Wearing black silk for a foreign woman

A general knight trial does not require any camps, and food, drink, and toileting along the way are all provided by the lords along the way, but there are none on the Island of Ivozhen, so the father of Jiyang IX sent a colonial team to accompany him.

Sitting in the temporary tent, Jiyang IX was eating apples picked by the serfs.

"Mr. Cardo." Jiyang IX threw an apple to Cardo who was resting with his eyes closed. Cardo caught the apple from Jiyang IX without opening his eyes.

"Thank you." Cardo picked up the apple and started eating.

"Master, how long do you think it will take us to find the Holy Grail?"

"That depends on the will of the Lady of the Lake."

Chapter 371 Beastman Attack

In Batoran, many knights set out on a journey to find the Holy Grail every year. Although according to Batoran tradition, only the heir of the Duke must complete the Holy Grail Trial and become a Holy Grail Knight to inherit the title, this does not prevent knights of other identities from temporarily leaving their own territories and embarking on the journey to find the Holy Grail.

There are many knights who set out to find the Holy Grail, but only a few succeed. Only about one in ten knights can finally complete the Holy Grail Trial and drink the Holy Grail Water. The rest either give up halfway or die in battle.

However, since the Holy Grail has long been lost and its whereabouts are unknown, the completion of the trial has never been based on whether the Holy Grail is found. According to the clergy who serve the Lady of the Lake, the Lady of the Lake will give the Knight the power to drink from the Holy Grail in the spiritual world after the Knight completes the trial.

Whether the trial is completed is entirely up to the Lady of the Lake, which is the so-called will of the Lady of the Lake. As for the criteria by which the Lady of the Lake judges whether a knight has completed the trial, there is no standard answer.

Some people set out in the morning and can drink from the Holy Grail in the afternoon, while others have been on trial for decades, from being a handsome young man to an old man, but still cannot get the favor of the Lady of the Lake.

These are the will of the Lady of the Lake.

"The will of the goddess of the lake? Of course, of course, I came to this desolate island because of the revelation of the goddess of the lake." Jiyang IX echoed. "If it weren't for the will of the goddess of the lake, I wouldn't have chosen to come to this desolate island."

"I think I'm the first knight to be designated a trial location by the Lady of the Lake, right?" Ji Yang IX said proudly. "Seniors, what do you think?"

There were four people in this simple tent. In addition to Guiyang IX and Cardo, there were two knights. Both knights looked to be in their thirties or forties, tall, with faces as hard as marble statues, as if they had walked out of a painting.

These two men, who looked extraordinary just by looking at their appearance, were the Holy Grail Knights sent by Guillon VIII to accompany him in order to ensure the safety of his son.

"We have not received any revelation from the Lady of the Lake." One of the Holy Grail Knights quickly replied, his tone respectful but also formal. "My brother and I set out without receiving any revelation from the Lady of the Lake."

"Where did those two go?" Ji Yang IX asked curiously.

"We two brothers went to the Dwarven Mountains," another Holy Grail Knight said. "In the mountains, we fought against the corrupted Chaos Dwarves together with our generous Dwarven brothers. Five years later, we were recognized by the Lady of the Lake and drank the water of the Holy Grail."

"I admire your achievements very much." Ji Yang IX saluted. "I hope you can guide me more and complete the trial of finding the Holy Grail."

"I believe that before long, I will be recognized by the Lady of the Lake, just like you two and my father, drink from the Holy Grail, and proudly stand on equal footing with you all!" Ji Yang IX said excitedly.

The two Holy Grail Knights' faces flashed with displeasure for a moment. Both of them were born as low-level knights, and they had to complete the Holy Grail Knight Trial entirely on their own, without anyone to help them. As a result, this young man was accompanied by a thousand people.

More importantly, unlike them, the Holy Grail trial of this Duke's son was qualitatively different from that of others, because he was here to find the Holy Grail itself, if he was not lying.

It is said that Guillon IX told King Batoran in person that he had received inspiration from the Lady of the Lake to find the legendary Holy Grail, which forced the old Duke to agree to his son's almost willful request.

Although they were somewhat dissatisfied in their hearts, the loyalty in the knight's virtue required them to be loyal to their lord, that is, Guillon IX's father, Guillon VIII. They had to do the job of nanny even if they didn't want to.

In addition, the two Holy Grail Knights also had some reservations about this strange Cardo.

"Master Cardo, can you tell me your story?" The camp was still under construction, and Jiyang IX was a little bored, so he talked to Cardo. "How did you become a clergyman of the Lady of the Lake as a man?"

"…This story begins more than ten years ago." Cardo pondered for a moment, and just when Ji Yang IX thought that Cardo would remain silent as an answer, Cardo spoke.

As Cardo spoke, the two Holy Grail Knights also became interested. It was common knowledge in Batoran that the clergy of the Lady of the Lake were all women, although the official Lady of the Lake had never issued relevant regulations. But Cardo, as a single man, could show the miracles of the Lady of the Lake, and there was no room for doubt.

Just as Cardo was about to start telling the story, a man suddenly walked in from outside the tent.

"Lord Guiyang IX, Lord Cardo, Lord Fred, Lord George." The person who came in was a knight squire. Unlike a knight's squire, a knight squire was a knight who had obtained the title of knight but followed a certain knight. He was a direct transition between a knight's squire and a formal knight.

"Well, what is it, Sir Lavender?" asked King Guiyang IX.

"I'm sorry to disturb you all." The knight named Lavender bowed. "Just now, a servant who was heading north to oversee the village came back to report that the village camp was attacked by beastmen."

"Oh? There are still beastmen?" Jiyang IX said disapprovingly. "Haven't we already cleared out all the beastman tribes in the surrounding forests?"

"It could be that there are some that slipped through the net, my lord." Lavender continued. "With you leading the team yourself, there is no chance that there are any beastmen tribes left in the surrounding forests, but it is entirely possible that some beastmen that have not been cleaned up have escaped."

"These filthy, filthy creatures dare not become your enemies, so they only attack weak peasants."

"Well, what you said makes sense." Lavender reported the situation while blowing Ji Yan IX's trumpet, which made him feel very comfortable. "What about the damage?"

"Your Excellency, the servants we sent to guard...protect the peasants bravely repelled the beastmen. None of the peasants were injured, but three of the servants were killed in the battle."

"Well, they did a good job and completed their mission. Their souls will return to the Lady of the Lake." said Ji Yang IX.

"Send someone..." Just as King Jiyang IX was about to make arrangements, another knight walked in.

"Lord Guiyang IX, Lord Cardo, Lord Fred, Lord George." Like a knight, he came in and greeted several knights in turn. "The village in the east was attacked by beastmen! The defenders were completely wiped out! All the peasants were also taken abducted!"

Chapter 372: The Peasants Who Escaped Back

King Guiyang IX, along with three other people of high status, were resting in a makeshift tent. Then two knights came to report the situation.

Two knights came one after the other to report the situation, and the content of their reports was exactly the same, that the affiliated villages under construction were attacked by beastmen. However, the situations of the two attacked villages were very different.

"What did you say!? The defenders of the village in the east were completely wiped out!?" Ji Yang IX stood up from his seat and looked at the knight who came to report the situation with a shocked face.

"That's what the villagers who escaped from the eastern village said." The knight tried his best to keep his tone calm, but it was still difficult to completely conceal the shock and anger in his words.

Except for Jiyang IX, the other three people in the tent also had different reactions. Cardo still looked calm, as if he was indifferent to the destruction of the entire village. The two Holy Grail Knights were a little surprised, but then they showed doubts.

"Destroyed the entire village?" Fred, the elder of the two Holy Grail Knights, frowned. "This is not something that a bandit-level beastman can do."

"Are there any beastman tribes nearby that have not been cleared out?" George, the younger brother of the Holy Grail Knights, asked.

Then, the two Holy Grail Knights looked at Jiyang IX in unison, with a subtle smile on their lips.

Guiyang IX's face turned red and white, and he was very angry. The young knight was not only angry that the filthy beastmen dared to attack his serfs, but also angry at his own shame.

Not long ago, Jiyang IX personally led a team to clean up the beastman tribes in the forest near Vickro, and completely cleaned up the four beastman tribes in the nearby forest. In order to solve the problem once and for all, Jiyang IX directly burned the four beastman tribes to the ground.

Afterwards, Jiyang IX announced to all the immigrants that the place was safe, and then began the construction of the base and affiliated villages.

After he announced that the beastmen had been cleared out and the place was safe, more beastmen appeared and destroyed an entire village, which made Ji Yang IX feel like a slap in his face.

"Take me to see the villagers who have escaped!" Ji Yang IX ordered sternly in anger.

So, the knight led Guillon IX on horseback to meet the returning peasants, and the two Holy Grail Knights followed closely behind. Cardo stayed for a while and did not catch up immediately. Instead, he took out a stack of cards from his pocket.

"Let me think, in this kind of situation, what I should use is..." Cardo muttered to himself, and pulled out a card with a blue face from the deck in his hand.

Pulling out the azure card, Cardo poured his own magic power into it, and then a strange illusory eye flashed in the air in front of Cardo.

"It's finally here." Cardo saw the result he wanted from the fleeting shadow, laughed, then put away all the cards and walked out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the knights quickly led King Guiyang IX to a group of serfs. All of these serfs were covered in dust and dirt, as if they had just escaped.

It's not like, it's like he just escaped back.

There were only about twenty serfs in this group, all of them looked very disheveled, as if they had just rolled in the mud. Although he had long been accustomed to the dirty appearance of serfs, when he saw this group of serfs, Ji Yang IX subconsciously showed a look of disgust.

When seeing Jiyang IX coming over, one of the serfs' eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had seen a savior, he knelt directly on the ground in front of Jiyang IX and shouted heartbreakingly: "My Lord, ah!"

The shout was heart-wrenching, and the mud on the serf's palm was thrown over and landed directly on the clothes on Ji Yang IX's chest.

The corners of Ji Yang IX's mouth twitched a few times, and he subconsciously wanted to draw his sword and chop down this rude man who dared to throw mud on him. Then the other party continued to shout.

"The heir of the great Duchy of Aquitaine! The brave and fearless knight! Please help us!" The serf cried heartbreakingly. "We followed your orders! We expanded your glory to the edge of the forest! But a group of beastmen suddenly rushed out! And attacked the camp!"

"Your soldiers fought bravely to protect us! But they were all killed by the dirty beastmen! Many villagers were also captured! We were the only ones who managed to escape back!"

"But with you here, we are safe!" the serf cried and knelt on the ground again with his hands and knees prostrated.

Another pile of mud was thrown at Jiyang IX, but Jiyang IX was not angry. After a little thought, Jiyang IX inserted the sword that had left his body back.

"My loyal subjects, you have suffered." Jiyang IX raised his head and announced loudly. "I already know the suffering you have endured."

"Those knights and squires died in order to protect you. They died gloriously. I believe their souls will return to the embrace of the Lady of the Lake." Jiyang IX continued. "As for those filthy beastmen, as a descendant of the Twelve Holy Knights of Batoran, I will make them pay the price!"

"What's your name?" Jiyang IX asked the serf who cried the loudest.

"My Lord, my name is..."

"Don't come over! Just stand there and talk!" Seeing that the other party was about to walk towards him, Ji Yang IX immediately stopped him loudly.

"Yes, your Excellency, my name is John," the serf replied humbly.

It was John again. Jiyang IX frowned. Since commoners did not have surnames, it was very easy for them to have the same name. Jiyang IX was already tired of hearing the name John.

Moreover, John in front of him had mud all over his face. Not to mention his appearance, even his age couldn't be seen. It was impossible to tell who was who.

"John, let me ask you, how many beastmen attacked you?"

"Not sure, but the number is over a hundred." John thought for a moment and replied.

There are more than a hundred of them, and this is not a number that escaped the net. There is at least one beastman tribe.

Ji Yang IX's expression turned ugly. He didn't expect that he actually missed a tribe of beastmen.

"All troops, listen up! I will lead the team myself!" Ji Yang IX roared, and then immediately began to mobilize troops and prepare to set out to clean up the remaining beastman tribe.

The twenty or so serfs who escaped back had expressions of victory in their eyes.

"The plan was successful." The serf who called himself John praised a female serf.

"Not yet, my lord, the boat is over there." the female serf continued.

Chapter 373: Grain Transport Ship

The village east of Vickro was attacked by beastmen, the defenders were wiped out, and most of the serfs were captured, which made Jiyang IX very angry. Damn beastmen, how dare they attack my serfs!

The reason for his anger was not only that the beastmen attacked his territory, killed his retainers, and plundered his serfs, but more importantly, he was embarrassed. Not long ago, he publicly announced that the beastmen around him had been eliminated, and the farmers could go to cultivate the land and build villages. It was very safe without worrying about being attacked. However, he was embarrassed so soon.

Compared to the plundering of the territory and the slaughter of the serfs, this made Jiyang IX even more angry. These filthy beastmen brought shame to him!

Knights, especially those with territorial titles, valued their reputation more than their lives. Many knights would rather die than lose face, let alone lose face in public.

In order to save his reputation, Ji Yang IX must completely wipe out this group of beastmen who appeared out of nowhere, leaving no one alive.

The plan to conquer the beastmen was soon announced publicly by Jiyang IX. For the beastmen tribe that dared to embarrass him so much, Jiyang IX decided to completely wipe out the entire beastmen tribe.

Following the lord's order, a punitive force was quickly formed, led by Jiyang IX himself. In order to ensure that everything went well, Jiyang IX also brought along the younger brothers of the two Holy Grail Knights. It was just a tribe of beastmen, and the Holy Grail Knights could fight alone.

The furious Ji Yang IX set out on the journey to defeat the beastmen after forming his team, and did not notice the strangeness of the refugees who escaped back from the village in the east.

"He really didn't find us." Fenrir, who was dressed like a standard village woman and wearing a headscarf on her head, said in surprise and joy as she watched Jiyang IX leave with his troops.

"The knights are all very self-righteous and don't want to interact with the peasants. Being able to ride and talk to the peasants is already the limit." Ranna in the team explained to Fenrir. "Not to mention that they are a group of muddy and dirty peasants."

The village camp east of Vicro was indeed captured. All the defenders were taken away in one round, and none of the serfs escaped. They were all captured by Lind. So where did the refugees come from?

The answer is simple, it was the beastmen in disguise.

The new beastmen were very similar to humans, and apart from the ears, hands, feet and body hair, they were no different from humans. Therefore, Ranna boldly suggested that the beastmen disguise themselves as refugees and sneak into the city of Vicro.

Just cover the animal ears on the head with a headscarf or hat, and cover the hands, feet and body hair with clothes. As for whether it will be exposed, Ranna said confidently that as long as you make your body dirty, those knights will not check it carefully.

The result was even more exaggerated than what Ranna said. The knights did not even check the identity of the person, let alone conduct a thorough inspection. Linde was ashamed of his vigilance.

Among these twenty-odd refugees, only Ranna is a real refugee. The rest are all beastmen under Lind, plus Lind.

The one who cried so hard in front of Ji Yang IX was Lin De himself.

"Jiyang IX, he really has no vigilance at all." Linde, who was disguised as an ordinary serf, looked at Jiyang IX walking away and shook his head in disappointment. "With this level, he dares to come here to look for the Holy Grail!?"

"It is said that he came here because he received inspiration from the goddess of the lake." Ran Na said softly.

If it was before the time travel, Lind would only say "Oh, yes, yes, yes" to the other party with a look of pity, but this world is different. There really are gods in this world, so divine revelations are not surprising.

When Linde thought that the Lady of the Lake was a disguise of other gods, he felt like laughing, and then he became curious about who the real identity of the Lady of the Lake was.

"Almost two-thirds of the knights have left." Seeing the large army of King Jiyang IX disappear in front of him, Lind observed the remaining troops. "Among the remaining knights, are there any Holy Grail Knights?"

"Yes." Ranna nodded, and then pointed at a handsome knight in a bright red coat. "That's the Holy Grail Knight, Lord Fred."

"Is it him?" Linde observed. "He looks familiar..."

"Does the master know him?" Ran Na asked curiously.

"Ah! I remember!" Lind reacted the next moment. "My father fought him!"

When Lind's father, Kong Nan, who never fell from his horse, was alive, he had fought against several Holy Grail Knights, including this man named Fred.

Unexpectedly seeing a familiar face made Lind feel a little relieved. Compared with other Holy Grail Knights, Fred's strength was better than Lind's.