Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 468 Rekindling the Spark (Part 1)

[Vogne County]
Oaktree Town
Old Majja Miklo woke up early, but he just lay stiffly in bed, silently staring at the dark dome.

His wife was the same.

In the spacious bedroom, only the two of them could be heard breathing softly.

After an unknown amount of time, finally, a series of sharp and loud crowings broke the oppressive silence.

A series of sounds came from downstairs, and Old Ma Jiya listened in silence.

The morning noises that sounded to others conjured up vivid images in his mind:
The elderly personal servant, Old Tasso, yawned and groaned as he pushed open the poorly lubricated door, pounded his equally poorly lubricated knees a few times, and dragged his heavy steps slowly toward the stables.
The maid quietly put on her coat, tiptoed through the corridor, and carried the milk jug to the cowshed.

The hunting dogs outside and the guard dogs in the distance seemed to be greeting each other, barking in turn.
The cowherd rang his copper bell repeatedly, driving the cattle into the pasture...

Surrounding this beautiful two-story wooden building, also awakened by the rooster's crow, is the Maja Manor, the most expansive, fertile, and beautiful farm in Oaktown.

Old Ma Jiya listened intently, not missing even the slightest noise, until the sun rose.

As the first rays of sunlight streamed into the bedroom, old Majiya mechanically climbed out of bed, opened the window, and, as usual, surveyed the manor in the morning light.

His wife silently went to the wardrobe, took out the luggage she had prepared the night before, and carefully helped her husband get dressed.

"I will bring him back," Old Ma Jiya said woodenly, his back to his wife, as if making a promise.

His wife didn't say anything, but simply touched her husband's hand.

Tasso, Maggie Milock’s personal valet who had served him for many years, brought the four best horses from the estate.

The horses had been well-fed beforehand, and Old Tasso had gotten up early to give them an extra meal, so they were all full of energy and would surely be able to withstand the long journey.

However, after carefully examining the four slender, muscular, and glossy horses, Majjah Miklo changed his mind at the last minute.

He shook his head and told Tasso, "Prepare the bald-tailed horse."

The old servant's eyes widened in surprise: "Those old horses aren't strong enough. If we ride them, we won't be able to get home before dark."

Majjah Milok did not explain.

The old servant, used to his "employer's" taciturn nature, muttered as he led the four fine horses back to the stable. A short while later, he came out again, leading four inferior horses with bald tails.

The old horses, knowing they were about to embark on a long journey, were all anxiously biting their iron bits, white saliva dripping down their faces.

Majya Milok, leaning on his saber, went to meet them. He gently patted the horses' necks, pressed his left hand on their backs, and leaped onto the saddle.

Seeing this, Old Taso tightened the belt around his waist, which held his sword, and mounted his horse.

Lady Majiya walked out of the room carrying a saddlebag in both hands and personally handed it to her husband.

Without saying goodbye or seeing each other off, Milok and his servant Tasso each took a spare horse and left the manor before the sun had fully risen, setting off for Artemis.

The night sky was still dark, and there were few pedestrians on the road, with only a few shepherds driving their flocks out to graze.

In the past, Maja Milok and Tasso might have encountered other caravans and travelers heading to Artemis, and they might have gladly joined them on their journey.

But now, the master and servant do not want to encounter any "companions".

War has so profoundly changed everything around people:
Villages and towns became closed off and xenophobic, building high walls to refuse visits from strangers;
The settlements no longer interacted with each other, and only bandits with ill intentions and lawless defeated soldiers roamed the wilderness.
An isolated farmhouse can be reduced to ashes overnight. Once order is lost, even a farmer who was originally dutiful may turn into a devil in an instant.

As for travelers who have a compelling reason to travel, they are always on high alert, keeping a close watch on every rustle of wind and movement within their field of vision.

However, before the sun had even risen above the treetops, Majjah Milok was overtaken.

"I'll go with you!" Maja Raul announced loudly, panting, "Dad!"

The old servant Tasso glanced at the horse Raul was riding, crossed his arms, and pursed his lips.

Majjah Milok stared silently at his youngest son, scrutinizing his still-childish eyes, his sparsely grown beard, and his sweat-soaked hunting attire.

Raul felt extremely uncomfortable under his father's gaze. A sudden surge of inexplicable shame and indignation filled his chest. He pulled his saber from his saddlebag and said angrily, "Don't underestimate me!"

Old Ma Jiaya was silent for a moment, then asked, "You... know where we're going?"

“Go to Artemis.” Raul looked directly at his father without fear.

Old Ma Jia asked again, "Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Redeem the person." Raul pursed his lips and answered in a low voice, "Or redeem the corpse."

"Do you know who you're going to see?" Old Ma asked again.

“I know.” Raul avoided his father’s gaze and looked at the tips of his father’s boots: “That person.”

Old Ma Jiya was like a stone statue carved by a knife and axe, with facial features but no expression: "Who?"

Under the threatening gaze of his father, Raul reluctantly uttered the name with a mixture of disgust and fear: "Blood Wolf... Your Excellency."

But saying that name felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, so Raul blurted it all out: "So what? I'd like to see what's so great about that guy!"

Old Ma Jiya looked at his youngest son, and for some reason, neither reprimanded him nor asked any further questions.

Old Tasso, however, clicked his tongue and broke the stalemate between father and son: "Master, in my opinion, even if you drive Young Master Raul away now, he will come after you again."

Old Ma Jiya remained silent.

In this world, perhaps no one knows better than Majja Milok's old servant how to please and persuade him.

Old Tasso blinked and complained, half-jokingly, "Oh, really, he's just like you, a stubborn mule! Sigh... how about... how about we take young master Raul to the county seat first? Once we get to Artemis, finding a place to settle young master Raul shouldn't be difficult."

Old Ma Jiya pondered for a moment, then gently tugged at the reins. The old horse he was riding immediately understood, and turned around at a leisurely pace.

Majjah Raul was taken aback at first, then overjoyed, and made a face at his Uncle Tasso.

Tasso patted Raul on the shoulder silently and took a handkerchief from his saddlebag and handed it to him.

The three of them set off again.

Oak Town and Artemis are both located on the west bank of the Anya River, with a straight-line distance of approximately twenty kilometers between them.

Even at full speed, it will take no more than two hours to reach our destination.

However, because the Majya family of three consciously avoided settlements and towns along the way, they took a longer route, which took a considerable amount of extra time.

In addition, the four old horses they were riding were old and weak, so it was already noon when the three of them arrived at the outpost set up by the "rebels" on the outskirts of the city.

To the west of the provincial road leading from Oak Town to Artemis lies Deer Mountain, and to the east, the Anya River. The "rebels" have set up a roadblock at the narrowest point between the mountain and the river, leaving no way to avoid or bypass it.

The three men stopped their horses on the hillside. Gazing at the congested checkpoint in the distance, Tasso couldn't help but look troubled.

"Master," the old servant suggested in a low voice, "why don't we take a detour?"

Raul chuckled. Although young, he was quick-witted: "Go around? Where else can we go? Can we turn back and circle around Deer Mountain? What if there's a checkpoint on that road too?"

The old servant gently shook his head at the young master, signaling him to calm down.

Old Majiya silently observed the distant outpost, and finally nodded slowly.

Tasso felt a pang of anxiety—because he knew that Maja Milok had made up her mind.

……

[Half an hour later]
"When will it finally be our turn?" Raul couldn't help but shout.

The "congestion" seen from a distance is completely different from the "congestion" experienced while actually in it.

Ahead of the three members of the Majya family was a long procession of more than thirty tuxedo carriages.

Behind the three members of the Majya family were more single and double carriages.

The entire procession moved forward at an appallingly slow pace, and the midday sun overhead was exceptionally scorching, so many coachmen simply took shelter under the shade of the trees by the roadside and dozed off.

Raul could only wait anxiously in the sweltering heat as the convoy slowly moved forward at a frustrating pace.

Fortunately, old Taso, who had gone to water the horses, returned quickly, bringing back two full sheepskin bags of water.

Raul cheered and took off his water bag from the saddle, bit off the cork, and drank heartily.

Drinking alone wasn't enough for Raul, so he raised the water bag high above his head and poured the remaining water over his head, washing away the sweat and the summer heat.

On the other side, old Majiya took another water bag from old Tasso, took a sip, put down the water bag, and looked at the old servant.

Old Tasso, of course, understood what he meant and replied with a smile, "I've had my fill of drinking by the river."

Old Ma Jiya nodded, slowly drank a few more sips of water, then carefully tied the sheepskin bag tightly and hung it back on the saddle.

In that short time, Old Tasso had already taken out a bag of hay and, taking a break from his busy schedule, gave a little extra food to the few bald-tailed old horses.

After doing all this, old Tasso rubbed his sore shoulders and strolled back to his "old employer" and "young employer".

“The convoy in front is from [Hammertown],” Old Tasso said in a low voice. “The ones behind are from [South Mountain Town]. There are also a few ‘fellow villagers’ from [Oaktown], but they’re all lone wolves who’re just following along.” “How could you…” Raul was speechless.

"While we were watering the horses, I inquired a bit." Old Tasso and Old Majiya exchanged a glance: "Don't worry, no one recognized me."

Raul glanced at his father, then at old Tasso, and after a brief moment of processing, asked in surprise, "From Hammer Town and Shannan Town? That's more than a day's journey..."

After saying that, Raul stood on tiptoe and looked ahead and then behind. The size of the convoy stretching along the provincial highway was "abnormal."

Perhaps two or three years ago, this would have been normal.

But in the current situation, what is considered normal is actually abnormal.

"It is said," old Tasso said, equally puzzled, "that the 'rebels' are buying up goods in Artemis on a massive scale—grain, hemp, oil, tobacco… whatever it is, as long as it's transported to Artemis, it can be sold to the 'rebels' for double the price. That's why the gentlemen are going crazy, sending loads of good stuff to Artemis."

"Grain prices are going to rise again?" Raul suddenly snapped back to reality. "Send it to Artemis, and the 'rebels' will buy it? Blood Wolf... Where did you get so much gold and silver? Could this be a trap..."

Old Tasso, leaning on his saber, shrugged nonchalantly.

Old Ma Jiya remained silent.

Suddenly a commotion arose ahead, startling the drivers who were dozing under the shade of a tree by the roadside. They all looked toward the checkpoint, puzzled.

Suddenly, one coachman ran to his carriage. Then, like a herd of horses blindly following a startled horse, the other coachmen rushed to their respective carriages.

A booming voice came from ahead:
"Get your passes ready!"

"The distance between the two carriages, one in front and one behind, is the distance between the two horses!"

"Stop dawdling! Hurry up! Run! Get running!"

"..."

Old Majiya and Old Tasso couldn't help but look at each other, while Raul couldn't help but crane his neck to look.

The sound grew clearer and closer, and bystanders in the way quickly moved aside. The three members of the Majiya family finally saw the appearance of the "source of the sound":

He was a handsome young man of medium height, but he looked very sturdy; although he was wearing an old military uniform that had been washed and faded, his leather boots were in excellent condition.
What is even more eye-catching is the luxurious military knife hanging from the young man's belt.

Judging solely from the exquisite craftsmanship of the knife, it should have been a family heirloom, enshrined above the fireplace, rather than casually hanging on a belt with two leather straps.

Even more impressive than the sword was the young man's piercing eyes.

The sharp gaze emanating from those eyes was like a dagger, causing everyone to instinctively give way wherever it went.

Majya Raul also felt the scrutinizing gaze of the young man with the sword. His instinct made him want to run away, but he gritted his teeth and glared back defiantly.

Until the very end, Raul did not avoid the other person's gaze.

However, it was perhaps this brief exchange of glances that made the sword-wielding youth, who had already walked past the three, turn back.

The young man with the sword turned back and said, "Don't rush, don't panic." But the "rebel" soldiers following behind him immediately surrounded the three members of the Majiya family.

With a single glance, the young man with the sword identified the true leader among the three. He looked at Old Majiya: "The pass?"

Old Majiya nodded, took a letter from his saddlebag—a pass signed by the mayor of Oak Town—and handed it to Raul beside him.

"For whom?" Raul asked, his neck stiff.

The young man with the sword politely extended his hand.

Old Tasso raised an eyebrow, Raul's gaze held a hint of mockery, while Old Mazia maintained his stern expression.

However, to the surprise of old Tasso and Raul, the young man with the knife did not just glance at the pass and wave it away; instead, he carefully "read" it.

"Mr. Ma Jiya?" the young man asked.

Old Ma Jiya nodded slightly.

"Who are these two?"

“I’m just a horse feeder,” old Tasso answered first, then gestured to Raul: “This is our young master.”

"The reason for your trip is..." The young man with the sword frowned slightly: "Visiting a friend?"

Old Ma Jiya nodded slightly again.

The young man with the sword measured the three of them from head to toe, then slowly folded the pass back to its original position.

Raul forced a smile and asked, "Is there anything else we can help with?"

"No need to be nervous." The young man with the sword smiled broadly and pointed to the checkpoint ahead: "Only freight wagons need to queue here. You can go straight through."

Raul glanced at the checkpoint ahead, then at his father and old Tasso, his frustration evident: "Then what are we waiting for?"

Old Tasso looked at Old Majiya inquiringly.

"Thank you," Old Ma Jiya nodded in thanks.

The young man with the sword nodded in return, indicating that he would lead the way. The three members of the Majiya family, whether willingly or unwillingly, followed the young man with the sword unimpeded towards the checkpoint.

However, Raul suddenly stopped halfway, his eyes widening as he stared blankly ahead.

Old Tasso followed Raul's gaze and looked ahead, his pupils dilating as well.

The three of them were too far away and were obscured by the trees on both sides of the road, so they did not notice each other.

But from their current location, the scene they couldn't see before was now clearly displayed before them:

The huge oak tree downwind of the outpost was covered with human corpses.

Dozens of corpses swayed rhythmically in the wind, as if performing a terrifying group dance.

Raul suddenly felt a tremendous force surge up from his stomach; old Tasso remained calm, but his expression was not good; old Majiya turned away and did not look at the oak tree again.

The young man with the knife took in the expressions of the three men. Perhaps feeling that the scene was too shocking, he took the initiative to explain: "Those are bandits and criminals sentenced to hanging. There was no time to build a gallows for them, so they were just hung on the trees."

Old Tasso, leaning on his saber, swallowed hard and forced a smile: "Lord Blood Wolf's methods are indeed... extraordinary..."

"The way of punishment lies in punishing less, but punishing more severely." The young man with the sword glanced at the long convoy ahead of the checkpoint, then at the tree with the hanging corpses in the distance, and calmly asked, "If they aren't hung on the tree, how will good people dare to go out?"

“Slight punishment, heavy punishment.” Old Tasso stared at the young man with the sword for a while, then finally lowered his head: “Brilliant idea.”

“I didn’t say that,” the young man with the sword said with a smile. “It was you who said it.”

The rebel outposts were divided into an incoming side and an outgoing side, with a small gate and a large gate on each side.

In front of the gate, "rebel" soldiers on duty were checking and counting the goods on a double-wagon. That's probably why there was such a long queue behind it.

From the establishment of the newly reclaimed land province, tolls were one of the important sources of revenue for the garrison posts in each prefecture. There were checkpoints between prefectures and sentries between towns. It could be said that checkpoints and sentries were set up everywhere.

It wasn't just the merchants; ordinary people also deeply resented this, yet were powerless to do anything about it. So even Raul, who had little travel experience, knew exactly what the "rebel" soldiers were doing.

Old Tasso then spoke on behalf of the "employers," offering a fawning smile and asking in a humble voice, "This, I don't know? The toll?"

"No." The young man with the sword said something surprising.

Old Tasso didn't react for a moment: "Nothing?"

“There is no toll.” The young man with the sword repeated, then added after a moment’s thought, “At least not for the time being.”

Raul couldn't help but ask, "Then why do you still need it?"

He pointed to the "rebel" soldiers inspecting the truck, and the rest of his sentence was self-evident.

“By order of His Excellency the Tribunal of Badbour, the toll is waived,” the young man with the sword replied politely. “However, declaration and inspection shall still be carried out.”

After saying that, the young man with the sword raised his hand and gestured, "Please."

Surrounded by "rebel" soldiers, the three members of the Majiya family walked step by step toward the checkpoint.

For some reason, Raul's heart beat faster with each step forward. But seeing his father's steady pace, he suppressed his dizziness and nausea and followed.

At the checkpoint, the rebel soldier on duty coldly asked, "What do you need to report?"

Raul shook his head.

"Yes," Old Ma Jiya answered succinctly, "Gold."

He reached into the small saddlebag hanging in front of the saddle, took out two short, stick-like ceramic sticks, and slammed them together.

The surface of the pottery was cracked and peeled off, exposing part of the contents.

Under the midday sun, it shimmered with a captivating luster.

[Return from the Bloodbath]
[Orz Orz Orz]
[I'm sorry, I've been so busy with life and work lately. I've been writing, but I haven't been able to make good use of my spare time.]
[Supplementary Explanation Regarding Bandit Suppression]
Whether in the East or the West, regardless of the dynasty or era, suppressing bandits is a policy that unconditionally wins the hearts of the people. Bandits must be suppressed; it is unacceptable not to.
Of all the policies Napoleon implemented after becoming First Consul, the suppression of rural bandits was the most popular among the French people, without exception.
In the vast expanse of France (compared to the small German states of the same period), banditry was never an eradication problem. The Bourbon dynasty, the Jacobins, and the Directory all issued orders to suppress bandits, but none succeeded in eradicating it. Only the First French Empire, employing every means possible, and only the First French Empire, successfully eliminated banditry in France.
[In November 1799, martial law was imposed on 40% of French territory, but within three years, travel within the country was safe again, and trade was restored; even Napoleon's brilliant victories in Italy did not win him as much popular support as the suppression of bandits—Napoleon the Great]
[In the Holy Roman Empire, France's neighbor, the most common way for leaders of free cities to boost public support was also through bandit suppression.]
The city-states of the German regions would frequently organize crackdowns, with murder and arson punished by death, and even petty theft being severely punished. These anti-bandit activities not only strengthened public order but also provided entertainment for the people (spectating executions), which was universally welcomed by the populace of that era.