Lord: Starting from the Pit-Dwelling Courtyard

Chapter 31: The Messenger

When Bard brought the De Gea envoy to Ashwood, he was shocked when he saw the city walls.

When he first came here, it seemed to be just an earthen city wall!

In such a short time, it became a stone city wall.

Novia, the second son of the lord and envoy of De Gea, asked with a face full of curiosity, "When was a major town built here?"

"Two weeks ago!" Bard said with a grim expression, "When I first came here, this was just an earthen wall, and it wasn't even half finished. How long has it been?"

Novia's expression turned strange after hearing this, and then she burst into laughter.

"Isn't this perfect? ​​The stronger the human lords of the Blackthorn Wasteland, the larger our living space will be. Let's go in and take a look."

Instead of approaching rashly, they first sent a cavalryman to announce their arrival.

Soon, someone on the barbican shouted that they could enter the city through this gate.

The city gate was located on the side, a structure they had never seen before. However, when Bard and Novia entered the barbican, their expressions changed.

A semi-circular wall completely encloses the city gate from the outside. The wall is six meters high and made of bluish-gray bricks and stones, which gleam coldly in the sunlight.

The inner and outer gates are not on the same straight line. They just entered through the outer gate, which is located on the side of the curved city wall, while the inner gate is at the other end of the curve, requiring a nearly 90-degree turn to see it.

The open space between the two gates was a semi-circular courtyard about twenty meters in diameter, with the ground covered with rammed yellow earth, and militiamen holding bone bows standing on the top of the surrounding walls.

Novia stood in the very center of the courtyard and slowly turned around.

His gaze swept from the outer wall to the inner wall, from the crenellations to the rammed earth ground beneath his feet, and finally landed on the sky above, which was cut into a semi-circle by the curved city wall.

"This isn't a city gate," Novia said, her face grim. "It's a trap."

Bard didn't speak. He had been mentally estimating the height and thickness of the city wall when he entered through the outer gate, but now, standing between the two gates, those figures were all irrelevant.

He quickly went through the mental calculations: if they were to breach the city, the vanguard would be trapped in this semi-circular courtyard after the battering ram broke through the outer gate.

The defenders on the city wall, positioned high above, simultaneously fired arrows, poured oil, and hurled stones from three directions.

Those trapped inside had nowhere to hide. The inner gate was still dozens of steps away, blocked by the curved wall, making it impossible for the battering ram to make the turn.

"The people who rush in will crowd here," Bud's voice was dry. "They'll be on the walls, we'll be underneath. There are no blind spots in the semi-circular walls."

Novia nodded.

Although he was the second son of a lord, he had been to the battlefield.

Ordinary city gates are straight lines; once breached, they allow for unimpeded advance.

The city gate in front of us is a pocket. With the outer gate breached, invaders will not be able to drive straight in, but will instead pour into a bowl-shaped area surrounded by enemies on all sides.

"The outer gate is on the side." Novia looked up at the militia's bone bows on the crenellations. "The battering ram has to bend to hit the inner gate. When it bends, the hammer head can't turn around, so it can only be hit from above."

His tone was less like analysis and more like stating a battle example that had already occurred.

Bard knew that his young master was using his own troops to mentally bombard the city.

After the crash, Novia remained silent for a long time.

"If De Gea is to take this city," Novia finally spoke, "how many men will she need?"

Bud thought for a moment.

"It's hard to say, given the current strength of Ashwood Territory. But I'm certain that we'll need to fill this fortified city before we can breach it."

Novia did not respond.

He certainly wouldn't say that to Ron; he needed to keep it to himself and tell his father when he returned to Degea territory.

On the Blackthorn Wasteland, a new city defense system is taking shape, and they happen to be the first to see it with their own eyes.

As Novia passed through the inner gate and entered the city, her gaze was immediately drawn to the distant construction site of the city walls.

Unlike the complete blue brick barbican we just saw, a large section of the main city wall is still made of rammed earth and adobe, without blue brick facing. The parapet on top has not yet been built, and a few simple wooden ladders are leaning against the wall, with workers carrying soil up.

The wooden fortifications next to it were not even completely dismantled yet; sections of wooden stakes and sections of earthen walls were interspersed, making it seem as if the entire city defense project was still under construction.

Ron specifically designated a section for his people to work on, so that they wouldn't be clueless about how to repair the city wall in the event of an accident.

After all, there won't be just one city in the future, and Ron can't stay in one place all the time. He needs to train the people's construction capabilities.

Novia watched for a moment, then quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, not the entire city was turned into stone walls.

There was only one arched city gate. The adobe walls were far less defensive than the brick walls. When a catapult hit them, the rammed earth would crack, unlike the brick walls which could withstand the impact.

Bard had clearly noticed this detail as well. He leaned closer to Novia and whispered, "They're not finished yet. The earthen wall is still mostly complete. If they're going to start, now's the best time. If they wait another month or two, the entire wall will be covered in bricks, and then there won't be another chance."

Novia was silent for a few moments, then shook her head. "We're here today to talk business."

He didn't make a definitive statement.

Bard understood. Not taking action today doesn't mean we won't take action later, but let's see clearly first.

Novia shifted her gaze from the city wall construction site to a figure inside the city gate.

That's a goblin.

No, it wasn't an ordinary goblin. It wore a piece of old, tailored leather armor, a short sword at its waist, and stood in the same posture as a human soldier.

It is talking to two militiamen in a human language.

Novia paused for a moment.

"What is that?" He looked at Bard.

Bud's expression also stiffened: "It wasn't here last time."

The goblin seemed to notice their gaze and turned its head.

Its gaze lingered on Novia for a second, then it turned away expressionlessly and continued talking to the militia.

Novia took a deep breath.

He had seen goblins before, but he had never seen goblins standing guard on the inside of the city gate, armed and standing shoulder to shoulder with humans.

"Lord Ashwood..." Novia whispered, "What on earth is he raising?"

The two walked through the area of ​​the city wall under construction, where Fanta was already waiting for them.

Captain Fanta was dressed in full formal attire today, with an ironwood shield hanging on his back and a Northern standard cross sword at his waist, surrounded by two rows of fully armed guard knights.

He glanced at Novia, nodded slightly, and then stepped aside to make way for the pit courtyard.

When Novia entered the pit courtyard, the first thing she saw was the rocking chair in the center of the courtyard.

The person in the rocking chair had their eyes closed, hands folded over their abdomen, and breathing evenly, as if taking a nap.

But Novia noticed two details:

First, the armrests of the rocking chair are worn shiny, indicating that this person often sits in this position.

Secondly, the rocking chair faces the entrance to the pit courtyard, so it's the first thing anyone who comes in will see.

This isn't a nap; it's waiting for someone.

When Ron opened his eyes, Novia had already finished watching him.

It wasn't that he offered to bow; rather, he instinctively lowered his head the moment the other person opened their eyes.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Ron casually stood up: "Welcome to Ashwood Territory."

Novia smiled and gave Ron a noble bow, which Ron reluctantly returned.

I originally thought that the aristocratic customs would be abandoned after arriving in the Blackthorn Wasteland, but I didn't expect there to be a group of people who are still very particular about their wealth.

Mrs. Moriel immediately had two chairs brought out.

Inside the pit courtyard, it was indeed much cooler than outside.

"This is Novia de Gea, the second son of Lord Ramon of De Gea. It's a pleasure to meet you. This is a gift I brought for Lord Ashwood."

Novia introduced herself with a smile, and at the same time presented the gift she had prepared in advance.

The gift was a finely crafted steel cross sword, a quality superior to Fanta's standard cross swords.

Ron glanced at it, waved it a few times casually, and then took it.

Novia sat down, took the water Mrs. Moriel offered, and took a sip.

The water is clear and has no odor.

"Lord Ashwood," Novia set down her cup, carefully choosing her words, "we've come primarily to discuss the brick trade. Also…"

He paused.

"We've heard about what happened in Wenger's territory. Those goblins..."

"I've taken care of those goblins," Ron interrupted him, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "The people of Wenger Territory are now farming in my territory. What, is De Gea Territory also interested in Wenger Territory?"

Novia's smile remained unchanged: "Just concerned about the neighbors."

"Concerned?" Ron looked into his eyes, a slow smile playing on his lips. "Or do you want to discuss Wenger territory?"

The air in the pit courtyard suddenly became quiet.