Chapter 47 "Noxida"
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Chapter 47 "Noxida"
A few more days passed without incident. On the fourth day at noon, Gillis took out the map Denver Stoneprint had left for them and pointed to a hill, saying, "Once we cross this foothill, we will be considered out of the Foresk Duchy and in the territory of the Free City-State of Nokcida."
From the map, it can be seen that Noksidar is a transportation hub on the continent. Therefore, merchants from all over the Nord continent gather here to establish the Merchant Guild. Carriages carrying specialty products from all over the world converge here, leading to a prosperous trade. In addition, various other associations such as the Architect Association and the Blacksmith Association are also thriving.
Trade prosperity has also brought a large number of commissioned tasks, attracting more people to come here. Some of these people are merchants, gamblers, wandering knights, and scamming thieves who have come to make war profits. Others are professional mercenaries and robbing bandits, who are naturally inclined to do some bloody work when there is a war.
"Can we make it to Knocksida tonight?" the old dwarf asked eagerly.
"If it wasn't for someone eating indiscriminately and getting diarrhea, we would've been drinking at the tavern in Knocksida yesterday," the half-elf pointed out, referring to the old dwarf who had secretly added some grass mushrooms to the pot when he wasn't looking.
"There is no problem with eating those grass mushrooms alone," the old dwarf argued, unwilling to accept it. "Who knows what else you put in the pot..."
"The temperature is too high at noon, let's take a rest in the small grove over there. And also have something to eat," suggested Saisi. This scorching weather is a severe test for the horses, not to mention that "Frost" is already getting old.
All three dismounted and sat down on the roadside among the trees. After Xisi settled down, he had a bite to eat and then absentmindedly picked up a tree branch and took out a shiny dagger from his backpack, carving away.
"Young man, your statue received a lot of praise during the exhibition." The old dwarf smiled and said to Sisi, "When are you planning to create another piece?"
"I don't have any inspiration right now... Let's wait a little longer."
"There's something going on!" The half-elf ranger's senses were particularly keen, and Sisi and Gago followed his gaze:
Through layers of dense forest, Cissy saw the truck catching up from the mountain road behind. However, the carriage driver seemed to be in a panic, whipping the horse mercilessly. Many goods on the truck were thrown out along the way, and the driver, covered in blood, sat on the carriage, anxiously looking back from time to time.
And behind this cargo cart, there is a team of horses chasing closely. Several big men riding on horses are trying to intercept the cart, but the cart driver occupies half of the mountain road with the cargo cart, trapping these horse riders behind the cart.
Xisi stood up from under the tree and saw two archers riding on horses behind the horse team. They were pulling back the bowstrings and shooting two feathered arrows at the cart driver. Both arrows missed the mark, with one landing on the large wooden box on the cart, and the other disappearing completely.
As if in the blink of an eye, a truck roared past the mountain road outside the forest where Caesar was located, and the horse team chased after it. There were about twenty-something people in this group, and the man at the back of the group rode a horse with a punishment hammer covered in thorns hanging from his waist. With the ability to wield a giant hammer with both hands, his arm strength must be extraordinary.
"Are robbers this audacious nowadays? This is the King's Road," Caesar asked in confusion.
"Perhaps they are a legitimate mercenary group in the city," the half-elf ranger sneered and added, "Besides, this is the border area between two factions..."
"What do you say? Should we go straight in or should we announce ourselves first?" The old dwarf, who had been on the losing end of the previous argument, had already accumulated a lot of anger and shouted as he charged out, "My giant axe has been hungry and thirsty for too long."
So, Xixi and the half-elf reluctantly followed the dwarves and charged out of the woods, blocking the path of the horsemen.
They saw three people rushing out of the woods and standing in the middle of the road. The person at the front of the horsemen immediately pulled the reins and shouted, "Be careful, it's an ambush! That guy still has accomplices!"
"Don't put away your weapons yet, stay on guard..." Gilchis said.
At this moment, a man from the back of the cavalry walked over. An old scar, thick as a finger, ran diagonally from his forehead down to his nose bridge, completely ruining his once handsome face and adding a touch of ferocity and hostility. He approached, locking his eyes like knives onto Sis and the others, as if facing an irreconcilable enemy.
He rushed towards Xisai and raised his hammer of retribution to smash down on him, thinking that this would be enough to force Xisai to abandon his attack and use both hands to defend with his shield. Sure enough, Xisai raised the iris shield in his hand, which surprised him somewhat. Faced with the roaring double-handed hammer, Xisai actually held up the shield with one hand and thrust a long sword straight into his own chest.
A man with a ferocious face ignored the long sword wielded by Sisisi, and continued to smash down with the punitive hammer in his hand. His hands with the hammer were obviously faster than the long sword, and he was confident that he could knock the knight in front of him off his horse. In the instant when the hammer fell, a phantom of a thunderous bear wrapped in lightning appeared behind him, even the punitive hammer was entwined with strands of lightning.
A dull thud could be heard.
In the man's eyes appeared a silver shield, and his hands wrapped in lightning hammered down on the virtual image of the shield. Countless electric snakes shot out, scattering the silver shield's illusion. It finally revealed a perfectly intact iris shield. The force of the punishment hammer had already been resolved by more than half, so when it fell on the iris shield, it seemed so weak and powerless. The scar-faced man felt a little chill in his heart. He didn't expect this young man to be an intermediate knight.
"Adventurer, speak up the names of you and your companions!" the scar-faced man said in a gritted teeth tone. "You are going against the Faste Trading Company."
"I am Sice Eis, a knight of the Florisca Kingdom," Sice rode closer on his horse and displayed his badge to the horsemen. "Within the borders of the kingdom, I saw a group of horsemen chasing a carriage driver. Shouldn't I come and inquire?"
"Boss, it seems like we have indeed entered the territory of Flaresk!"
"Good! Destiny has brought us together. I can see that you are also heading to Noksidah," the scar-faced man said menacingly, "I will make sure to treat you all to a good drink when we get there." After uttering these words, the scar-faced man turned around and planned to lead his men away.
Later, Cisse and others found the carriage driver who had been fleeing all the way. This weak, middle-aged man named Nupo explained the whole story:
Nupo had a lumber mill outside the city of Nocisida, where his wife had fallen ill with a strange disease and needed a large sum of money urgently. So, he planned to secretly take the wood and sell it in the surrounding areas of Nocisida. Little did he know that he would encounter the patrolling team of Foster Chamber of Commerce just after selling some wood in a small village.
"Why do we have to secretly buy timber? What is the deal with the Vigilant Watch of the Fost Trade Association?" asked Cisse, puzzled.
"I know about this," the old dwarf said loudly. "The Fost Trade Association is one of the four major trade associations in the Free City of Noksidar, and they almost monopolize all the timber trading in the city. The Vigilant Watch is the association's private armed force, used to deal with small merchants and foreign traders who try to encroach on their monopolized industry."
"Does the Municipal Hall of the Free City-State just turn a blind eye?"
"If you want to sell timber in the city, you must have a license, but these licenses are mainly controlled by the so-called 'Timber Transport Association'. The Faust Chamber of Commerce is the primary consul of this association. If they don't approve, you won't be able to obtain a license," Nuobo helplessly explained. "So I can only transport the timber to nearby villages for sale. But I didn't expect their patrol team to be already prepared, waiting for me to get caught."
"So what are you planning to do now?" Xixi asked the man.
"Sigh, I don't think the Faste Commercial Association will let me off easily, considering I openly violated their 'rules'," Nuobo said dejectedly. "I don't think I can save my wood processing plant."
"Actually, it's not a big deal. I'm more worried about my wife's condition..."
"Well then, we'll accompany you to go back and see your wife, maybe we can come up with a solution." After obtaining the consent of the half-elf and the dwarf, Cisse said to the man.
……
Although it was close to dusk, a long line formed in front of the gates of Nocksidal, where fully armed spearmen meticulously checked the passing crowds one by one. The east-west flowing Nar River divides Nocksidal into two parts, north and south.
The north bank of the river is the most prosperous place in Nocksida, with spacious and bright city hall, magnificent residential areas, where senators, nobles, and wealthy merchants live. The commercial district of the Free City-State is also located on the north bank, where goods and specialties from all over the world can be found.
The south bank of the city, relatively speaking, is much dirtier and messier. The riverside area is mainly inhabited by the indigenous people, who have been living here before the discovery of iron ore in the hills east of Nokisida. The indigenous people mainly engage in agriculture, local small commodity sales, guards, tax collectors, nobles' housekeepers, church buyers, and so on, belonging to a relatively high-status group. The Nupo family belongs to the indigenous people, and their house is located near the riverside, which is better than average but still satisfactory.
Further south is the place where miners and laborers gather, actually there are hundreds of buildings squeezed together! In these chaotic buildings, which are built together, live 70% of the population of Nokexida. Men either go to the mines to dig or go to the warehouse dock to load and unload goods, while the families do some chores such as laundry, baking bread, and growing vegetables.
In Nokcida, there is a significant wealth gap between the poor and the rich. The nobles and wealthy merchants make up just 1% of the city's population, yet they possess 99% of the city's wealth. The commoners struggle to make ends meet, fostering resentment, envy, admiration, and hatred towards the nobles and wealthy merchants, all while secretly aspiring to be like them.
(End of this chapter)
A few more days passed without incident. On the fourth day at noon, Gillis took out the map Denver Stoneprint had left for them and pointed to a hill, saying, "Once we cross this foothill, we will be considered out of the Foresk Duchy and in the territory of the Free City-State of Nokcida."
From the map, it can be seen that Noksidar is a transportation hub on the continent. Therefore, merchants from all over the Nord continent gather here to establish the Merchant Guild. Carriages carrying specialty products from all over the world converge here, leading to a prosperous trade. In addition, various other associations such as the Architect Association and the Blacksmith Association are also thriving.
Trade prosperity has also brought a large number of commissioned tasks, attracting more people to come here. Some of these people are merchants, gamblers, wandering knights, and scamming thieves who have come to make war profits. Others are professional mercenaries and robbing bandits, who are naturally inclined to do some bloody work when there is a war.
"Can we make it to Knocksida tonight?" the old dwarf asked eagerly.
"If it wasn't for someone eating indiscriminately and getting diarrhea, we would've been drinking at the tavern in Knocksida yesterday," the half-elf pointed out, referring to the old dwarf who had secretly added some grass mushrooms to the pot when he wasn't looking.
"There is no problem with eating those grass mushrooms alone," the old dwarf argued, unwilling to accept it. "Who knows what else you put in the pot..."
"The temperature is too high at noon, let's take a rest in the small grove over there. And also have something to eat," suggested Saisi. This scorching weather is a severe test for the horses, not to mention that "Frost" is already getting old.
All three dismounted and sat down on the roadside among the trees. After Xisi settled down, he had a bite to eat and then absentmindedly picked up a tree branch and took out a shiny dagger from his backpack, carving away.
"Young man, your statue received a lot of praise during the exhibition." The old dwarf smiled and said to Sisi, "When are you planning to create another piece?"
"I don't have any inspiration right now... Let's wait a little longer."
"There's something going on!" The half-elf ranger's senses were particularly keen, and Sisi and Gago followed his gaze:
Through layers of dense forest, Cissy saw the truck catching up from the mountain road behind. However, the carriage driver seemed to be in a panic, whipping the horse mercilessly. Many goods on the truck were thrown out along the way, and the driver, covered in blood, sat on the carriage, anxiously looking back from time to time.
And behind this cargo cart, there is a team of horses chasing closely. Several big men riding on horses are trying to intercept the cart, but the cart driver occupies half of the mountain road with the cargo cart, trapping these horse riders behind the cart.
Xisi stood up from under the tree and saw two archers riding on horses behind the horse team. They were pulling back the bowstrings and shooting two feathered arrows at the cart driver. Both arrows missed the mark, with one landing on the large wooden box on the cart, and the other disappearing completely.
As if in the blink of an eye, a truck roared past the mountain road outside the forest where Caesar was located, and the horse team chased after it. There were about twenty-something people in this group, and the man at the back of the group rode a horse with a punishment hammer covered in thorns hanging from his waist. With the ability to wield a giant hammer with both hands, his arm strength must be extraordinary.
"Are robbers this audacious nowadays? This is the King's Road," Caesar asked in confusion.
"Perhaps they are a legitimate mercenary group in the city," the half-elf ranger sneered and added, "Besides, this is the border area between two factions..."
"What do you say? Should we go straight in or should we announce ourselves first?" The old dwarf, who had been on the losing end of the previous argument, had already accumulated a lot of anger and shouted as he charged out, "My giant axe has been hungry and thirsty for too long."
So, Xixi and the half-elf reluctantly followed the dwarves and charged out of the woods, blocking the path of the horsemen.
They saw three people rushing out of the woods and standing in the middle of the road. The person at the front of the horsemen immediately pulled the reins and shouted, "Be careful, it's an ambush! That guy still has accomplices!"
- “They only have three people, go and grab that bastard first.”
“That dwarf is blocking the way.”
……
“The situation seems to be different from what we expected,” whispered Cesar to the elf ranger next to him.”
"Don't put away your weapons yet, stay on guard..." Gilchis said.
At this moment, a man from the back of the cavalry walked over. An old scar, thick as a finger, ran diagonally from his forehead down to his nose bridge, completely ruining his once handsome face and adding a touch of ferocity and hostility. He approached, locking his eyes like knives onto Sis and the others, as if facing an irreconcilable enemy.
He rushed towards Xisai and raised his hammer of retribution to smash down on him, thinking that this would be enough to force Xisai to abandon his attack and use both hands to defend with his shield. Sure enough, Xisai raised the iris shield in his hand, which surprised him somewhat. Faced with the roaring double-handed hammer, Xisai actually held up the shield with one hand and thrust a long sword straight into his own chest.
A man with a ferocious face ignored the long sword wielded by Sisisi, and continued to smash down with the punitive hammer in his hand. His hands with the hammer were obviously faster than the long sword, and he was confident that he could knock the knight in front of him off his horse. In the instant when the hammer fell, a phantom of a thunderous bear wrapped in lightning appeared behind him, even the punitive hammer was entwined with strands of lightning.
A dull thud could be heard.
In the man's eyes appeared a silver shield, and his hands wrapped in lightning hammered down on the virtual image of the shield. Countless electric snakes shot out, scattering the silver shield's illusion. It finally revealed a perfectly intact iris shield. The force of the punishment hammer had already been resolved by more than half, so when it fell on the iris shield, it seemed so weak and powerless. The scar-faced man felt a little chill in his heart. He didn't expect this young man to be an intermediate knight.
"Adventurer, speak up the names of you and your companions!" the scar-faced man said in a gritted teeth tone. "You are going against the Faste Trading Company."
"I am Sice Eis, a knight of the Florisca Kingdom," Sice rode closer on his horse and displayed his badge to the horsemen. "Within the borders of the kingdom, I saw a group of horsemen chasing a carriage driver. Shouldn't I come and inquire?"
"Boss, it seems like we have indeed entered the territory of Flaresk!"
"Good! Destiny has brought us together. I can see that you are also heading to Noksidah," the scar-faced man said menacingly, "I will make sure to treat you all to a good drink when we get there." After uttering these words, the scar-faced man turned around and planned to lead his men away.
Later, Cisse and others found the carriage driver who had been fleeing all the way. This weak, middle-aged man named Nupo explained the whole story:
Nupo had a lumber mill outside the city of Nocisida, where his wife had fallen ill with a strange disease and needed a large sum of money urgently. So, he planned to secretly take the wood and sell it in the surrounding areas of Nocisida. Little did he know that he would encounter the patrolling team of Foster Chamber of Commerce just after selling some wood in a small village.
"Why do we have to secretly buy timber? What is the deal with the Vigilant Watch of the Fost Trade Association?" asked Cisse, puzzled.
"I know about this," the old dwarf said loudly. "The Fost Trade Association is one of the four major trade associations in the Free City of Noksidar, and they almost monopolize all the timber trading in the city. The Vigilant Watch is the association's private armed force, used to deal with small merchants and foreign traders who try to encroach on their monopolized industry."
"Does the Municipal Hall of the Free City-State just turn a blind eye?"
"If you want to sell timber in the city, you must have a license, but these licenses are mainly controlled by the so-called 'Timber Transport Association'. The Faust Chamber of Commerce is the primary consul of this association. If they don't approve, you won't be able to obtain a license," Nuobo helplessly explained. "So I can only transport the timber to nearby villages for sale. But I didn't expect their patrol team to be already prepared, waiting for me to get caught."
"So what are you planning to do now?" Xixi asked the man.
"Sigh, I don't think the Faste Commercial Association will let me off easily, considering I openly violated their 'rules'," Nuobo said dejectedly. "I don't think I can save my wood processing plant."
"Actually, it's not a big deal. I'm more worried about my wife's condition..."
"Well then, we'll accompany you to go back and see your wife, maybe we can come up with a solution." After obtaining the consent of the half-elf and the dwarf, Cisse said to the man.
……
Although it was close to dusk, a long line formed in front of the gates of Nocksidal, where fully armed spearmen meticulously checked the passing crowds one by one. The east-west flowing Nar River divides Nocksidal into two parts, north and south.
The north bank of the river is the most prosperous place in Nocksida, with spacious and bright city hall, magnificent residential areas, where senators, nobles, and wealthy merchants live. The commercial district of the Free City-State is also located on the north bank, where goods and specialties from all over the world can be found.
The south bank of the city, relatively speaking, is much dirtier and messier. The riverside area is mainly inhabited by the indigenous people, who have been living here before the discovery of iron ore in the hills east of Nokisida. The indigenous people mainly engage in agriculture, local small commodity sales, guards, tax collectors, nobles' housekeepers, church buyers, and so on, belonging to a relatively high-status group. The Nupo family belongs to the indigenous people, and their house is located near the riverside, which is better than average but still satisfactory.
Further south is the place where miners and laborers gather, actually there are hundreds of buildings squeezed together! In these chaotic buildings, which are built together, live 70% of the population of Nokexida. Men either go to the mines to dig or go to the warehouse dock to load and unload goods, while the families do some chores such as laundry, baking bread, and growing vegetables.
In Nokcida, there is a significant wealth gap between the poor and the rich. The nobles and wealthy merchants make up just 1% of the city's population, yet they possess 99% of the city's wealth. The commoners struggle to make ends meet, fostering resentment, envy, admiration, and hatred towards the nobles and wealthy merchants, all while secretly aspiring to be like them.
(End of this chapter)