Mount and Blade

Except for Kadi, the carriages finally stopped at an inconspicuous corner of the mansion. Green and Baziso got off the carriage, and they were taken to a secret base in the mansion with others.

After all, as chess pieces, they only need to know what to do.

After a long journey, Green and others, as workers, naturally sorted out the few luggage and weapons, and then had a good sleep to replenish their physical strength.

.........

[Fantasy Continent - Barkley]

Early morning.

Due to the anti-snake venom serum, more than half of the soldiers survived, and those who lost too much blood and had poor resistance were obviously not so lucky.

On an open ground, piles of firewood were ignited, and the flames devoured everything, turning the bodies of the soldiers who did not survive into ashes. This was a silent ceremony, without mourning music, no eulogy, only the crackling of the flames and the heavy breathing of the soldiers.

Green stood at the edge of the funeral pile, his eyes fell on the flames and remained silent. Since the army was always on the march and patrol, Ali's body had been cremated separately by his companions as a farewell when he was unconscious.

But Green seemed to still feel Ali's presence, as if his soul was still wandering on this land. Some of Ali's bones were stored in a small box in his luggage.

He probably wanted to be buried next to Sana? Green had such a feeling. He hoped that they could keep each other company in the other world, and hoped that there would be no more war and pain there.

Green made up his mind that he would definitely bring Ali's remains back to Tulai Port and let him rest next to the tombstone of the female cavalryman Sana.

The seriously injured and disabled soldiers were soon escorted by the army and arranged for accommodation by the villagers of the nearby villages. When they got better, they could return to their hometowns. In many places in Barkley, even the villages were proud of them. They would assist in the training of the village militia.

And... Tell the children about their experiences on the battlefield. These stories may be exaggerated, but they will also become part of the village and inspire a new generation of young people.

As the sky gradually darkened, Barclay's army decided to rest in a nearby village for a few days. Since the Barclay coalition guarded the border, many villagers who had been separated from their wives and children by the Snake Cult or who had taken refuge in the forest began to return to the village to rebuild.

Green and Seranti were arranged in a relatively warm cottage, which seemed to have just been repaired. Outside the house was a green meadow with several sheep grazing leisurely.

The villagers warmly welcomed their arrival. They were busy preparing food and comfortable beds for the wounded soldiers.

As for food, replacement bandages and medicines, they were naturally obtained from the army's baggage. After all, the village had been plundered by the pagans of the Snake Cult and there was no spare space.

Those children who were lucky enough not to be captured by the Snake Cult were very thin and were standing on the other side of the house, looking hungrily at the meat cooked in the soldiers' pots.

Although the adults at home warned them not to go over and cause trouble for the soldiers.

These children are big and small. They should be growing up, but the village on the border is always on the edge of danger. Even though some of them are older than Green, they are not much taller than Green due to the lack of food.

No matter when, they still can't bear to see such suffering. They are always in war and look even thinner than when they first met Ali.

Fortunately, the quartermasters have prepared a reward for their hard work today, a big pot of cooked oatmeal porridge and a few pieces of dried meat. The children rushed to the pot. They haven't eaten anything good for a long time. Although the adults are hungry, they can hold back their impatience and sit down one after another with a thank you.

In the conversations between the Barclay soldiers and their comrades, Green learned that the nearby villages had long been accustomed to the occasional harassment of the Snake Cult. The fathers of many children in the families were enlisted Barclay soldiers, and everyone was a blood relative of the martyrs. Whenever the Barclay army came to resist the Snake Cult, relatives here could visit. Boys would be sent to nearby castles and fortresses for three years of military training and patriotic education at a certain age. The villagers could be said to be scouts and decent militiamen, with simple folk customs, and the militia in the village usually had a certain scale.

After all, being in the most marginal area, everyone must be a soldier and always welcome the arrival of danger.

However, the scale of the Snake Cult this time was rare. Although the nearby militias and scouts asked the villagers to evacuate early, several caves for storing supplies and the villagers' shelters were killed by the Snake Cult. The militias in several nearby villages could hardly organize a decent resistance together. It can be said that they were seriously injured and every family had people killed.

A few soldiers in the army were crying with their faces covered. They all seemed to be soldiers from Rose Castle, because this was their hometown.

"Alas..."

Looking at the joy and sorrow of those soldiers facing their loved ones, Green couldn't help but sigh. Even in such a difficult environment, they did not complain about the country, and did not scramble for food. Instead, the scene of the army and the people being united was really moving and warm.

It would be great if people could understand each other like this.

In the face of a real disaster, there can still be such a scene, which is simply a manifestation of the glorious side of human nature.

............

During the few days in the village, Green gradually adapted to life here. Together with the soldiers of the army, he helped the villagers repair houses and fences, taught children swordsmanship, and even participated in a night patrol of the village.

They were here not only to allow the wounded soldiers to recover under the professional care of the doctors, but also to protect the land and people and eliminate the water source poisoned by the snake worship.

Green even asked Trunks for advice and planned how to better assist the village militia training and how to use their combat experience to improve the village's defense capabilities.

At night, Green and his friends sat by the campfire in front of the village, and they talked about the future.

"... I don't have any dreams. When I was in Vanskerry, I thought I could come out to earn more money to make my family more comfortable. My seriously ill mother can no longer do any heavy work, and I have several younger brothers and sisters." Osman scratched his head, thought about his younger brothers and sisters who should still be laughing on the island, and drank a glass of beer with a smile.

"We are all similar, with a fierce and manic mother and hungry brothers and sisters, but Perry wants to rob more money and take a few women back, hahaha!" Delai teased the youngest of the three.

"Ha, of course I have to rob a few considerate women to do housework! One warms the bed, one makes a fire and cooks, and another gives me a massage. How awesome! You know how fierce the women on the island are..." Perry and Delai drank a glass of beer and chewed the dried meat.

Green looked at their little fights and smiled with some relief. Everyone has their own little hopes, like a faint spark.

"So, what about Ikasha?" Green asked.

"My dream..."

"Speaking of which, it is a myth passed down by the Vanskerry people..."