She Is Not a Witch Chapter 167: The man named Tokolin
Central Empire, Zishan Province
This is a province about 800 kilometers away from the imperial capital Titania. Although it seems far away, it is very close compared to the vast empire, and therefore such a region is particularly valued by the empire.
Kuwen County, a remote area in Zishan Province, is covered with mountains everywhere, so it is very barren, and there are only two baron fiefs here.
The formerly quiet and sparsely populated territory is now full of boiling voices and the sound of weapons clashing.
The dark red meteorite slanted across the sky, bringing up billowing smoke trails, twirling flames, smashing into the ground, splashing and spreading hot flames.
The air is filled with hot drafts, mixed with the sparks and crackling of burning grass and trees, spreading in all directions.
"Continue! Let the flames burn the entire mountain." On a hill, a commander in military uniform swung his sword and roared.
Behind him stood a team of more than 200 mages. These red-robed mages jointly cast spells, causing burning meteorites to fall one after another, shaking and shattering the world in front of them.
At the foot of the mountain, new-style legions armed with muskets and bayonets scattered into a network, walking on the burnt-out scorched land, searching and checking for possible survivors, and making up for it from time to time.
Although this is within the empire, war is still inevitable, and the two sides are the army loyal to the emperor and the rebel army who started the rebellion.
A few years ago, due to the ineffectiveness of the local nobles in suppressing the rebel army, the rebel army in Zishan province spread to several surrounding provinces, gradually triggering a chain reaction, which finally attracted the attention of those big figures in the imperial capital.
Under the strict orders of the regent and many nobles, armies from all sides mobilized and began to suppress the rebellion led by Zishan province.
These local rebels are very familiar with the terrain and have sufficient intelligence. They rely on various tactics and conspiracies to fight against the conquering army in the mountains, causing a lot of casualties to the enemy.
Because the commanding general was unable to complete the task in a short time, the new commander was replaced by a confidant of the regent king. This is a decisive and ruthless general. Under his cold-blooded methods, Zishan Province was turned into a sea of flames. Relying on the covering strike of the mage team, the geographical advantages that the rebels had before no longer exist, and the local residents who originally relied on Also died in large numbers.
The advantages are disappearing step by step, their number is gradually decreasing, and now it is the last moment.
In the mountains in the boundless sea of flames, in a hidden huge cave, more than 1,000 people gathered here.
Their faces were covered with ashes, and their bodies were covered with wounds and dust. Some were seriously injured and had to make hoarse voices of pain.
In a corner of the cave, a dozen leaders of the rebel army gathered here, almost all of them were wounded, and their bodies and clothes were stained with blood and dust.
"Tuo Kelin, we can't hold on for long." A strong man who was blind in one eye leaned against the mountain wall of the loess, covered his wound, and said slowly. His thick wrist was like a giant. It looked tired and gray.
"The legion of the empire is determined to kill us this time."
"Hehe, this battle is even bigger than the battle against the Baska family. You really think highly of us." Several voices sounded in this small and stuffy environment.
"There were more than 30,000 people at the time of the uprising, and more than 200,000 people at the peak, and now there are only less than 1,000 people left...I am sorry for those who entrusted their lives to me." A full The scarred man murmured in a low voice. He still had a rusty machete by his hand, and the copper-colored mottled handle was badly worn.
"I can't escape, there are fires all around, and there are sharp-eyed monsters patrolling in the sky, they are hunting down everyone who walks out of the sea of fire alive."
"Let's fight with them." The rest of the people looked at the man in the middle who closed his eyes and breathed.
His name is Tokolin, and he is the core leader of this rebel army, but compared to another character similar to him on the mainland, this one is not so lucky.
The empire is not the West Wind, it has a stronger background, and those who want to shake it are doomed to be broken and suffer.
After a short silence, Tokolin slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes swept over the people present one by one. Those familiar faces are still hot now. Even in the face of desperation, he did not sigh or regret sad.
Suddenly, he smiled, for no reason, which was unexpected.
"Hahaha...hahaha..." This laughter puzzled the people present, but they looked at Tuo Kelin quietly, they believed that this man could always give satisfactory explanation.
"Yes, that's right, we are all going to die, we are all going to be burned to death by this fire, to be provoked by those soldiers with the tip of their guns, and to become their trophies for showing off."
His voice was extremely slow.
"However, I am not desperate and sad. I expected such a day to come from a very early age, and sometimes I was even surprised that I lived another day."
"Compared to those stubborn and numb people, our existence is so puzzling and not accepted by those civilians."
"Is it not good to live?"
"Of course it's good to be alive, but some things always attract me and make me want to try it. It's an obsession that if I don't do it, I will regret it for life."
"I originally thought that this was just my own wishful thinking. But fortunately, I met you, and there are so many companions."
"Those who protest and provoke the elephant will eventually be trampled by the giant elephant. Our behavior is indeed slim, and I myself have doubted the meaning of it countless times, but today, I finally have the answer to all this."
"Your expressions and beliefs let me know that this road is not alone."
"Don't worry, we are all going to die, but I also believe that more people will slowly wake up and embark on the same path as us, because it is correct and what people yearn for."
The man spoke slowly in the dim light, and the pair of eyes around him looked at him with piercing eyes, listening to the familiar voice.
Is Tokolin great? Maybe not. He is just a down-and-out aristocrat, a young man who failed to get into Emenas, and a retired soldier after joining the army.
Before that, he had never had any achievements or achievements that made people admire him, and his voice was a little hoarse, not eloquent.
If you listen to him for the first time, you can still notice that crappy accent, which is not comparable to the standard and elegant tone of the imperial capital.
Such a man, in a battered army uniform, stands in front of you, in a field, on a hunting road in the mountains, and talks to you, makes you laugh out loud and funny jokes, and then they talk from the latest weather and life.
Gradually, you know that he built a small house on the mountain by himself. Every Thursday, he would go fishing by the small river to eat. Occasionally, he would pick some shrub fruits as seasonings to increase the umami taste of the fish soup.
With ordinary ingredients in his hands, he can always come up with some new tricks, and then invite you to his house to have some fish soup, eat some fatty fish, and then drink some wine mixed with water, and talk about it in a slightly drunk Own those 'brilliant' past events.
You lament the richness and ups and downs of this man's experience, and you can't help but start talking about the stupid things you did in your early years.
As you came and went, you gradually became familiar with him, and he finally began to talk about some of his experience in the Western Expedition. You can feel that he is very yearning for that strange country.
"Why don't you go there? With your skills, it's easy to pass through the blockade of the border. The long mountains and fields will not be guarded everywhere."
"Of course, my past will not be difficult."
"However, after all, I grew up in the empire, where I still have my friends, childhood, memories, and the past."
"I don't want to lose these, and I don't want to escape cowardly."
"Oh, so, what are you going to do?"
"I want to do something big." The man leaned on the back of the chair, propped his chin with one hand, and stared at the flames with condensed eyes, as if there was a strange look in him.
"Haha, really, are you kidding me? It is said that you will be hanged, but for the sake of my friends, I will not expose you."
"Of course, you know, I don't make jokes about some key things."
Listening to the steady words and breathing, you suddenly realize that this man is serious, and he is really thinking about these things.
"Hey, old man, tell me about your plan, maybe I can give you some advice." You asked maliciously, trying to puncture this wishful thinking.
"Well, then I have to introduce you..."
Subsequently, a plan that was so detailed that it scared you and made you feel cold behind him slowly poured out from his mouth. These steps are not clever, but each step is very likely to be realized. You know, he's done a lot of research, maybe even tried it a few times himself.
Slowly, you close your mouth and listen to him quietly, until the firewood in the fireplace burns out slowly, leaving a little dark red charcoal fire and wood ash.
The room has cooled down, and it's time for you to make a decision.
Should I report and expose this man to the aristocratic lord of the fief, or should I pretend to be nonchalant, laughing and saying that today's joke is really unique.
The passage of time is tense to an uneasy level, sitting on this familiar wooden chair, you have never been so restless and hesitant as today.
You even thought that the other party suddenly changed his voice, saying that he was just joking, or you stood up suddenly and left the room quickly.
However, you did not leave, and the smell of smoke after burning firewood remained in the gradually cooling room, slowly lingering, and the cool light shone through the thick glass in the room.
Rubbed your fingers several times on your knees, and the rough and thick fabric was pulled into various folds by you.
My heart is still full of surprises, like the ocean in a storm, shaking and shaking, as if to shake the sky down.
"Can I take what I just heard as your sincere words?" You slowly raised your head and looked at this man.
"Of course." He nodded, "This is my truth."
"Heh." You turned your head away, grabbed the beer glass on the table, and poured the light yellow ale down your throat.
Amidst the rumbling sound, a cool and irritating liquid enters the chest and abdomen, shocking your spirit.
"It's really interesting that this kind of thing happened to me."
"You are really brave, dare to tell me this."
......
You mutter vulgar words, complaining that this man shouldn't say these things that make people worry.
"But since you're here, you have to let me see the real guy. But don't say it, it's the first time you've said these things to outsiders. If you let me know that you're the first to hear it, then I You can turn your head and leave."
"Of course it's not the first time, I will only open my heart to trustworthy people." After speaking, he stood up, picked up his coat and put it on his body.
"Follow me."
In that exciting and heart-pounding voice, you put on your coat indiscriminately, kicked up the wood ash, drowned the remaining sparks in the fireplace, and then followed the man out of the room into the vast snow.
The road in the forest is bumpy and rugged. You **** for the cold rocks and branches and follow behind him, slowly walking into the depths of the forest. A place you've never been before.
Standing sideways and walking slowly between the narrow stone walls, a lot of snowflakes fell and fell on the neck, which was extremely cold.
When you felt that your strength was getting weaker, he finally opened a wooden door in the dry bushes and led you into a cave passage.
groping the frozen soil, walking in the dark cave, you can hear yourself panting, and the white air coming out of your mouth.
Walking through a tunnel of more than 100 meters, after opening a door at the corner, a white light finally ushered in.
In the hidden canyon where the snowflakes fluttered, it was bustling, people walking around everywhere, and even the sound of hammers beating could be heard.
The crimson soldering iron plunged into the icy liquid, bringing up a large cloud of white mist, and drowning the snow in the sky. The sharp sword blades were gradually released, and gradually formed under the continuous impact of the hammer.
You don't know most of the people here, but there are a few that you are very familiar with.
That's right, they are like the frustrated man in the village, the coward who was bullied by the nobles and took his wife after returning home, the lonely old man who no one cares about, the child who begged for food on the street.
These crippled and useless scum in the empire are now tempered here again. Their expressions are so serious, as if life has found its direction again.
There is no need to be urged by others, and there is no need to use money to seduce them. These people seem to know naturally what they should do, and then use their own hands to fight for what.
Pull away all kinds of lies and concepts imposed by the world~IndoMTL.com~Everything returns to the most essential origin.
The reason why I work tirelessly is not because of some unavoidable reasons, but because I like it.
I like the satisfaction of creating something, happy to exchange it with others for something I approve of.
It's not because they tell me how and how I must become a master in order to be envied by others.
I only work for my own ideals, I love what I am doing, and I don't need to pay attention to all kinds of pointers from the outside world, just because I am different from them.
The spark of life blooms here, in my hands.
Standing in this snow-capped valley, you are speechless for a long time, as if you have seen another world, another life trajectory.
It turns out that there are really people living their ideal lives——
Bravely walk on the road of chasing dreams.