Chapter 247: Into the pit

Leaving the town, Zhou Qingfeng officially entered the Northland interior. His itinerary slowed down, focusing on observing the topography, roads, and village development details. These situations have never been noticed. For example, no one can say the specific population of Qingbei.
No matter whether it is Adrian or Marbury, they don't know how many villages and towns are around Coldwind City, they don't know what economic forms exist around the road from Coldwind City to Banshee Fortress, and even how many Cavaliers are confused .
A knight's collar is the basic composition of a foreign power. A sealed knight can own one or more villages and towns, which is the lowest level of aristocracy. Only by knowing the condition of the knight leader can we know how much manpower and material resources an independent lord can mobilize to fight.
A regular knight must be out of production, focusing on honing combat skills and serving his superior lord. He is not necessarily a cavalry, but can also be a warrior on foot, but he must have a strong combat power. Analogy to the older family members around Inissa.
Regular knights will have several attendants, plus a dozen serfs. This is worse than the heads of human settlements in the Black Forest, but much better than ordinary adventurers.
However, the equipment is very expensive, especially the armor, so the combat effectiveness between different knights varies greatly. The rich are naturally stronger.
Zhou Qingfeng surveyed one village and one town, and by simply asking, he could basically determine the strength of a knight leader. He soon discovered that the cruel status quo in the Northland was overpopulated, its growth stagnated, its stock decreased, and it was severely invaded.
The dark life lasted fifty years, and the Northland economy had already completely collapsed. It is becoming more and more difficult to obtain survival resources, but the cost of obtaining them has increased significantly. The people at the bottom are increasingly unable to live
"In Mabry's eyes, the battle for royal power in the North is still a noble game. But now it seems that the situation is only different from what he expected."
What I saw along the way was either scattered mountains and lonely travelers, or weary animals and run-down villages. The decline of the North is in sight, without change, and makes people look weak. And Banshee Castle is just in front of the road.
Examining the strength of the Phils family is the top priority of Zhou Qingfeng's trip. He must know how long the city can fight in the battle for kingship. Because from the current state of investigation, the war in the North is actually a word.
Regardless of the lords or the knights of the lords, they do not seem to like the fierce decisive battles, but prefer to set off the men and horses for long confrontations.
Maneuvering, circuitous, ambush, sneak attack, these tactics with high technical and tactical requirements are completely invisible. This reminds Zhou Qingfeng of the situation he once faced in the Black Forest
The serf can't leave the knight's eyes, the knight can't leave the lord's eyes, and the 'wall grass' cannot act alone. The entire force must push all the way, or let alone war, even marching is a disaster.
War is not counting killing, but fighting who has more food and who has more gold coins can last longer. In this regard, the former King of the North, the Phils family of Banshee Fortress has an absolute advantage.
The longer the inspection, the more Zhou Qingfeng felt that although there were many other lords, it was difficult to overthrow the rule of the Phils family.
But for such a weak force as Harmony Village, a strong north is not suitable, and everyone is evenly matched. So Zhou Qingfeng was naturally hostile to the Banshee Fortress. Now he came to investigate in person, hoping to find the weakness of his opponent.
After several days of inspections, Zhou Qingfeng finally appeared outside the city of Nuborg Castle before the dry food was finished. This way gave him an intuitive understanding of marching consumption. Horses are far worse than humans on long marches.
Without the ‘shadow’ to carry the burden, nor the use of succubi to provide logistics, Zhou Qingfeng relied on his steed to carry some rations to simulate the daily needs of ordinary soldiers. Finally found
Humans are too weak to carry far, but have good endurance; horses have strong carrying capacity, but eat too much to serve, and can not go far; if there is not enough logistical support, long-term war is a joke.
No wonder Marbury once said, ‘The battle for royal power in the North is often prepared for a year or two, and for a month or two. ’In this situation, no one really can afford it for too long.
"But this world of swords and magic may have space-like babies, and this may not be so." Zhou Qingfeng thought to himself. His 'gate of true knowledge' is an incorporeal body of knowledge that cannot be placed in kind unless it is semi-permanently placed.
Compared to the villages and towns encountered on the road, the Banshee Fort with a population of more than 30,000 is significantly larger. From a distance, you can see more than five meters of fences, wide moats, tall defensive towers, and city gate suspension bridges guarded by soldiers.
The towering city brings strong psychological hints, which is a powerful force.
All people entering the city have to pay a head tax, and the merchant has to pay more depending on the value of the goods. Of course, if you have a recognized noble status, you are exempt from taxes.
Adrian had gone into the city to explore the road. Kelly hasn't shown up these days, and she has n’t contacted "Holy Light". She doesn't know where her full-time bodyguard has gone.
Seth followed Zhou Qingfeng and whispered, "Master, you must change your name to make it easier for you to communicate with others. But don't tell anyone that you are from the Black Forest. The nobles here will think you are a barbarian . "
"Count Monte Cristo, how do you feel?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.
"Earl?" Seth shook his head immediately. "Master, this is an exaggeration. There is never an earl in the North. If you are an earl, you should be sitting in a carriage set with gold and silver, followed by hundreds of heavy knights. Not me A servant. "
Taking advantage of Zhou Qingfeng's opportunity for contemplation, Seth continued: "Do n’t use the full name Victor Hugo. You know who is developing the Black Forest all over the North? Now you do n’t say you are a Fighter, change profession. "
Zhou Qingfeng is an oriental person. It is completely different from the locals of Feren. It is indeed easy to be noticed and needs to be changed in identity. He thought about it, "How about the alchemist? I understand a little bit, but not very well."
"Your physique doesn't look like an alchemist. But you are a young adventurer travelling around, hoping to find a way to learn alchemy. So there won't be too many people in doubt," Seth suggested.
"Yes." Zhou Qingfeng agreed, "What's the name, Edmund Tangtes?"
Seth listened strangely, "Master, does this name come from?"
Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly. "This is the name of Earl Monte Cristo."
Alas, this uncle is still dreaming of the count.
The master and servant paid the head tax at the gate and entered the female demon city with the flow of people. Most of the buildings in the city are made of stone and look like military fortresses. In fact, all the cities in the North were given priority for military use, followed by civilian expansion.
After entering the city, walking along the street, the size of the urban area is not large, and several hundreds of meters of streets are divided into different areas. There are quite a few shops in the city, and there are probably hundreds of them.
There are many specialty medicine shops in Northland, and there are also specialized wood and ore firms. Most people in the city make a living from it.
Zhou Qingfeng entered a few stores and wanted to make an inquiry, but the businessmen were very indifferent to this strange face, and when he was young, he was too lazy to bother. He touched a few soft nails so as not to be discouraged.
A city with a population of more than 30,000 people is more of a town in Zhou Qingfeng's eyes. I've finished reading a few "busy" streets. Barracks and other places will not allow him to wander around casually, and a rough impression naturally makes it worse.
Invisible servants are greatly restricted in the city, and many places go without information. For example, the city's main house, the church is located, and Zhou Qingfeng strolled to a tower wrapped in dense fog, and looked up to find that it was a typical wizard's tower.
Necromancer Mondino also built a tower in Harmony Village, but the ground is only three floors. The wizard's tower now has seven floors, which is considered a tall building in the city.
Zhou Qingfeng was still very interested in wizards and arcane spells, and stood and watched outside the tower for a while. Although I don't know which wizard's tower this is, there are not many people who come to visit outside the tower and their popularity is not low.
After strolling outside the tower for a while, someone hurried forward and said cheerfully: "Young man, do you want to be a wizard? As long as ten gold coins, you will have the opportunity to watch the master-level introductory course."
Where does this guy come from? Like the solicitation of a small hotel next to the railway station. Zhou Qingfeng flinched and said coldly in his mouth, "No money."
The visitor did not leave, but instead clinging to Zhou Qingfeng's clothing corner, Shen Sheng said, "Young people, rare opportunities, eight gold coins are also available. The new formal wizards are taught by the magic church."
Zhou Qingfeng gave a smirk and shook his hand again: "As long as the introductory course of eight gold coins, such a wizard is probably starving alive. I am not ignorant of the market."
Tambos once complained to Zhou Qingfeng, saying that his teacher Fabro tried everything to get money, and he had to collect money separately for each class, not less than one hundred gold coins each time. Some key courses are even subject to price increases.
The tuition is so expensive that Tambos can't afford to listen to a few lessons a year. In contrast, Mondino, which trades with "Dementor Coins", can be regarded as the conscience of the industry, because it has a bad reputation as a necromancer.
The price of learning knowledge in the other world is too expensive and too expensive, and it has never been affordable for ordinary civilians. Now when I come across an "opportunity" that I can learn from eight gold coins, it is 100% deceiving.
Zhou Qingfeng sneered, but Seth behind him reminded in a low voice, "Master, you are going to stay in Banshee Castle for a while. Now you are an alien rookie who is eager to learn alchemy."
Ah, Zhou Qingfeng paused, and looked at the solicitor again, wondering, "Is it possible that I know it is a pit and I have to jump in?"