nashuaworldcup Chapter 306 Businessman
Chapter 306 Businessman
With the lamplighter leading the way, the journey was smooth and unobstructed.
Luo Lin discovered that the number of militiamen on patrol outside the town was much greater than in a typical town. Near the town mayor's hall, there were rows of tall, fully armed militiamen outside the wall.
As soon as I stepped into the mayor's courtyard, the guards at the gate, clad in full armor and wielding swords, looked just like the seasoned veterans of Nanhai Town.
After a brief inquiry, Wilkes proudly explained that these were former regular soldiers of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, who had ended up in Hillsbrad and were hired by the mayor as a private guard to protect the town's property and people.
Luo Lin chuckled softly, thinking, "Isn't this just the security detail of a big landowner?"
The guards' wary and fierce gazes seemed to be warning Roland, the foreign merchant, to behave himself or they would cut him into pieces.
Their imposing presence was certainly impressive, but Lorraine and his apprentice were experienced; he had ventured deep into enemy territory to capture Fenness Wolf Island and Ambermill. The two rows of imposing guards didn't impress Lorraine much, but they certainly provided a memorable experience.
It's like entering a Western-style royal palace alone, greeted by knights at the palace gates...
Unfortunately, this is clearly just a small town with fewer than a thousand inhabitants, and that's after it expanded by continuously absorbing refugees after the war. In reality, it's just an ordinary farm...
The farmers just wanted to live a peaceful life...
War and plague destroyed everything, forcing people to form associations to protect themselves and struggle to survive in the chaos.
If you don't fight and build up your own defenses... not only will the undead horde attack be a problem, but the Syndicate bandits lurking on the opposite Garin Highlands will frequently come down to plunder. The Syndicate robs Hillsbrad Foothills of its food and valuables, and kidnaps its inhabitants.
They also harbored past hatred for each other, as the town of Hillsbrad had also carved out land and wealth from the former territory of the Kingdom of Alterac.
Lordaeron once annexed most of the Alterac Kingdom's heritage, including present-day Southshore and Durnholde Keep, which were under the rule of the Menethil Royal Family of Lordaeron... but ultimately the deeds to these lands ended up in the hands of the Barnough family, the most powerful family in the Eastern Plaguelands...
The Banov family secretly colluded with the great lich Kel'Thuzad, and Scholomance is now the former castle of the Banov family.
Land deeds in many places, including Southshore, Tarren Mill, and Hillsbrad Foothills, were seized by the nobles of Lordaeron from the descendants of the Kingdom of Alterac. Ultimately, they themselves became servants of the Scourge.
In fact, the mysterious Scholomance Academy, located in the middle of Lake Caer Darrow, is not far from Hillsbrad Foothills and the surrounding Southshore.
You can reach Scholomance by following a river upstream.
Separating the two territories is the Alterac Mountains, a testament to the immense power of Lordaeron in the past, with the entire territory of the Alterac Kingdom having been annexed. The Undead Realm to the north is just a stone's throw away, only blocked by this mountain range.
The mountain paths and rivers all lead to Hillsbrad Foothills...
In other words, the legitimacy of the town of Hillsbrad is actually questionable. In the aftermath of the chaos, the Barnough family of the north, descendants of the former Alterac royal family, and the dwarves all claimed ownership of portions of the Hillsbrad Hills.
This includes the mysterious Lord Priest, who claims to have survived the northern undead plague. He almost became the son-in-law of Tyrese, the old king of Lordaeron. If Arthas's sister, Calia Menethil, had married Lord Priest, she would have been able to legally inherit all the property of the Alterac royal family.
Unfortunately, it seems that Highlord Priest's identity was discovered by Rhonin, the legendary archmage of Dalaran, and the Black Dragon King's conspiracy was exposed for the first time, arousing the vigilance of the five dragon guardians... However, in just a few decades, everyone seems to have forgotten everything that happened in the dwarven city of Grim Batol.
The fall of the Northern Elven Empire, Dalaran, and the entire Lordaeron, with the Scourge as the main protagonist of the Third Campaign.
But whether it's dragons, invincible demons, mad mages, terrible plagues and undead... for ordinary people living in Hillsbrad Foothills, having enough to eat and warm clothes to wear are still the most basic desires.
Safety was a prerequisite, and the town mayor and his nephew became the townspeople's only support.
They had to survive, and the wealthy landowner, Mayor Bonn, seized the crisis to become a local tyrant, with all the human survivors of Hillsbrads becoming his subordinates, whether they liked it or not.
His wealth is all here, and he is most fond of merchants who come from afar... Bourne's initial wealth came from providing some ordinary supplies to Dalaran.
In just a few minutes of walking, Rowling thought of many things.
To his surprise, Mayor Born personally greeted him at the town hall entrance. Several disheveled, servant-like figures in white robes accompanied him... After introductions, he learned that these were actually town councilors, second only to the mayor in rank, the elected representatives of the people...
Rowling touched his nose. He noticed that the councilors were wearing light linen robes... only the mayor wore a long silk fan, the jewels on his belt gleaming, with smooth white hair and a small brown mustache. Apparently, the mayor's real hair was originally reddish-brown...
The skin is reddish-yellow and slightly rough.
Legend has it that this is the color of the earth and brass.
The descendants of Tyr's Guardians, the Arathi human tribe, were also created from clay and degenerated by the Curse of Flesh... The men were rugged and strong, and the women were also plump and robust. The original inhabitants of Azeroth had a rather good appearance in the past... just a bit stiff, much better looking than the monsters and demons of today.
Lorin found it amusing and stared at the mayor, scrutinizing him.
Mayor Bourne noticed the black-haired, bespectacled, yellow-skinned outsider across the street... unlike anyone he could remember from any region; he'd seen people of all colors—black, white, yellow, purple—before...
Only someone with a unique look like Luo Lin has more restrained features and a more peaceful face. His short black hair makes him look energetic, but his black-rimmed glasses cover up the features of his eyes.
The ill-fitting robe wasn't particularly valuable, but it was still vaguely recognizable as a mage's robe.
My subordinates say this silk merchant from a distant land is both a bard and, it seems, a pilgrim deeply interested in the holy city of Dalaran...
"How about it?"
The mayor and Rowling looked at each other for a full minute, gave each other awkward laughs, and then nodded.
The mayor turned to ask the lamplighter, Wilkes.
"no problem..."
Wilkes nodded affirmatively, holding up the strange magic lamp.
This lamp, from Dalaran, can identify humanoid beings and detect necromancy or the aura of plague. It can also penetrate magical disguises and sense magical energy... The mayor purchased this lamp at great expense from Dalaran's treasury, and a high-ranking archmage was specially commissioned to inscribe runes upon it...
Upon hearing this, the mayor happily grasped Rolin's hand. "Oh dear, I've been hoping for a merchant to come here for so long... To be honest, my gold coins are practically rusting. Mr. Barbaras, you must show me your finest items. Price is no object, as long as they're good... Come, come, please come inside."
As he spoke, he pulled Luo Lin into the inner hall. Apart from the clerk and two bodyguards following closely behind, everyone else could only stand outside the hall.
Before entering the room, Rolin glanced at the surrounding defenses...
Good heavens, there's an army stationed in the town hall courtyard!
"A dragon's den or a tiger's lair?"
......