controlled by Anna. Normally, it kept a temperature close to that of the body; once Anna wanted to heat it up, it would instantly rise to a higher temperature and the color would change from green to dark green. Similarly, it could also change into a large cluster of flames; in addition, it could move at a slow speed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unfortunately, it could not be far away from Anna; through repeated testing, it was confirmed that the Heart Fire would disappear if it was five meters or more away from Anna.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another feature of Heart Fire was that Anna could summon a lot of flames, though she could barely control two flames simultaneously until now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently the border was quite calm. Demonic beasts still appeared outside the wall, but without demonic hybrids, it was hard for them to break through the defense line. As Roland said, the beasts became stronger and quicker, but they were just beasts. The demonic beasts were led to the middle section of the wall, so that the Militia of about 100 soldiers could cope with the situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>So in addition to the daily routine inspection, Roland spent a lot of time on construction.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had set aside a site on the south of the castle, and planned to build houses on it for the arriving witches. As the investor of the project, he appointed Karl to be in charge to build a number of two-story brick houses. A reasonable and pleasing layout, easy entrance and exit, convenient drainage system and other issues had to be taken into consideration, as he strove to create a well-planned neighborhood.</p>
|
||||
<p>He even considered distributing the witches to live in the old and new area of the town, so that they could live together with the common residents. Later he thought it over and deserted the plan. That might be helpful to speed up the common residents' understanding of the witches, but it might cause irreparable consequences, before the misunderstanding was cleared up. After all, the different view of witches only existed within the Militia right now.</p>
|
||||
<p>What's more, Roland could not guarantee that all of the witches brought by Nightingale would be pure and harmless—most of them had suffered the pain and torture of the world, so Roland was afraid they were much more sophisticated. After all, witches like Anna and Nana were rare.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, if the witches lived together, it was more convenient for centralized management. Relevant rules and regulations had to be drawn up before their arrival. Roland had no experience to refer to. After all, he was neither the personnel of Superpower Office of National Security Agency, nor was he the founder of the Avengers, how could he know how to manage a group of people with super powers! He had to work out a temporary system by referring to the personnel management system used in companies, and planned to modify it slowly while putting it into practice.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, Roland knew that this plan was full of flaws. Anyhow, as a pioneer, who else could he rely on? If he chose to hide and be conservative in Border Town, maybe he could touch the threshold of industrialization in decades. But being a mortal man, how many decades could he afford?</p>
|
||||
<p>If he wanted to lead the town to the next era and be the pioneer of the reform, he had to have an adventurous spirit.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just when he was writing his thoughts on the parchment, Barov opened the door and walked in.</p>
|
||||
<p>Shaking the snow off his coat and saluting to the prince, Barov said, "Your Highness, a messenger of Longsong Stronghold has come."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 54 - The [Bad News]</h2>
|
||||
<p>Petrov never thought that he would return to Border Town so soon.</p>
|
||||
<p>He was unwilling to leave his warm house in such a cold winter, especially when the demonic beasts were raging on the continent. Nevertheless, Duke Ryan designated him to place the tricky document in the hands of Prince Roland.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly, he knew what was said in the document—in fact, the entire nobility of Graycastle was discussing the alarming news: the king died in a murder and the murderer was Gerald Wimbledon, the king's eldest son. Subsequently, the king's second son rushed to the king's city and declared that he would succeed to the throne as the second-in-line, since the kingdom could not survive without a king.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, his action was not accepted by all. It was claimed that Gerald's trial was rather strange, as he was exposed only a few times during the whole interrogation, with his mouth sealed and his hands tightly bound. Therefore, some people were hoping to investigate the murder thoroughly and then decide who should inherit the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>Besides, it was rumored that Timothy Wimbledon, the 2nd Prince, was the man who pulled the strings behind the murder. As the real murderer of the king, he pretended to be sad, but could not wait to ascend the throne.</p>
|
||||
<p>Regardless of the controversies, the 2nd Prince temporarily took over the position of the king, thanks to the full support of Prime Minister. At the same time, he issued recall orders to all his competitors—the battle for the throne had come to an end, and the princes and princesses, after receiving the orders, had to return to the king's city before the end of the winter. The new king would confer domain and titles on them, based on their ruling of territories over the past six months.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, Petrov could sense the eagerness behind the command.</p>
|
||||
<p>Through this, Timothy Wimbledon could know his siblings' reaction and know whether he could sit on the throne firmly. If they chose to give up the battle for the throne and return to the king's city, then Timothy Wimbledon would become the undisputed Wimbledon IV.</p>
|
||||
<p>All the documents to Border Town would be transferred through Longsong Stronghold first. When Duke Ryan read the recall order, he was fairly disdainful of it. The last king had controlled the lords well before he died; as for the 2nd Prince, his ascending to the throne was already controversial. Moreover, since Gerald was beheaded on the guillotine, it was highly doubtful that anyone would be willing to return to the king's city.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyway, in the eyes of the six noble families in Longsong Stronghold, this command came at a good time.</p>
|
||||
<p>About two months ago, Earl of the Elk Family made an unauthorized scheme, which made the duke unhappy, especially when he knew the scheme failed. The prince also gave a fierce response, and he directly sentenced Kihls Medde to be hanged. With this, both sides came to an open rupture.</p>
|
||||
<p>The duke had originally planned to calm the troubled waters after the end of Months of Demons. But now with this document, he had a more legitimate option. After Roland Wimbledon returned to the king's city, Border Town would naturally be owned by the duke again. And if the prince refused, the duke could force him to leave—in the name of the new king.</p>
|
||||
<p>The duke did not care much about who would inherit the throne in the end.</p>
|
||||
<p>But as a messenger, Petrov did not feel very comfortable. Last time he promised that he would bring back a new trade agreement, but the scheme of the Elk Family came first. Now he visited Border Town again, but he brought bad news again—whether it was the death of King Wimbledon III or the recall order of the new king, neither would be welcomed by Prince Roland, Petrov believed.</p>
|
||||
<p>The sail to Border Town was quite smooth. As Kingdom of Graycastle lay in the south of the continent, the river did not freeze even in winter.</p>
|
||||
<p>From time to time, Petrov looked outside the window. He did not see any people being starved to death or fleeing from the town, which indicated that Border Town did not fall to the demonic beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>That surprised him slightly. After all, he witnessed how the city wall was built when he visited Border Town last time. Truth be told, he had little confidence in the stone wall plastered by mud.</p>
|
||||
<p>What he saw next surprised him more. A sailing ship with the banner of Willow Town slowly passed them on the right side of the river—he had seen such a scene before, but never in the Months of Demons! [Border Town is doing business, even when they are fighting against the demonic beasts? How could they resist the brutal beasts without summoning all miners to the defense line?] he thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>Three days later, the ship arrived at the dock of Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>The wooden dock was still old and shabby, but beside it, a simple wooden shed was newly built. Once the ship was ashore, two guards walked out from the shed, staring at every move of the boatmen.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov immediately understood the meaning of setting sentries here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prince Roland apparently did not want anyone to leave the town secretly through the waterway.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov jumped off the ship and showed his identity to the guard. Then a man brought a horse for him and accompanied him to the castle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just like last time, Prince Roland Wimbledon met him in the living room. What's more, the prince ordered his attendant to prepare a sumptuous meal, although it was not the normal dinner time.</p>
|
||||
<p>The attendants served grilled ham, dried fish slices, an unknown salad of wild vegetables, as well as butter bread, and vegetable soup that could be seen at any dinner party.</p>
|
||||
<p>It seemed that the prince liked to talk business after dinner.</p>
|
||||
<p>Petrov thought, while his hands were busy with the forks. After all, he had not had much of a chance to enjoy a good meal. Even his Honeysuckle Family, except having dinner with guests, would just eat potato and bread with bacon.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the dinner was finished, the dessert was served. Petrov respectfully handed over the document.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland took the document and opened the sealing wax with his dining knife. He flattened the document and took a quick glance. Then he was stunned.</p>
|
||||
<p>[The king was dead?]</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had no feeling toward his nominal father. He was already in Border Town when he woke up as Prince Roland, and he had never seen the king face to face, plus he only found complaints and resentment toward his father in Prince Roland's memory. Because of this, he thought he was caught in an embarrassing situation—should he have a sorrowful look on his face?</p>
|
||||
<p>He could sense it was a conspiracy when reading the following contents. [The eldest son murdered King Wimbledon III? The 2nd Prince, under his new authority as the new king, announced the end of the battle for the throne, and commanded all his siblings to return immediately to the king's city?] He doubted that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland coughed and raised his head, and caught the regretful look in Petrov's eyes.</p>
|
||||
<p>[So that's it,] Roland thought, [Duke of Longsong Stronghold must be happy to see this. Whether I obey the order or not, I'm in a dilemma.]</p>
|
||||
<p>[Instead of bringing the promised agreement, Petrov brought a piece of bad news which might cause my death. He must be feeling guilty at this moment,] Roland thought. He secretly smiled, folded the document again and said, "I got it."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Uh, Your Highness, what do you intend to..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Even if I intend to leave, I have to wait until the end of the Months of Demons. If I leave, what will the people of Border Town do in the heavy snow?"</p>
|
||||
<p>To someone else, Petrov would certainly say things like "Don't worry, Stronghold will help you handle the situation", or any other diplomatic words. However, faced with Prince Roland who he had only met twice, he could not speak so readily. For the first time, Petrov detested his own identity as a messenger. In the end he merely nodded. "I understand. Should I deliver a reply for you?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland called the attendants to bring over a pen and paper. He soon wrote a document and covered it in sealing wax and his personal seal. Petrov glanced at the envelope when he got the document from Roland. It was clearly written to Timothy Wimbledon, the second Prince of Graycastle instead of King Wimbledon IV.</p>
|
||||
<p>[He has showed his attitude,] Petrov thought.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 55 - A Once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity</h2>
|
||||
<p>Roland pushed open the door to his office, where Barov had been waiting for him for quite some time.</p>
|
||||
<p>He tossed the document to Assistant Minister Barov, settled back in his chair and put his feet on his desk.</p>
|
||||
<p>If outsiders had not been present, he would have wanted to hum a tune.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, please restrain your grief," said Barov. He read the letter, frowning and frowned. "The king has unfortunately passed away; the first prince is the murderer. It is a tragedy. I don't know what Your Highness intends to do next."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Gerald's death was so peculiar. I want to see how Garcia and Tilly react before deciding," said Roland, "but in any case, we should be taking precautions."</p>
|
||||
<p>Barov looked at the prince, waiting for him to continue.</p>
|
||||
<p>"With this change in royal power, the king's city may become turbulent. The first thing to do is to vacate your beloved ones and family members." It was important to prevent the Second Prince from taking these people to threaten his personal ministers. Right now, Assistant Minister Barov was indispensable for maintaining the administrative and normal financial operation of Border Town. Roland sipped his tea and continued, "You, Carter, and your subordinates, need to write letters to your family members. I'll entrust the guards to go to the king's city with the letters and arrange shelter for them in other towns."</p>
|
||||
<p>"No need to come to Border Town?" Barov was not a fool. After 20 years of experience in politics, he immediately understood the prince's deliberate intention.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No." Roland neither wished for the adversary to use the families to threaten his subordinates, nor did he want his subordinates to think he was trying to use the families to threaten them. So he chose a compromise, relocating them to other safer towns first. When things settled down, he could bring them to Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I understand. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Barov nodded his assent. Roland sighed with relief. He really had too few talented employees.</p>
|
||||
<p>"And about the ore trade, the recent export of iron ore will be suspended. We'll only sell raw gemstones to Willow Town," he commanded. "I need to keep the iron ore for my own use."</p>
|
||||
<p>"This will reduce revenue, Your Highness."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But it won't go down too much. The miners have found a new gemstone deposit that can make up some of the gap," Roland said. And there would be no business during the winter. No one was willing to go out any time the demonic beasts might be hanging out. As a result, there would likely be only two or three transactions for the next four months. For the lightweight barge, obviously the transport of gemstones was a more cost-effective choice.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Understood." Barov jotted everything down.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Barov had left, Roland called on Carter Lannis. "I need to expand the size of the Militia. After the recruitment release, please arrange to transfer a few members with quick response and high ability, to the new platoons to become captains. The training must be based on the same method that was implemented last time."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, if you follow the old training method, it will probably be a long time before the new platoon is ready."</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's still stronger than a rabble," said Roland, waving him to do what he had said. The platoon trained thus far was far from being able to be called an army, he was afraid that they were at the level of college students after military training. But sometimes the measure of fighting capacity had to be compared to the opponent. In addition to the demonic beasts, they were also likely to encounter a group of private corps, mercenaries, and "mixed platoons" temporarily put together by serfs. As long as they were equipped with cross-era weapons, college students would be almost adequate.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Carter had left, Roland could not help laughing.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had not expected such a coincidence! It was a timely benefit, just like the passing of a pillow when sleep beckoned.</p>
|
||||
<p>Was it bad news for him? A dilemma? Wrong! He knew little about Garcia Wimbledon, but she was not the kind of person to be trampled upon at will. The first prince had been sentenced to death in such a short period of time. Even if there was no insider, she would probably not return to the king's city easily.</p>
|
||||
<p>He was just to follow suit. As long as he could guard Border Town without moving elsewhere, someone would certainly jump out, and the Duke of Longsong Stronghold was likely the first person to feel uneasy. Otherwise he would not have been so anxious about the documents and delivered them to him in such bad weather.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the Duke, the sooner he saw it, the sooner he would sleep and eat in peace.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Roland chose to stay in Border Town, it was equivalent to defying the new king's will. He would wait until the Months of Demons were over. The duke would then probably want to give him a profound lesson under Timothy Wimbledon's banner. But this was exactly what Roland needed.</p>
|
||||
<p>If anyone were to ask what industrialization lacked the most, the answer would definitely be people.</p>
|
||||
<p>It required a large number of people to join in this large-scale production, turning the public into individual parts of a huge machine to drive it into operation. It was no exaggeration to say that with the "sheep eating men" enclosure movement in Britain, a large number of farmers were deprived of their land, making them free laborers, which then laid a solid foundation for the later industrial revolution.</p>
|
||||
<p>The industrial age was so harsh, as long as educated workers were put into this furnace continuously, the exchange in return would be huge. The smaller the industrial classification, the larger the population needed to be.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had been troubled constantly by the problem of population.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were just over 2,000 inhabitants in Border Town. Even if it was a new era of machinery, it was still only workshop-style production. Without a large number of people, many projects could not be launched. Where could he swindle so many people to come to this town?</p>
|
||||
<p>Could he buy slaves? There was no mention of where to buy thousands of slaves at once. Adult slaves were expensive, and did not have much significant training. Younger slaves, under the age of ten, would take too long to train. Even if child labor was employed against conscience, the waiting period would still be too long.</p>
|
||||
<p>Could he recruit talents? How many people would be attracted to Border Town? This would result in more costs than buying slaves.</p>
|
||||
<p>Could he encourage people to give birth to more children? Forced marriages? Forget it...</p>
|
||||
<p>He had also considered Longsong Stronghold. But since the kingdom was in a stable state, if he were to attack the surrounding lords, it would simply be gambling with the future. Duke Ryan would also not dare to confront him blatantly, he would rather secretly try to put a spoke in his wheel.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, the situation was different now. Now that Timothy had ascended the throne, he was eager to see all his competitors disappear. This recall order reflected his eager mood. Duke Ryan had obviously been able to understand this. Once released from the old king's constraints, it would be strange for him, as the ruler in the Western Region, to do nothing.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the opportunity Roland had been anticipating for a long time</p>
|
||||
<p>Longsong Stronghold, as the border of the kingdom, was a century-old city with nearly 10,000 permanent residents. Behind Longsong Stronghold, there were towns with large tracts of land and no defense ability. If it was possible to defeat Duke of Longsong Stronghold and win the city, he would be able to get a large number of free people, while completing the original accumulation of wealth in the meantime.</p>
|
||||
<p>What easier way was there to gain population than annexation? What else could accumulate wealth faster than plunder?</p>
|
||||
<p>The news was like a lighthouse dispelling the mist, illuminating the direction of Roland's progress.</p>
|
||||
<p>He would never miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 56 - In the Mountains</h2>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale stepped slowly along the mountain trail.</p>
|
||||
<p>The path under her feet was only as wide as her shoulders. To one side was a huge stone cliff. Opposite were steep rocks. The two apart was about three meters wide. Below was a bottomless ravine. She carefully followed the stone cliff to avoid slipping.</p>
|
||||
<p>When she looked up, she saw that in the sky, there was only a thin ray of light, like a hanging silver thread. But she knew that it was noon. Even in the daytime, she had to carry a torch. The light coming through the rock was not bright enough to illuminate the road ahead. The long path gave the illusion that she was inside the mountains.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only advantage here was that despite the cold wind whistling and snow swirling in the mountains, the gap between the cliffs remained unaffected. Occasionally a few snowflakes fell from overhead down the cliffs and paths, quickly turning into water vapor. The temperature here was different from outside. Occasionally she could see warm gas rising from the abyss.</p>
|
||||
<p>Had it not been so, she would not have dared to go alone through the Impassable Mountain Range in the Months of Demons. The Mist could hide her body, but could not isolate the temperature. She would have frozen to death if she had walked in the cold wind for less than two hours.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Nightingale was unwilling to stay here for more than a moment, for she always felt something in the dark staring at her. It gave her the creeps.</p>
|
||||
<p>If she could, Nightingale would have wished to walk through the Mist. Unfortunately, she did not have enough strength to do that. Prolonged usage of strength would quickly exhaust her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale lifted the torch. On the opposite, rocks were flickering in and out of sight. In the faint firelight, she could occasionally see shadows of different sizes on the opposite cliffs. Nightingale knew that they were caves, so deep that light could not shine, and they looked like a cluster of shadows. In the same position as the cliff close to her, there was also a corresponding deep hollow.</p>
|
||||
<p>This reminded her of the hearsay about the mine on Northern Slope. It was said to be the demons' underground den. From there, there were many byroads in all directions supposedly dug by monsters. Northern Slope was only one corner of the Impassable Mountain Range. Were these caves connected to the mine?</p>
|
||||
<p>The idea made her shiver.</p>
|
||||
<p>West of the Impassable Mountain Range was the uninhabited Barbarian Land. Who could dig numerous caves inside these mountains stretching hundreds of kilometers? Perhaps nobody but the monsters, who had survived in Barbarian Land, could do that.</p>
|
||||
<p>She did not dare to contemplate further, and instead she concentrated on walking forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>Finally, the path in front changed. The shoulder-wide path was divided into two, one slightly upward and the other straight down, extending deep into darkness. Nobody knew where it led to. At the turnoff, she had stronger feelings of being watched as if countless pairs of eyes were gazing at her in the darkness. It made her mouth go dry and her scalp tingle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale gritted her teeth, opened the Mist and hurried upwards. Soon the strange sensation vanished.</p>
|
||||
<p>With the altitude rising, the surrounding temperature was gradually falling. The silver thread overhead was growing wider and wider. After half an hour, a huge cave appeared on her right. The entrance of the cave was slightly higher than the road. She stepped into the cave and could see faint lights of fire deep within.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was the hideout of the Witch Cooperation Association.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale stepped out of the Mist and was immediately discovered by the guarding witch. A black gas wall blocked her way, but soon disappeared into the invisible. In the darkness, the companion's voices cried pleasantly. "You're back!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Finally back," she thought, but when she noticed her companion's arms wrapped with two pieces of white cloth, Nightingale's mood, which had just leaped, sank again. "Two more sisters..."</p>
|
||||
<p>The other person's voice paused for a moment. "Uh... ah, they were Airy and Abby. They died five days ago and didn't make it to adulthood," she said, forcing a smile. "This often happens, doesn't it? Don't say this. You can go to the camp. Wendy has been talking about you for a long time."</p>
|
||||
<p>Airy and Abby, a pair of twins born to an affluent family of Fallen Dragon Ridge, had at last ended their lives in this deep mountain. Nightingale sometimes wondered whether she had done a right thing. If she had not taken the two away, at least they could have enjoyed the rich and healthy life, not having to drift away with the others, before death.</p>
|
||||
<p>But at the thought of Wendy, a warm current surged in Nightingale's heart. If Wendy had not helped her, she would still be a puppet, used as a tool and possibly discarded at any time. Nightingale wanted to tell her the news as soon as possible. And she wanted to tell all the sisters that they did not have to hide like rats, here and there. Some people were willing to accept them. And they could spend their Day of Awakening every year in peace!</p>
|
||||
<p>Entering the camp, Nightingale saw a familiar figure squatting at the side of the campfire, handling the food. The other witches had not arrived yet. She could not help crying out. "Wendy, I'm back!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy was startled. She raised her head, revealing a smile with which Nightingale was familiar. "Veronica, welcome home."</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy was a very kind-hearted woman, and also one of the earliest members of the Witch Cooperation Association. She was 30 years old, but there was not one wrinkle on her face. Her reddish-brown straight hair was almost waist length. She had mature facial features, full of charm like a big sister. She cared about every sister in the association. It did not matter whether it was daily life or psychological enlightenment, and she was ready to do whatever she could to help. Had it not been for Wendy, the association would not have been able to gather so many witches so quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was because of her that Nightingale had decided to get away from her family and embark on the journey looking for Holy Mountain. Wendy was also one of the few people who knew her original name.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How many times have I told you that I'm no longer that cowardly little girl," said Nightingale, shaking her head with a smile. "I'm now a powerful witch, and Veronica has ceased to exist."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your history still belongs to you. To rid yourself of the bad nightmares of the past doesn't mean to sever the links," Wendy said softly, "Of course, it's OK as long as you like to do so. I've been waiting for your return. You have experienced a hard journey."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Well." Nightingale stepped forward and hugged. "Thank you."</p>
|
||||
<p>After a while, Wendy asked, "What happened to the girl? You couldn't save her?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Speaking of this, Nightingale was suddenly excited. She grabbed Wendy's arm, and excitedly said, "No, she did not need me to save her. Instead, she saved all of us!" Then she recounted her experience in Border Town. "The lord, called Roland Wimbledon, is the fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Graycastle. He's willing to have us in his care. Besides, he promised that in the future he would let the witches in his territory live as free people."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 57 - [Snake Witch] Cara</h2>
|
||||
<p>Yet Wendy did not seem as thrilled as her. Instead, she asked suspiciously, "Did he really say that?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"He did, and he had already saved Anna and Nana before I even got there. The prince has never believed that our power is given by demons. On the contrary, he said the power belonged to our own..." Nightingale stopped abruptly, realizing that they did not believe what she was saying.</p>
|
||||
<p>Well, she thought, it was not Wendy's fault. Neither was she convinced of the subsequent new life by merely one witness. Long had they been bullied and oppressed during their journey from the Eastern Region to the Impassable Mountain Range. It was not rare for them to be sold and discarded, and with the bloody samples in front of them, they had long ago lost their trust in people.</p>
|
||||
<p>She calmed down at the thought. Things had turned a little more complex than she had expected.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Wendy, you know that my derivative skill, besides being able to see the flow of magic power, it enables me to tell if people are lying," Nightingale said seriously. "I asked him why he had risked so much for the sake of witches, and 'we don't care about what you're at Border Town' was the answer he gave to me. He hopes that all witches will have freedom."</p>
|
||||
<p>"If he did what he said, he would be targeted by the church." Wendy frowned. "Granting that the prince hasn't realized what it means to protect witches, you've known no better."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale could not hold back her smiles and said, "At first I had almost the same opinion, and you know how he answered me when I asked him 'can you really do that?'." She paused and stated word by word, "He said 'you'll never know the answer if you don't try.'"</p>
|
||||
<p>"He wasn't lying?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"He wasn't lying." Nightingale assured.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That sounds incredible." Wendy softened her voice. She could not think of any reason that Nightingale, an old friend, would lie to her.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It is." Nightingale shared her feelings. She would have never made up her mind so quickly without witnessing with her own eyes. And it was proven by her power. In retrospect, Roland barely lied, as he had said to her when they were on the wall. During the two months that she had spent with him, Nightingale had been very pleased. The only thing he had hidden from her was the actual use of the ice.</p>
|
||||
<p>She hardly cared about the hiding. It would be weird if Roland unveiled all his secrets to a witch he had just met.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'll share the news with everyone tonight when they're all back at the camp!" She looked at Wendy and said in a deep voice, "I hope you'll help me to persuade them."</p>
|
||||
<p>When night fell, the witches who had spent all day working outside returned to the camp. Seeing that Nightingale had come home safely, they were extremely glad and surrounded her to ask all about her journey. The white bandages tied around their injured arms weighed heavily on her heart. After answering a few questions thoughtlessly, she raised her hands to silence all witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>It took her some time to tell them everything. She began by telling them about the time she snuck into Border Town, the acquaintance of Roland, Anna, and Nana, then the construction of the wall, the assembly of the steam engine, the fighting against the demonic beasts, and finally Anna who had just passed through to her adulthood. Nightingale even took out the design of the steam engine to convince others that it was true.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most witches had been cocooned in an isolated world since they joined the Witch Cooperation Association, so it was hard for them to imagine the outside world. They seemed charmed by the stories, and when Nightingale came to the part about Anna passing through the Day of Adulthood unscathed, they were abuzz. The Demonic Torture had haunted them all their lives. All these years they had suffered from hunger and cold, leaving behind the secular world and secluding themselves to the Impassable Mountain Range in order to seek the legendary Holy Mountain. If what Nightingale had said was true—a land where the lord would accept them and a method that would protect them from Demonic Torture, Holy Mountain seemed less worthy to pursue.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just then, the audience moved to clear a path for a green-haired witch who had half her face tattooed with serpentine. She walked towards Nightingale.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Hello, my respected mentor," said Nightingale, as she bowed to the witch, "Snake Witch" Cara, founder of the Witch Cooperation Association. The witches in the association addressed her as mentor.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've heard your stories," she said with a hoarse and hollow voice, "and you mean to tell us that all we have done is wrong?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, mentor, they aren't just stories. I mean..."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Enough." She waved her hand impatiently. "I don't know what adventure you have been through, weaving your stories. A highborn prince who pities the poor witches? It's as silly as pitying a frog." She sneered as she turned around. Spreading her arms, she shouted, "Sisters, don't forget all of what the common people have done to you!"</p>
|
||||
<p>She went on without waiting for Nightingale's explanation. "There's no doubt that the common people, the incompetents, have targeted us with blades and whips in the name of gods. Without God's Stone of Retaliation, they have no authority to oppress us. It's deities who grant us the power, not the evils. It should be us who work on the behalf of deities, not the church. It should be us, the sisters of the Witch Cooperation Association! Holy Mountain, told in old books, refers to the quarters of deities."</p>
|
||||
<p>What?! Nightingale could not believe her ears. She had known that the leader of the Witch Cooperation Association was kind of eccentric, and although she was hung up on searching for Holy Mountain, she was far from mad. Despite not being as approachable as Wendy, Cara still sincerely cared for them. What Nightingale had not expected was that she would have such hostility toward ordinary people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Had Cara secretly buried her anger and hatred all these years? And what she had claimed, about being detached from worldly affairs, was this really a way to save power for striking vengeance without warning one day? What had made her uncover her disguise now? Maybe...</p>
|
||||
<p>"We've found the clue to the opening in Holy Mountain, the same as what we read from the old books! All we have to do is wait. In twenty days, when the blood moon rises in the sky, through a huge gate emerging from underground, we shall reach our final realm." She turned back, looking straight at Nightingale. "The common people have deceived you, and we've lived in a big fraud since we were born. What we've suffered in the Day of Adulthood is the test given by deities. One who is determined and resilient will obtain the true power. The church..." She sneered. "It's just a gang of common people who want to work in the name of deities. Sooner or later, all of them will go to hell."</p>
|
||||
<p>"And you, child. There's time for you to stop this." Cara paused. "I'll forgive your ignorance and fault if you forget your stories. We'll retake you as one of us, and together we'll find peace in Holy Mountain."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale's initial excitement had cooled. The suffering was a test? The ones who did not make it through the torture on the Day of Awakening were simply worthless losers? The statements were exactly what the church was advocating. But no one stood out against these ideas, and instead, they wore a face of agreement. Even Wendy did not make a comment. Suddenly all turned dull and boring to her. Standing in front of her, the witch who was the founder of the Witch Cooperation Association and the leader of the witches seemed so unfamiliar.</p>
|
||||
<p>She shook her head. "In that case, I'll take those who're willing to go, and good luck with those who decide to stay."</p>
|
||||
<p>Just as Nightingale was about to take her leave, she felt a faint sting on her leg. She looked down and found a black snake with sparkling blue stripes biting her flesh. The Snake of Magic, which bore various venoms and was able to strike the target in silence, was often used by "Snake Witch" Cara.</p>
|
||||
<p>The paralysis struck her hard and quickly. Nightingale moved her lips and struggled to say something, but the darkness overwhelmed her.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
48
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00058-58-Escape.html
Normal file
48
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00058-58-Escape.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 58 - Escape</h2>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale did not know how long she had been here, but when she woke up, she found her hands were bound behind her against a stake along with her waist and legs. She struggled to move, but yet she was bound so tight that her body was attached to the stake and got stuck.</p>
|
||||
<p>When she tried to use her power, she could not sense the familiar feeling that she felt every time she induced power—the magic power was disconnected. Nightingale looked down and caught the sight of a crystal prismatic stone hanging around her neck hangs.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You've woken," said Cara, as she walked over. "How do you feel about Petrifying Venom? Nightingale, you know I reposed great hopes in you, and I meant it. Yet, you've disappointed me."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." Nightingale drew a deep breath and said, "You kept the God's Locket of Retribution from us. Cara, do you actually know what you're doing?" Their respected mentor chained her own people with the exact lock that was used by the church to hunt down the witches. What made her angrier was those who stood aside and showed no hint of dissent. [Damn it!] Nightingale cried out in her mind, [haven't you found you've turned into those whom we hate the most?]</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's just a way to punish some kids who're out of control," Cara said with no regards, "and Nightingale, you're the one who needs to be punished. Or... shall I call you Veronica? A girl who fell from a noble and became a witch, yet still dreams of reclaiming her nobility."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't understand what you're saying."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You've disappointed me. I thought you'd stand on our side when Wendy saved you from the chains of the noble. Now, take a look at what you've done. You mean to gut our foundation when Holy Mountain is within our reach." Cara shook her head and sneered. "Take your sisters to a prince? Either you have been chained too long to live without a master to enslave you, or... you plan to sell them to the nobles for your nobility."</p>
|
||||
<p>"All I've done is for my sisters." Nightingale damped down her rage, for she knew that curses and abuses made no difference here. "All I want is they'll suffer no more tortures on the Day of Awakening and live a better life, in warm shelters and with enough food. I don't mean to interrupt your plan, and yet they deserve a chance to choose their own life. Many things are changing in Border Town now, and the design of the steam engine that I showed you is one of them. The engine could run itself and hold the enormous power that'll save us from the labor of fetching water from the mountain stream.</p>
|
||||
<p>Cara sneered and said, "This is what you mean?" She turned and pulled out a wad of parchments from hands of a witch who stood behind her, waving in front of Nightingale. "I admit the drawing is too difficult for me to understand, but a lifeless thing built by a pile of cold irons could run itself? You take us for ignorant kids!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Walking towards the brazier, she tossed the parchments into fire.</p>
|
||||
<p>"No!" Nightingale cried out in vain, witnessing the drawings turning into ash in the brazier.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You've run out of my patience, I'll give you one last chance," said Cara as she pulled out an iron spike with a hot red tip. "If you confess in front of all sisters of the Witch Cooperation Association that you've been deluded by nobles, I'll spare your life and punish your gullibility with whipping. Otherwise, I'll drive this spike through your heart and nail your body on a stake as a warning," she said word by word, "and don't waste my last bit of mercy. State your decision."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale watched the spike moving towards her, along with the hot wave from the tip. She knew that she was no longer the young girl that she used to be. The girl who had been too weak and coward to stand up and resist. She was Nightingale, a witch with great power that even death would not be able to make bend her knees.</p>
|
||||
<p>She closed her eyes, waiting for the last moment. Somehow, Roland appeared in her mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Stop it!" The shouting surprised her, and she opened her eyes, seeing that Wendy walked out of the crowd and said to Cara, "Mentor, please have a look at the bandage bound on your arm. We've seen so many departures over the years, and you want to add one more with your own hands?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Why, did she deceive you too? Wake up, Wendy, those stories are lies."</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't know." Wendy shook her head. "I'm not intending to leave for Border Town with her, but I think she's right in that we deserve a chance to choose our own life."</p>
|
||||
<p>She turned to the crowd and asked loudly, "Is there anyone who wants to go with her?"</p>
|
||||
<p>There were no replies and the crowd fell into silence.</p>
|
||||
<p>"So let her go by herself," Wendy said. "She didn't undermine the Witch Cooperation Association, and I won't watch you kill her and do nothing."</p>
|
||||
<p>By now, Nightingale had fully understood what Wendy meant. Wendy did not believe her words either. That was why she stood aside as Nightingale wanted her to persuade other witches. Though disapproving her idea, Wendy who was a kind and caring person would never let her friend die under such circumstances.</p>
|
||||
<p>The crowd started whispering together about what Wendy had said before some other witches stood out.</p>
|
||||
<p>"That's right. If she wants to go back to the outside world, let her."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Too many lives have been taken by the church and pains. Respected Mentor, please reconsider."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Shut up! All of you!" Cara's rage soared. "What if more girls follow her after we let her go with impunity? What if she betrays us and sells our location to the church? There'll be nowhere to run!" Hardly did she finish speaking before she shoved the spike towards Nightingale. But Wendy was faster, she wove a strong wind that blew Cara away.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then she tossed out a coin, and with a wave of her hand, she cast a rapid airflow that wrapped the coin and dashed to Nightingale. The airflow disappeared instantaneously when it neared Nightingale, and yet the inertia of the coin carried it further, hitting right on the God's Stone of Retaliation that hung on her neck.</p>
|
||||
<p>The hit broke the crystal prismatic stone into pieces.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Traitor!" Cara struggled to her feet and screamed. She extended both her hands pointing at Wendy and Nightingale, and out of nowhere two snake shadows appeared, one of which opened its mouth and bit hard on Wendy's hand, but yet another that aimed at Nightingale missed.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ropes slipped onto the ground, keeping a shape of binding, but Nightingale was nowhere to be found.</p>
|
||||
<p>Cara broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of the opponent's ability, and instantly she aroused all her power to summon demonic snakes. Glittering with various colors, the snakes poured out from her chest, forming a wall of snakes from which she retreated hastily.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet Nightingale was faster.</p>
|
||||
<p>Taking one step... only one step forward, she emerged right behind Cara, holding out both of her hands, she put the spike that would have been driven into her heart by Cara, directly through Cara's body.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
54
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00059-59-An-Explorer.html
Normal file
54
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00059-59-An-Explorer.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 59 - An Explorer</h2>
|
||||
<p>Seeing Cara fall down, all the witches surrounded her in a panic. "Respected Mentor!".</p>
|
||||
<p>"Idiot!" Cara coughed with pain, her hands clamping to the wound. She could no longer feel her legs. "Hurry, go kill that traitor!"</p>
|
||||
<p>However, at that time, Nightingale had already disappeared into the Mist with Wendy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Back at the crossroad, Nightingale found that Wendy was still in a coma. Her forearm had turned black, and the poison was obviously spreading through her blood. She could not hesitate any longer. She took a deep breath, rolled up the sleeve of Wendy's injured arm and bound the upper arm as tightly as possible. Then she drew a dagger from the sole of her boot, and cut deep into the arm.</p>
|
||||
<p>It took her nearly a quarter of an hour to amputate Wendy's arm completely. She carefully wrapped up the removed arm with her cape and tied it steadily on her back with two straps. As long as she could bring Wendy back alive to Border Town, Nana would be able to heal her and reattach up her arm.</p>
|
||||
<p>But... could Wendy bear such pain for so long?</p>
|
||||
<p>It took her three days to come here alone, and she would be slower when carrying Wendy on her back. If she walked too fast and accidentally slipped off the cliff, she was unsure whether she would be able to climb back up again.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy's arm was still bleeding and she might die in three or four days. But Nightingale had no other option. She would never leave Wendy behind. After all, Wendy was wounded because of her.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Do you need a hand?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Startled by the random voice, Nightingale released the Mist and simultaneously looked around in a defensive position.</p>
|
||||
<p>But there was no-one in front of her.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don't be nervous, I won't hurt you."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale looked up and saw a girl flying in the air. "Who are you?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm Lightning. I just joined the Witch Cooperation Association recently. I usually wander around, so it's natural that you don't know me." She tried to give a reassuring smile. "But I know you, famous Nightingale, the killer in the shadows."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did Cara send you here?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No, no, you misunderstand me." Lightning slowly fell, one foot treading on the ground. "I want to go with you."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale could not believe what she heard and asked, "Pardon?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"You said that we should have the right to choose our own way of life." She paused. "I choose to go with you. That's simple."</p>
|
||||
<p>"But... why?" Nightingale had been completely disappointed with the Witch Cooperation Association. The sisters refused to go with her, and even Wendy could not fully believe in her. Yet the girl in front of her... she was actually still a child, 14 or 15 years old, about the age of Nana, believed her. She had short blonde hair and a face high in spirits. Her speech and manners were full of confidence that did not match her age. She did not wear the robes of the Witch Cooperation Association, and instead, she was dressed in a fitted coat and trousers. Outside she wore a short and shabby leather jacket with many pockets and patches. Around her waist was a crude-looking belt, which seemed to be picked up from somewhere. At first glance, she dressed like a man.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Because I'm quite interested in what you said. The black machine which puffs out white smoke, the gray powder which will turn into a rock when mixed with water, and the powder which explodes like thunder. I want to see them." She held her head up and said, "I'm determined to be an explorer, so it's only natural I go to any and all interesting places."</p>
|
||||
<p>[What kind of reason was that...] Nightingale was stunned. However, she knew that the girl was not lying.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I don't understand... why would you join the Witch Cooperation Association if you want to be an adventurer?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Not an adventurer, an explorer!" Lightning stressed. "I'm different from those people who work for money and call themselves adventurers. They're nothing but greedy wolves that will do anything for cash. Explorers only do things that we're interested in! As for my reason for joining the association..." she said confidently, "Isn't it a great adventure to look for Holy Mountain? But Cara doesn't have the slightest sense of adventure. She has been totally driven by that ancient book, trying to connect everything we saw with the description in it. She said she had found the Stone Gates which rose from the ground, but they were just two old pillars. If she keeps on like this, she'll never be able to find the real Holy Mountain. An explorer must honestly record what they see. We can never find a horse by reading its description. My father has emphasized that point again and again."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale had a lot of questions that she wanted to ask. For example, what kind of father would cultivate a daughter full of strange thoughts? But she knew it was not the right time to talk, as Wendy might die at any moment. She was happy to get a hand from Lightning since she was not an enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is your ability flying?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Uh-huh." Lightning nodded. "Even if I carry both of you, I can fly like the wind."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Then I'll have to trouble you." Nightingale quickly bound Wendy on her back and climbed onto Lightning's back, hugging her tightly.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ugh... you're so heavy." Lightning gritted her teeth and rose slowly. "Maybe I won't be as fast as the wind."</p>
|
||||
<p>...</p>
|
||||
<p>They hurried toward Border Town. When Lightning was exhausted, Nightingale would carry her under her arm to walk through the Mist and when Lightning had recuperated her vigor, she would fly with Nightingale on her back.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only when both of them were exhausted would they stop to take a short rest. At that point, Nightingale would ask Lightning some basic questions about things like her father and her family.</p>
|
||||
<p>Lightning claimed that her father was the greatest explorer in the world, who left his footprints everywhere. He owned an ocean fleet and was kindly addressed as "Thunder" by the crew. Lightning lost her mother when she was little, so she did not have much memory of her. In a violent storm, her father's ship hit a rock and sank, and then she was carried to a small island by the ocean currents and lost contact with her father. With the knowledge and skills taught by her father, she managed to live on the island alone for nearly two months. When winter came, she awoke as a witch.</p>
|
||||
<p>After that, she flew all the way to the west and arrived in the Southern Territory of Kingdom of Graycastle through the strait. She wandered here and there, and finally joined the Witch Cooperation Association. She believed that, as long as she kept exploring, one day, she would be able to meet her father in some wonderful land... if he was still alive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale failed to acquire much useful information from what she said. With her ability, she could only tell whether someone was lying or not, but she could not judge the objective truth of the words. In other words, if someone said that the sun was square and did not doubt it, then her ability would still show that they were telling the truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyway, she could guess from some of the information, that Lightning must have been born in a rich family. People who were struggling with poverty would not have the time to explore. In addition, the fact that her father owned an ocean fleet further confirmed it. So Thunder was probably a wealthy ocean-crossing businessman. Besides, Lightning's blonde hair showed that she might come from the Fjords across the sea rather than from one of the kingdoms on the continent.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy woke up several times, drank some water with Nightingale's efforts, and then she quickly fell unconscious again. Nightingale was increasingly anxious. She felt that Wendy's body was becoming colder and colder.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale and Lightning took turns to hurry forwards, and it took them one and a half day to finish the three-day-long path. At the entrance, the horse given by the prince was still tied to the ground, and the heap of straw in front of it was half eaten.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without catching her breath, Nightingale mounted the horse with Wendy on her back and rushed toward Border Town, with Lightning flying after her.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 60 - Arrangements</h2>
|
||||
<p>The second recruitment in Border Town went much more smoothly. Thanks to the winter food rations, the members of Militia were given a larger amount of better-tasting food. Many would save their bread and dried meat, and gave them away secretly to their families on visitation day each week. Roland told Carter and Iron Axe to turn a blind eye, but nevertheless, it became known when families happily talked about the food they brought home.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the first place, a military force comprised of civilians was an excellent chance for publicity. The word-of-mouth approach became even more effective than any announcement the City Hall could make. Most people in Old District were well aware of the Militia organized by His Royal Highness by now, where the soldiers were paid a high salary and fed three meals a day. The fighting with the demonic beasts was also not as dangerous as they had imagined. Thus, more candidates from Old District showed up compared to the first recruitment. There were even some residents from New District who came to sign up.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were more candidates that met Roland's requirements than he had anticipated. The second Militia was thus expanded to 200 soldiers. Carter was appointed to helm their training. When the horn sounded, the new recruits made their way to the city wall and were on the standby as an auxiliary force.</p>
|
||||
<p>Chief Knight Carter and Assistant Minister Barov raised objections to this. The first Militia was already a force capable of fighting demonic beasts, making the recruitment of a second Militia unnecessary in their eyes. Never mind the fact that the size of the second Militia was twice the size of the first one. The higher food rations and salaries of the soldiers also led to a hike in their financial expenditure. What was worse was that the gold royals they spent did not give them any significant returns.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Roland insisted on his decision.</p>
|
||||
<p>That was because these people were not recruited to fight demonic beasts.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the moment, he dared not to tell his men about the plan he had in mind. He wanted to conquer the stronghold before the duke could attack Border Town, but he worried that Carter and Barov would completely shut down his idea.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unlike Border Town, Longsong Stronghold was the official border of the Kingdom of Graycastle. Its city walls were 10 meters high, built of bricks and stone. The duke and the six noble families of the Western Region were stationed in the inner city, so they could mobilize about a thousand soldiers at any given time. In theory, it was impossible to conquer the stronghold with his Militias made of fewer than 300 soldiers—even if they were equipped with flintlocks, a technology invented in a different era.</p>
|
||||
<p>Besides, the witches could not serve as their secret weapon of decapitation due to the God's Stone of Retaliation; Roland had confirmed this with Nightingale several times. Duke Ryan and the six noble families must have spared no efforts in purchasing the stone—naturally, this was done in the name of donation. It took several dozens of gold royals for them to trade a single stone, which could seal the power of the witches within a certain range and hence acted as the most powerful weapon against the demons. The stones were thus the biggest annual income source for the church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland's only chance was open warfare.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most of the armies kept by the lords in this era were conscription-based, where most soldiers were drafted just before the war. To prevent runaway soldiers, the lords were forced to lead them to the battlefield personally. This gave Roland an excellent opportunity to implement his annihilation plan. However, he was still unsure how to seize this chance. After all, his knowledge of war strategies came from movies, television, or historical stories. He had no firsthand experience with them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since he could not figure it out, he thought he should focus on the things he was good at instead.</p>
|
||||
<p>He stretched lazily and left his office, heading towards the wooden shed in the backyard.</p>
|
||||
<p>The assembled Steam Engine II stood quietly in the middle of the field. Upon first glance, it looked more polished than the previous version and the welding marks were evener. Thanks to Anna's new ability, her green Heart Fire could penetrate into the tiny gaps for welding, allowing the individual parts to fit better than their last attempt.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition to a better appearance, Steam Engine II also functioned more efficiently, thanks to a newly equipped centrifugal governor. Its existence was remarkable as the first automatic control system and feedback system in history. The structure of centrifugal governor was very simple, consisting of two thin hinged rods, each with an iron ball at the end, and one rotating spindle. It looked like the bamboo dragonfly, a toy for children. When the bamboo pole was rubbed between hands, the two rotating blades would rise into the air because of the centrifugal force.</p>
|
||||
<p>As for the centrifugal governor, the two iron balls acted like blades. When the steam engine worked, the spindle would rotate. If the engine output was high enough, the balls would spin faster and gradually rise under the influence of the centrifugal force, leading the rods to reduce the aperture of a throttle valve. When the output lowered, the balls would spin slower and fall because of gravity to increase the valve output again. This would keep the steam engine running with a near-constant output.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that it was speed-controlled, Steam Engine II was able to take on sophisticated tasks.</p>
|
||||
<p>And the gears produced by the blacksmith now sat neatly in the corner of the shed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Going by modern assembly line standards, none of the gears would pass the quality check and would be thrown into the defective bin, waiting to be recycled. But in this era, they were rare artistic works—the involute design of the gears carried an inherent sense of harmony, and the gears emitted a unique metallic sheen after being immersed in lard.</p>
|
||||
<p>Besides the gears, the carpenters had prepared the foundations, caps, as well as other parts. He sent the guard outside for Anna, so that they could begin assembling the first steam-driven boring machine together.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Roland's plan, this was the most effective way to mass-produce flintlocks.</p>
|
||||
<p>If he had relied on the work of blacksmiths, the manual production of a single gun barrel would be time-consuming. But with the boring machine, they could directly drill the barrel from the casted iron bars. In one day, they would be able to produce more than ten barrels.</p>
|
||||
<p>With a change in the cutter, the boring machine could also be used to cut rifling. Fitted with rifling, the flintlocks could be fired with even greater accuracy.</p>
|
||||
<p>With how things were going, he was sure that he could arm his two Militias of nearly 300 soldiers by the end of winter.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Roland still could not guarantee that, in the face of charging enemies, his soldiers would be able to calmly load, aim, and shoot their targets, rather than dropping the weapons and running away. The two Militias had only been in training for a short period of time and had no experience in battling human beings after all.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus he had to bring out an even more powerful weapon that could obliterate the enemy before they could start their own assault.</p>
|
||||
<p>That weapon was cannon.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the Lord of War in the history of warfare, the lethality and deterrence force cannons commanded were incomparable to flintlocks. A six-pound field cannon had the range to attack the enemies before they could gather. The mixed-up armies of this era would not be able to keep their discipline under the constant attack of the cannons. As long as Roland could equip his Militias with three or four cannons, his enemy would not even have the chance to charge at them.</p>
|
||||
<p>He had made his arrangements step by step—after he had invented the manual milling machine, he processed suitable gears that he used to build the steam-driven boring machine on the basis of speed-controlled Steam Engine II. And with the boring machine, he could produce a variety of gun barrels and cannon barrels.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were at least two months before the Months of Demons ended. If his plan worked, the Militias of Border Town would have the ability to compete with the duke's troops in an outright battle.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
54
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00061-61-The-Return.html
Normal file
54
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00061-61-The-Return.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 61 - The Return</h2>
|
||||
<p>As Roland squatted on the ground to install the base, three figures suddenly emerged out of nowhere, staggering upon landing, and together falling torwards the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anna was startled. A cluster of green flame rose up and transformed into a wall of fire, blocking those figures.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland looked up and found that one of the women was Nightingale after the long separation. Her appearance looked so discomfited that her cheeks were abnormally red. While the frigid wind was obviously blowing outdoors, her forehead was covered with dense beads of sweat.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness, please call Nana to come. Hurry up!"</p>
|
||||
<p>She looked up as she exclaimed in palpable anxiety.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland had noticed that the woman on her back had a pale face and her eyes were closed, half of the arm was missing, and the crimson blood was seeping through the cloth that wrapped the open fracture.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Cardin, go to the hospital and bring Nana here!" He shouted at the guard near the door, with a tight heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Other than the two people, there was a little girl tucked in Nightingale's armpit. She appeared to be nothing serious, and her eyes looked around curiously.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Are you okay?" Roland went up and untied the cloth belt from Nightingale's back, and removed the woman with the broken arm.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm all right, Your Highness, cough... Sorry. I didn't bring the sisters of the Witch Cooperation Association back," Nightingale gasped, in a weak voice. Apparently she had experienced a long journey that made her exhausted.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Don't say anything. First, take a good rest," Roland said as he picked up the unconscious woman who had been seriously injured and let Anna hold Nightingale. The five people went back to the castle. Nightingale's room was next to Anna's. He ordered the maid to fire up the furnace and prepare a vat of hot water in the room. After Nana's arrival, he explained about the issue before she healed the wound, and stepped out of the room when he finished.</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as she was not dead, Nana would be able to recover her from her wound as usual. To keep her life, the problem was not serious. Nightingale also brought back the woman's broken arm to reconnect it. However, the arm had lost blood for a long time. He did not know whether it was possible to connect it back. The next steps would involve undressing to conduct the cleaning and treatment. As a well-educated man in his previous life, Roland consciously chose to avoid it and left the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>"But how could things go this way?" He thought, "Was the camp of the Witch Cooperation Association attacked by the demonic beasts, and only three people managed to escape? If that was the case, it was surely a great loss."</p>
|
||||
<p>He was lingering uneasily outside the door. About half an hour later, the door was opened. The first one to get out of the room was the little girl who had come in good condition with Nightingale. She nodded towards Roland, "You're exactly what Nightingale said."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." Roland was slightly puzzled, "What did she say about me?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"A prince who cares about the witches". She gently shut the door, "Unfortunately, the news was too unbelievable. Most people of the Witch Cooperation Association didn't believe her. In fact, I didn't believe her either. But my dad had said that the world is so big with various types of people. I'm Lightning, Your Highness. Nice to meet you," she said as she bowed her head, with her right hand on her left shoulder—that was probably a way of saluting.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Roland was not concerned about it. He keenly captured the phrase "most people did not believe her". "Has the members of the Witch Cooperation Association been attacked by demonic beasts?" Roland asked.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Attack? No... Why did you ask this question?" She touched her forehead with her index finger, and then revealed a sudden expression, "Ah, I understand! You're referring to the big sister with a broken arm. She's Wendy. She was hurt by Cara, the leader of the Witch Cooperation Association," Then, Lightning roughly told the whole story.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland was silent after hearing this. It was so... unbelievable, he thought. He had really underestimated the brutal oppression of the witches in this world. "Accumulatively over the years, the witches' distrust towards the church and the nobility had reached its peak. According to Lightning's story, the priority by the leader of the Witch Cooperation Association, after gaining enough power, might be to eradicate people like me."</p>
|
||||
<p>But fortunately, Nightingale had safely returned.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not only that, but even two witches were brought back to Border Town. As for the project of building houses for the witches, Roland thought it over and decided to let Karl go on. "We may not need it now, but we'll get more witches in the future," Roland thought to himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Are you a member of the Witch Cooperation Association?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"No," she replied, "Like Wendy and Nightingale, we've already left the Assosciation. It's impossible to go back. Cara must hate us bitterly."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Will she be able to survive after being pierced by Nightingale" Roland asked, frowning.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Probably. There's a witch called Leaf, who can increase the effectiveness of herbs several times," Lightning expressed her thought, "With the more usage of hemostatic grass and blood agent, it should not be a problem to save Cara's life. But compared to your witch, the effect is far worse."</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's really a hassle," he thought to himself, "It isn't a worry to be targeted by the Church, but it may be a bit ironic to be aimed by witches. Fortunately, the adversary's purpose is to find the Holy Mountain, and now they shouldn't have enough time to trouble Nightingale."</p>
|
||||
<p>"You said it before that you didn't really believe in Nightingale. Then why did you escape with her from the Witch Cooperation Association?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Because of the black machine wheezing white gas, and the gray powder able to turn into a stone after making contact with the water, and the snow exploding with a thunderous sound!" Lightning repeated Nightingale's words, "The prince that is kind to the witches may not exist. But she should not have lied about all of these to me. Otherwise the story could not have been made so lifelike—it's an explorer's intuition. By the way, the big block I saw in the yard just now, was it the black machine able to blow white gas? Nightingale seemed to call it... the steam engine?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"An explorer?" Roland automatically ignored the last question.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, an explorer," she repeated the word emphatically, "That's why I chose to follow Nightingale here, and the explorer is curious about all of the unknown."</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." Roland secretly sighed, "Is it the young people's frivolity? In this era, the people pursuits other than survival must be born in a rich family. Look at her tomboy's dress and short golden hair." "Are you sure you're not called Ezreal?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Who is that? I'm called Lightning," said the little girl.</p>
|
||||
<p>Slightly after that, Anna and Nana pushed the door open and came out.</p>
|
||||
<p>"How's it going on?" asked Roland, "Is the treatment going well?"</p>
|
||||
<p>At the sight of Nana's nod, he breathed a sigh of relief. "In general, the broken limbs should be connected within six to eight hours. Beyond the time limit, the success rate of surgery would be greatly reduced. Lightning said that they had spent nearly a day rushing towards here from where they were hiding. During this period, the limb's open fracture was in a state of gradual atrophy. The conventional surgery has almost no way to engage with the nerve. I can only say that Nana's treatment ability is really excellent."</p>
|
||||
<p>The little girl also looked a bit tired. The treatment seemed to have consumed a great deal of her energy. Roland encouraged her, "You have been working hard. After dinner today, you may go to bed with Anna."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Of course, that includes Tigui Pine too," he thought.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
45
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00062-62-The-Oath.html
Normal file
45
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00062-62-The-Oath.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 62 - The Oath</h2>
|
||||
<p>After all the chaos today, Roland no longer had any mood to assemble the steam boring machine. Instead, he ordered the cook to prepare a particularly luxurious dinner and serve unlimited plates of black pepper steaks and fried eggs. It was enough to stuff Anna and Lightning silly. Even Nana, who tried her best to maintain a proper etiquette, had her lips stained with grease at the end of their dinner. Roland also asked the maids to place stewed shredded pork and wheat porridge in the insulated porcelain and send it to Nightingale's chamber to make sure that the food was still warm whenever they woke up.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once dinner was settled, it was time to decide their accommodations. Fortunately, the previous lord was a pompous person and had his castle built in the standards of a medium-sized town, despite only governing over a budding town. To describe it in Roland's terms, it was a three-story villa with an executive suite, equipped with towers at its four corners. Coupled with a parvis and a garden in the backyard, the castle covered an area of 900 square meters.</p>
|
||||
<p>He arranged for Lightning to stay in the chamber opposite Anna's. The next one was left for Wendy after her recovery. When he saw Nana sticking to Anna like a piece of sticky candy as they entered the chamber, Roland could not help laughing and shaking his head.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland poured himself some ale after returning to his office. The change in plans was swifter than he had expected. He had expected that Nightingale would bring him more witches that would help him strengthen all branches of technology, such as chemistry, agriculture, and biology. But he had underestimated the hostility that the leader of Witch Cooperation Association harbored against nobles. Witches who were neutral, like Nightingale and Lightning, were rare exceptions. As for Wendy, Lightning explained she had no intention to leave the Witch Cooperation Association. But after Wendy was attacked by the Snake Witch Cara while trying to rescue Nightingale, she was forced to.</p>
|
||||
<p>[If there are only two witches, then so be it,] Roland thought, as he knocked back his ale. [It's better than having none.]</p>
|
||||
<p>During the dinner, Roland had inquired about Lightning and Wendy's abilities. He learned that Lighting had the ability to fly like a bird, while Wendy had the power to manipulate the wind. These abilities, Roland believed, would contribute little to the development of technology. However, they would be a great help in the upcoming war if used wisely.</p>
|
||||
<p>Moreover, he found out that the powers of the other witches at the camp were varied and random. He could still come up with scientific explanations for some of those powers, but the rest was completely inconceivable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Take the leader of the Witch Cooperation Association, the Snake Witch Cara, as an example. She could condense her magic power and mold them into snakes. The snakes were not only tangible but also aggressive. The different snakes carried different venoms. As far as Lightning's knowledge went, those venoms were enough to either paralyze or kill.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, be it Anna or Cara, witches' powers were confined to a close fight. Anna's green fire could only reach as far as five meters, while Cara's snakes would lose their power if they strayed too far from their master. Nightingale and Lightning's powers were even more restricted—they were effective only through physical contact.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus, facing the army of the church equipped with crossbow bolts and God's Stone of Retaliation, all they could do was to scatter and run.</p>
|
||||
<p>Having spent most of the night in his office, the flame in the hearth gradually dimmed as it reached midnight. Roland sneezed and was about to go to bed.</p>
|
||||
<p>When he opened the door, something unusual caught his sight—like the last time, he saw a girl sitting by his bedside. Half of her figure was enveloped in darkness, her shadow reflected on the wall like a mural. But it was different this time. Instead of her usual robes, she was dressed casually. And unlike the first time he met her, he now knew her face enough to tell who she was at a glance.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was Nightingale.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland became nervous. Could it be that his good fortune was here?</p>
|
||||
<p>Noticing the prince's entry, Nightingale stood up and walked over to him. She had recovered a lot in the brief time she had rested. Rosiness took over the paleness in her cheeks, and her hair had recovered its shine. He had to admit that the ability of witches to heal themselves was extraordinary.</p>
|
||||
<p>"You've suffered." Roland coughed, breaking the silence. "Why don't you take more rest? I've heard everything from Lightning."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale shook her head.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland could tell something was off, for her face was solemn and her eyes were full of indescribable persistence. The resoluteness that was rare even on a man's face made Roland realize that she seemed to have made a decision. He hid his other emotions and waited for her to speak.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet Nightingale remained quiet. She drew a deep breath and kneeled, raising her dagger in her palms above her lowered head. This was the greeting manner of knights and nobles who wanted to pledge their fealty to their superior.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Prince Roland Wimbledon, I swear an oath to you in the name of Nightingale and Veronica," she said bluntly. "As long as you treat witches well, I swear to serve you, whether as a shield against demons, or as a blade piercing the darkness. I swear my loyalty from this day to the end of my life, without fear and regret."</p>
|
||||
<p>[I see,] Roland thought. [After the Witch Cooperation Association disappointed her, she's hoping I would lead the witches.] As a time traveler, Roland ought to reject her. He preferred working together via employment or partnership, or even better, comradeship with the same dreams and ambitions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet he knew it was pointless to harp on equality and freedom. Without soil suitable for growth, planting seeds was a worthless act. As a prince, he could never deviate from his aristocracy before he united the entire kingdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>After a moment of silence, Roland took the dagger and tapped her shoulder three times with the flat side of the sword. "I accept your fealty."</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale's shoulders trembled slightly, as if she could finally relax.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland reached out his right hand to her.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale took his hand and kissed it gently. Thus, the accolade came to an end.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although it was strange for a witch to swear her loyalty, Nightingale's ability to do so showed that she was at least not lowborn. She had even mentioned the name Veronica... "Is that your true name? Without your family name?" Roland asked, pulling her up.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes, Your Highness. I don't mean to hide it from you. I left the Gilen Family five years ago and have nothing to do with them since," Nightingale answered calmly. She had let down the last of her walls around Roland and gave him a brief explanation of her past.</p>
|
||||
<p>She was born in Silver City, named after the silver mine there. Her father was a viscount while her mother was a lowborn. Though such a marriage was uncommon, they lived a happy life together. Nightingale had a younger brother named Hyde. She grew up in Silver City, where she spent the happiest time of her life.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 63 - The Story of Nightingale's Past</h2>
|
||||
<p>Before long, things changed. When she was 14, the refugees rebelled in Silver City while her parents were out doing charity work. Her parents never came back. Nightingale and her younger brother were sent to his father's brother, another branch of the Gilen Family.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the winter of the same year, Nightingale awakened and became a witch.</p>
|
||||
<p>With great care, she hid her power, but yet the old Gilen discovered it anyway. He took her brother away, and with her brother's life, he threatened her to follow his command.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale had no choice but to obey. After being trained by the members of the Thieves Guild invited by the old Gilen, she had to do illegal things for him, which included stealing the contracts and papers from the houses of his business rivals, eavesdropping on the meetings of the City Hall, and, what was worse, even poisoning the water in wine glasses or water tanks of his potential rivals.</p>
|
||||
<p>The business of the Gilen's boomed, but yet the old Gilen treated her worse. He beat her whenever he felt bad. She was often locked in a room closed with steel bars and was forbidden to go out unless she was outside under his order. What confused and hurt her most was that her younger brother barely visited her. She started to suspect that her younger brother had been murdered by the old Gilen.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Nightingale pleaded over and over again, the old man finally brought Hyde over, who, on the contrary, despised her and wished that they were not siblings. He told her to go to hell and live with demons as a witch should do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale was shattered to hear it, yet the nightmare wasn't over. The old Gilen told her a truth that hit her harder — it was Hyde who informed him that she was a witch in order to get away from her, the farther the better.</p>
|
||||
<p>After sending Hyde away, the old Gilen warned her grimly that whenever she disobeyed him, he would secretly kill her younger brother, who would inherit their father's title when he came of age.</p>
|
||||
<p>In despair and deep grief, Nightingale became a puppet of the Gilen Family. In the year when she was going to pass to her adulthood, she came across Wendy who, perhaps, had found her on purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale's broken heart, in little sparks, began to light up again when she heard of the Witch Cooperation Association that had witches who suffered as much as her and yet still fought for a better life.</p>
|
||||
<p>It did not take her long before she transformed from confusion to determination. A week after they had met, she survived the torture on the Day of Adulthood, and her power improved tremendously. She found out that the Mist was more than a form of concealment and no bars would block her way anymore.</p>
|
||||
<p>One night after she healed from the torture, she walked into the old Gilen's chamber like a ghost and cut his throat with a dagger. Seeing the blood spurting out and his breath turning staccato, she was surprised to find herself more peaceful than she had imagined.</p>
|
||||
<p>After that, she left the house with little concern for her younger brother, Hyde.</p>
|
||||
<p>She and Wendy started their quest for the Witch Cooperation Association.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the story was finished, Nightingale waited a moment, and seeing the prince was still deep in the past story, she took off. It took Roland a long time to revive. Indeed, every witch had a long story of suffering, and those who survived to reach their adulthood must truly be the best.</p>
|
||||
<p>How lucky he was to become a prince through time travel.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next morning, Roland visited Wendy in Nightingale's chamber.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy looked much better after a night's recovery, and her reattached arms also regained color. She struggled to bow to the prince regardless of the weakness.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I've learned of your story. Thank you for saving Nightingale's life." Roland pulled out a piece of parchment and came straight to the point. "There's no doubt that Cara would never accept you as one of them again. I hope you can settle in Border Town and serve me. Please sign the contract if you agree. Your payment is the same as Anna's, one gold royal per month."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Your Highness..." Nightingale blinked trying to say something, but she held back.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland knew what she wanted to say. Nightingale did not want him to push Wendy to make the decision so hastily, for Wendy had changed her life and saved her once again in the Impassable Mountain Range. She believed that Wendy would certainly change her mind and back Roland after living in Border Town for some time.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I didn't want to raise this subject so hastily, but danger grows as things delay." Roland paused for a moment. Wendy did not interrupt, waiting for him to go on. "I guess, maybe I know the method to help witches detach themselves from the torture of the Day of Awakening."</p>
|
||||
<p>Their expressions changed, at the same time. They asked, "What?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's just a guess with no firm proof," Roland said, waving his hand. "Witches suffer less at the camp than in exile. The only difference between them is when in exile the witches hide their identities and powers for the fear of being revealed, and when at camp they have to keep using their power to run the camp."</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy nodded. "You're... right."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Anna has trained herself every day since she lived in the castle. She even exhausted her power and sank into a coma before the Day of Adulthood. She passed through the hardest barrier safely before waking up, unscathed."</p>
|
||||
<p>"So I believe that this is the key to dispose of the Demonic Torture. If we liken a witch's body to a vessel that holds her power, the power grows with her, and when the gross power exceeds the volume of the vessel, it'll counteract and harm her body. In the Months of Demons, the power in the body hits the top."</p>
|
||||
<p>"So if a witch can constantly release her power and keep it on a safe level, the torture will ease a lot or diminish on the Day of Awakening." Roland paused, and then went on. "As the Lord of Border Town, I can offer witches the places, where you could release your power freely without being arrested, charged, or being executed directly. If I'm not wrong, there's no doubt that Border Town is the Holy Mountain you've been seeking for so long."</p>
|
||||
<p>Since they were born, witches were taught that the dangerous power was given by demons. Some slightly enlightened witches viewed the power that would bite the owner as a curse. It was an infinite loop, which meant that the less time you use the power, the more serious the feedback damage became. But Roland, who had traveled back in time, viewed the power in an opposite way. Having learned from the memory of Prince Roland and excluded the existence of true god, he simply treated the power as an energy that the witches could control with their own will.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy was silent for a long while before she asked, "What do I need to do... if I sign the contract and come to your service?"</p>
|
||||
<p>During centuries, due to their unique powers, some witches were secretly chained and used as consumables by some men of ambition. The stern ban on it enforced by the church did not hold back those men's claws. They enslaved the witches with no mercy, and what happened to those who were no longer valuable was appalling.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland certainly heard about those things, but he had a long-term view and wanted more. He wanted a win-win sustainable development system. He smiled and answered, "The first thing you need to do is train your power over and over again until the moment you could fully control it. Just like Anna."</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
58
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00064-64-Curiosity.html
Normal file
58
custom/release_that_witch/en/OEBPS/00064-64-Curiosity.html
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 64 - Curiosity</h2>
|
||||
<p>Three days later, in the castle garden.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Sister Anna..." Nana pulled Anna's sleeve.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes?" Anna turned her head.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did you notice Nightingale... has been acting a bit strange lately."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Strange?" Anna paused for a bit. "Are you referring to her dress?"</p>
|
||||
<p>Nightingale stood beside Roland. She was not wearing her usual strangely decorated cope which she did not seem ever to wash or change. Instead, just like Anna, she was wearing the bizarre outfit that Prince Roland invented. Although Anna did not want to admit, Nightingale's slim and tall body indeed amplified all the merits of that outfit—her well-proportioned legs, skinny waist, and that long curly hair. Collocated with the clock and peaked cap, she would have caught everyone's attention.</p>
|
||||
<p>"I'm not talking about the clothes," Nana mumbled, "Don't you feel that the way she speaks to Prince Roland and the way she looks at Prince Roland are very different now?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Is it?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"..." Nana quirked her lips. "Alright, Sister Anna, don't blame me for not warning you."</p>
|
||||
<p>[What the hell?] Anna shook her head and paid no attention to Nana. Instead, she focused her attention on the two new witches.</p>
|
||||
<p>The one named Lightning looked about similar age as Nana, but her style of dressing was distinctly different. Anna roughly counted that there were at least 12 sewed pockets on Lightning's coat.</p>
|
||||
<p>As of the other witch Wendy, she was wearing casual outfit instead of the same decorated cope of Nightingale that Wendy wore on her first arrival. There was one aspect of Wendy that especially caught Anna's attention. It was that the size of Wendy's breasts was rather... impressive.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Since all of you agreed to sign the contract, then let's begin our first training." Roland was now doing the tasks with ease as he had the experience in training the previous two witches. "Lightning, you first."</p>
|
||||
<p>"Okay!" Lightning raised her hand and walked out of the shack.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were flurries of snow outside with no wind, the young girl easily floated to the midair and waited for Roland's next instruction.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Try to fly as fast as you can!" Roland raised his head and said out loud.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Aha, here we go." She made a thumb signal, positioned into a running pose, and then started to run around the castle swiftly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland estimated that the speed was about 60 to 80 kilometers per hour, based on his experience of driving on the highway every year when he went back to his hometown. The speed was not fast, similar to the airspeed of pigeons. However, it was impressive that she was able to carry both Nightingale and Wendy along when she flew to Border Town.</p>
|
||||
<p>What was the idea of being able to carry 100 kilograms of weights when taking off? Roland imagined a piston engine that was carrying 100 kilograms of aerial bombs.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, the following experiment broke his wonderful illusion</p>
|
||||
<p>As the weight was exceeding 50 kilograms (about 110 pounds), Lightning's flying altitude drastically dropped from the previous flying altitude of 100 meters to only about 10 meters. When the weight was added to approximately 100 kilograms, Lightning would barely fly up to 2 meters.</p>
|
||||
<p>This meant that if Roland wanted to transform Lightning into a bomber, even with explosive bags that weighed only a couple of kilograms, she would have still run into the enemies' crossbow range due to her flying altitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Roland soon discerned the new capability of the young girl—she would be the perfect candidate for either investigation or firing. The annihilation plan that had been bothering Roland seemed to have a possibility now.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Roland was testing Lightning's power, Wendy was quietly watching Roland from aside.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Wendy's departure from the cloister, she had seen countless people in her 15 years of wandering life: plebeians, farmers, artisans, soldiers, and the noble. Those people had all acted the same. They expressed their admiration and amorous feelings to her when they did not know that she was a witch. When they found out, all of their previous adornment to her would turn into abhorrence and fear, at the same time with a despicable lust that made Wendy want to puke.</p>
|
||||
<p>She thought that she would have only accompanied witches in her life, and would no longer approach any men. This was the reason that she rejected Nightingale... It was not due to distrust, but rather the fear that obsessed her.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Roland Wimbledon changed her views.</p>
|
||||
<p>The way he looked at her was too normal—as if he had seen for countless times. The first moment that Wendy saw Roland in Nightingale's room, she thought it was because that Roland was hiding his emotions very well. Besides, Nightingale was there too. However, in the following few days, he also had carried the same expressions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps Prince Roland's standards were higher than the ordinary noble?</p>
|
||||
<p>And for that roll of contract, Wendy thought that it was merely a pretentious act. However, as she was reading it, she discovered the numerous provisions that not only regulated responsibilities but also clarified her granted rights.</p>
|
||||
<p>How incredible! Prince Roland was willing to take the witches. It was already very generous of him not to deprive their freedom, but he even notified their rights on the contract?</p>
|
||||
<p>For instance, Art. 2.1 (it was the first time that Wendy saw such written articles), she was granted with paid vacations. According to the following definition, it meant that she could receive remunerations without having to work. The following article stated that the witch should complete the project assigned by the employer, but if the witch felt difficult in completing the project, she could propose to switch or reject it. The next article said that the employer should guarantee the security, housing, food, and remuneration for the witch. If this portion of the conditions was not satisfied, the witch could terminate the contract on her own.</p>
|
||||
<p>These articles were a bit difficult to read but fully expressed their meanings. The contracted withes were not the prince's belongings. Wendy was granted with responsibilities in accord with her rights. In this contract, she felt the sincerity of Prince Roland—if it were merely a pretentious act, there would be no need to list such detailed articles.</p>
|
||||
<p>Coming to this conclusion, Wendy could not help looking at Nightingale. Wendy knew very well Nightingale's personal experiences and knew her deep loath toward the noble. However, as of this moment, when Nightingale was talking to Roland, her tone and expression showed a different kind of emotion—a change that perhaps even herself was unsure.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was only two month after Nightingale left the witch group and went to Border Town. Through the two months, Nightingale developed a complete trust toward this young man.</p>
|
||||
<p>She would instead end with the Witch Cooperation Association to return to Border Town. In her heart, Roland Wimbledon had more possibilities than the Witch Cooperation Association in bringing the witches to their true sanctuary. The act of her respected mentor was also heart-breaking. That founder of the Witch Cooperation Association seemed to forget how hard it was for every surviving sister.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wendy knew that she could not return. If fate brought her to the place, why would not she trust Nightingale's decision? Just like how she trusted her for numerous times...</p>
|
||||
<p>"Wendy?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Ahh..." Wendy came back to the reality from her thoughts. She found that Lightning had already completed the capability test and everyone was looking at her.</p>
|
||||
<p>She showed an apologetic smile and headed to the outside of the shack.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since she had made her determination, then she should not lose to the younger generation, right?</p>
|
||||
<p>At that moment, the buzzing noise of horn came from the west side. The sound reverberated among mountains and broke the serenity of the town.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
|
||||
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
|
||||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
|
||||
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
|
||||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<title>Release That Witch</title>
|
||||
<meta name="author" content="Second Eye"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="url" content="https://www.webnovel.com/book/release-that-witch_7931338406001705"></meta>
|
||||
<meta name="copyright" content="This EPUB is for private use only."></meta>
|
||||
<link href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<h2>Chapter 65 - The Inauspicious Omen</h2>
|
||||
<p>He had heard the horn go off several times before. In most cases, it was when dozens of the demonic beasts came to assault the border. The Militia now could handle such situation with ease.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, Roland did not panic at all. He announced to suspend the training for today, asked Wendy and Lightning to go back to the castle for rest and Anna to escort Nana to the medical center for patients, and he himself rushed to the city wall with Nightingale.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unexpectedly, Lightning opposed. "As an explorer, I have resided in the Western Region for so long but haven't even seen a large scale assault of demonic beasts. That's disgraceful and humiliating. I request to come along!"</p>
|
||||
<p>Without a second thought, Roland rejected Lighting's protest and told Wendy to keep an eye on Lightning, strictly forbidding Lightning to run around at a time when the demonic beasts were assaulting.</p>
|
||||
<p>He then looked at Nightingale. The latter nodded her head, grabbed his hand, stepped into the Mist, and went straight to the city wall—when Roland found out that Nightingale was able to bring any objects with her into the Mist, he soon addicted to such a transportation method. Traveling straight through roadblocks and ignoring the topography, with several meters in one step, this gave Roland the pleasure as if the world was his camp.</p>
|
||||
<p>After arriving at the foot of the city wall, Roland found a vacant corner to step out of the Mist and went on the defensive line alone. The wilderness from the far side looked snowy white. He did not see a large scale assault of the demonic beasts. Was this a mistake? Not only Roland, the Militia that came afterward also had an internal discussion.</p>
|
||||
<p>The prince found Iron Axe and noticed that Iron Axe was staring afar with such a solemn expression while his hand was still tightly holding the horn.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Did you set off the alarm?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Yes Your Highness, please take a look..." His voice sounded much dryer than usual. "That thing is coming."</p>
|
||||
<p>That thing? Roland looked afar but could only vaguely see a small black dot. It was hard to spot it even in a pure white background. According to the rules, the horn alarm would only go off when the patrol team could not adequately handle the situation. However, as an experienced hunter, Iron Axe must have had his reasons.</p>
|
||||
<p>"It's a demonic hybrid." Iron Axe swallowed. "I met it six years ago."</p>
|
||||
<p>[Really?] Roland frowned. Theoretically, demonic beasts would keep assaulting Longsong Stronghold until they died—they did not have intelligence so they had no idea of retreating. Longsong Stronghold had never been conquered, but it did not die and even lived till six years? An inauspicious feeling arose in Roland's heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, the distance was so far to the point that he could only saw a black dot, but Iron Axe was able to decipher the type of the demonic beasts. That was a shockingly good eyesight. Or perhaps, Iron Axe misjudged, Prince Roland thought.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic beast did not make Roland wait for too long. It started to move toward the city wall. Soon, everyone noticed the unique physical features of that target.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unlike the massive body of the previous demonic hybrid, it looked like an enlarged feline at a glance. However, it had wings on its back that covered the sides of its body when the wings were not expanded. Its head was similar to lion's but had two pairs of eyes—if the extra pair of eyes was not for decoration, then it could notice any movements from its back without turning its head.</p>
|
||||
<p>Carter and the other hunter had already loaded ammunition and prepared for combat.</p>
|
||||
<p>However the lion type demonic hybrid did not rush to attack. It stopped outside of the shooting range of crossbow bolts and looked around.</p>
|
||||
<p>That distance was within the effective shooting distance of flintlock, but the hit rate was almost zero.</p>
|
||||
<p>After a moment, it suddenly jumped to the left side and expanded its wings, making the whole body flying to the midair. Just like what Iron Axe said, it could fly for a short distance to glide. After it got over the roadblocks, the demonic hybrid quickly ran to the west side of the city wall where nobody was guarding.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland's trepidation grew, the inauspicious omen came true. From how it observed the weakness and strength of the opponent and chose to attack the weak side, it proved that it had intelligence—that was what the wild beasts lacked. The wild animals sometimes would attack the weak side of their pray. However, such was instinctual act through years of inheritance. When facing an unknown opponent, it was impossible for the wild beasts to judge, not to mention to make a comprehensive analysis.</p>
|
||||
<p>What did it mean by owning intelligence? Humans relied on the exceptional brain and outstanding resilience to climb to the top of the food chain from the cruel ecosystem. Roland was afraid to think furthermore. He waved his hand to have Chief Knight Carter accompany him. The rest of the hunters would follow Iron Axe to attack the demonic beast.</p>
|
||||
<p>It ran to a vacant area, jumped and got over the city wall with ease. It moved straight to the residential area, wholly ignored the Hunter Squad.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Bastard?" Roland cursed. "The Militia members from the second range of the city wall, follow me. The substitute members shall go on and guard the city wall!"</p>
|
||||
<p>At this point, he could not bother to care the fact that the Militia only had fencing training. The team would most likely come apart during the movement and would be attacked by the demonic beasts. Carter led the guards to follow the prince. Every one of them had the strongest fighting capacity, and they could substitute any possible lacks. At the end of the team was the flintlock team led by Iron Axe.</p>
|
||||
<p>As they entered the Old District, their views were blocked by flat houses. Besides, the roads were narrow and covered by snow, so the team had limitations on their movements. Roland had to separate the team and move around in the crisscrossed ally, hoping to find the demonic beast.</p>
|
||||
<p>Roland regretted not bringing Lightning. If he had a witch to investigate in the air, then the team would not need to run around the allies with no directions.</p>
|
||||
<p>They searched for about eight minutes and all of a sudden the screams of the town resident came from the deep end of the alley.</p>
|
||||
<p>The team immediately adjusted their direction and moved toward the sound. Fortunately, many of the Militia members were residents of the Old District. After knowing the destination, they swiftly moved around in the narrow alley and even walked across the backyard of someone's house. When they reached the place, Roland saw someone was bitten into two pieces, and the intestine was scattered and apparently dead.</p>
|
||||
<p>"Jesus... this is Iron Fork, I know him!"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Damn it, did it run away?"</p>
|
||||
<p>"Watch out! To your right side!" Someone called suddenly. As soon as the sentence finished, a black shadow whipped across from the right side of the wooden house with the scattering wooden fragments. It came straight through the wall of the wooden house, flew into the group, and pushed down a militia member with its claw and bit him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Iron Axe was the first one to react. He raised the gun and was about to shoot, but found that the diffused Militia members blocked the alley. He had no chance to fire, so he had to squeeze through the crowd and walked to the target step by step. All the other hunters noticed this problem. They all clung their gun under their arm and jumped onto the roof of the houses.</p>
|
||||
<p>Demonic hybrid did not care about the guns that were pointing at it. It expanded the wings, blocked the stabs from the crowd, and picked up the militia member that was covered in blood. However, the gun was fired when it was about to leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were drips of dark blood on its body.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic hybrid roared in anger after being attacked by the gun. It threw off its prey, opened wings and was about to fly into the hunter that was standing on top of the roof. At the same moment, Iron Axe squeezed out of the crowd, aimed at the demonic beast and fired.</p>
|
||||
<p>The near front shooting was impossible to miss. The hot gas of the gunpowder even sprayed to the nose of the monster. The bullet went straight through the eye of its target and all the way into the monster's brain.</p>
|
||||
<p>The demonic hybrid stiffened and collapsed.</p>
|
||||
</div></body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
Some files were not shown because too many files have changed in this diff Show More
Reference in New Issue
Block a user