Blasphemy Chapter 11: Temptation

A report by the little police chief had an unexpected effect, driven intentionally or unintentionally by some people.

Although the reporter of this report is a low-key person, the incident reported is of great significance. A large mercenary group in a neighboring country tolerates wanted criminals in the country. No matter what the conspiracy is, it must be very complicated.

"Well, this conspiracy must not be simple!" After reading the report overnight, the obese director of the regional security bureau slammed the table and came to a conclusion loudly.

The secretary next to him handed over another document and said in a low voice: "Sir, since this conspiracy is not trivial, the report must be carefully scrutinized. This great credit must be done no matter what. The Director of the Provincial Police Department and the Director of the Legal Affairs Department are at the forefront. Although you have only received a small amount of merit, you will definitely benefit from your career in the future. This is a new report prepared by the villain. Please read it. By the way, Your Excellency. , this matter is extraordinary, the villain wants to leave for that town tomorrow to inquire carefully to see if this matter is true or not."

The chief of police took the report and became more and more excited as he read it. He couldn't help but slap the table hard, "Well! His writing is so good! Hahahaha! You will do it tomorrow, no, now Let’s go to that town and see if there is such a thing!?”

Three days later, this report arrived on the desks of the Provincial Police Director and the Justice Department. The content of the report has also changed. It tells that the Baizhan mercenaries planned to provoke a rebellion in the alliance, and found Qiwei, a wanted criminal from the alliance, to act as an internal agent. They used the cover of a business trip to secretly enter the country. Fortunately, the Chief of the Police Department and the Chief of the Justice Department were far-sighted, discerned the plot early, and laid a dragnet in advance. The regional security chief took the lead and fought bravely against the enemy, killing more than ten mercenaries and wounding the enemy mercenary captain. However, due to the huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, the masterminds Doyle and Qiwei escaped and are now being pursued with all their strength. The town police chief assisted and also had credit. The report was detailed and well-founded. The two adults did not bother to revise it. They just added a zero after the number of mercenaries killed and submitted it.

Fifteen days later, after repeated review by the Police Ministry and the Ministry of Justice, the report finally arrived on the desks of the two ministers.

Twenty days later, the report was placed on Archduke Russell's desk. Grand Duke Russell frowned and pondered, undecided for a long time.

Of course Rogge didn't know this and had no way of knowing. He was immersed in the joy of returning to his hometown. To him, it doesn't matter if the water becomes muddy earlier or later.

Thinking about returning home in splendor, he naturally couldn’t go back empty-handed. Rogge bought a lot of New Year items such as wind chicken, wax duck, and roasted suckling pig in the town closest to his home, and also bought a large bucket of local products. He bought pine nut brandy, hired a large cart, and ordered four knights to **** the cart home first. Rogge suffered from professional addiction, and wandered around weapons stores, magic equipment stores, art stores, etc., but found nothing. Then he slowly headed home.

Not far from the town, there is a southbound path branching off from the main road. Follow this path for ten miles and you will arrive at the territory of the Rivers family. There are lush sycamore trees on both sides of the path, but it looks a bit bleak in this winter. This land is all barren red soil, and except for some fruit trees, the yield of other crops is not very high.

Noon in winter is a good time for residents in the territory to enter big towns for shopping, but now there is no one on the road. Rogge frowned, urged the horse under his seat, and hurried forward.

After walking a few miles, I saw a noisy group of people in front of me. Among them were a few knights surrounded by gorgeous armor. Aren't these the knights of the 'Dragon and the Beauty' under my command? Could it be that there was a riot in his own territory? When he thought of the word 'riot', Rogge immediately raised his battle ax and urged his horse to charge forward. When the knights following behind saw it, they all put down their helmets, pointed their axes and spears forward, and charged forward with their horses.

The four surrounded "Dragon and Beauty" knights guarded the truck in the center, pointing their ax guns straight into the sky, and pointed their crossbows in their left hands at the surrounding crowd. There were about twenty people dressed as soldiers, four or five guys who looked like knights, and a person who looked like a clerk. The reason why I say 'like knights' is because even from ordinary people's perspective, the equipment of these guys is too shabby. Although the breastplate still looks shiny, but there are two thin pieces of iron plate nailed to the front and back of the leather armor, do you think it is a knight's breastplate? Those who were stronger could pierce it with a wooden stick.

The sound of hoofbeats sounded like thunder, and in the flying dust, Rogge and others came to kill. The momentum of a regular knight's charge is naturally different from that of these rabble. The Rogues were still far away, and the soldiers here were already panicking. When they saw that they were dressed in the same costume as the knights being surrounded, they were so frightened that they retreated like a tide, and formed an inexplicable formation in an open place. Mode.

Rogge chuckled, rode around a few times, and shouted: "I am Rogge, the only son of the Rivers family! You despicable people, what have you done to Baron Rivers! Why don't you dismount and surrender? I have to skin you all!"

When the clerk heard this, he hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Lord Rogge, it's a misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding! This villain is the tax collector of the Rivers family, and these people are the guard knights and knights of the Rivers family. Samurai! Mr. Rogge has not returned to his hometown for many years. They don’t know your subordinates, so there is a little misunderstanding!”

"Do you think I'm a fool?!" Rogge was furious: "How tall is my old man? How many people are there in this small place and how much tax revenue do I know?! Can I support so many knights and warriors? Fuck you, this kind of level is worthy of being called a knight and a samurai! A gangster becomes a knight just after he mounts a horse? How long did it take the gangster geniuses behind me to train to become knights?"

At this time, a previously besieged 'Dragon and Beauty' knight came up and whispered: "Sir, they seem to be really collecting taxes! They said our truck did not pay the 65% entry tax. That's right. All smuggling must be confiscated. The little ones stopped us from pulling the cart, so they called these people to take us down. The little ones thought this was the territory of the adults’ fathers, so they didn’t dare to attack too harshly, let alone kill anyone. , just keep the goods."

Roger heard, "Don't strike too harshly." He looked across the way and saw several people with bruises and bruises on their faces. However, they didn't break a few bones, so he shouldn't strike too harshly. As for the extent of the internal injuries, it's not clear yet.

Rogge asked solemnly: "Okay, who set the 65% entry tax? How long has it been in place?"

The little official said: "Master Rogge, this tax has been implemented for more than a year. I don't know who set the tax." At this time, the guards of the Rivers family made a noise. Said: "Knight George is here! Knight George is here! This time I want you to experience the experience of Knight George!"

The sound of hoofbeats sounded in the distance, and a knight in silver armor and a white horse galloped towards him, shouting from a distance: "Who dares to cause trouble in the Rivers family territory!"

Roger was so angry that his face turned purple. He was the only son of the Rivers family, but he was repeatedly shouted at in his own territory and asked, "What's going on in this world?" Rogge has not been outstanding in appearance, figure, or magic since he was a child. When he was in the magic academy, he repeatedly failed in trying to pick up girls, so what he hated the most was the dashing knight. After all, magicians with outstanding abilities are already quite old and pose little direct threat to Rogge. At this moment, George looked good and arrogant, violating Rogge's taboo.

George rushed to 30 meters without slowing down, and pointed his lance forward, which was a standard knight fighting posture. Rogge secretly cursed idiots, including the old Baron Rivers. Why did he find such a bunch of losers to protect the territory? They just failed to succeed and failed. Naturally, Rogge was not ready to let George go just yet. After appraising George's level, he sent a severe mental shock.

George was originally sprinting with great grace, but he was expected to slow down at ten meters. Finally, he ended up with a war horse standing on the same spot for a week, allowing his subordinates to see the skills of a real knight. While he was intoxicated, he suddenly felt a heavy hammer hit his helmet hard. Stars shone in front of his eyes. He flew up from the horse and fell heavily to the ground with a plop. Two nosebleeds spurted out from the fence of the helmet. The lance spun twice in the air and plunged straight into his chest. Everyone exclaimed!

Seeing that Knight George was about to die inexplicably on the spot, the lance suddenly deflected and stuck into the ground close to his body.

Roger swung his battle ax and said to his subordinates fiercely: "Disarm these **** for me. Damn it. If anyone dares to resist, just think I'm not here! I Can’t you control these house slaves anymore?”

The guards of the Rivers family suddenly fell off their horses and were seriously injured when they saw their hope. Rogge claimed to be the only son of the Rivers family. In addition, although these people are used to being domineering, they are also bullies and afraid of the strong. , met the 'dragon and beauty' knight who was like a wolf and a tiger, and no longer dared to resist.

Roger suddenly remembered something and saw George struggling to get up from the ground. He gently activated his mental power and opened the visor of his helmet. Rogge laughed and said: "It turns out to be cousin George! Aren't you a trainee knight in the Royal Capital Knights? Why did you suddenly deign to come to this small place to become a guard knight?"

After ordering a knight to help George, who was still unconscious, onto the horse, Rogge picked a fierce-looking guard 'knight' to follow him and galloped home first. Along the way, Rogge asked casually: "How are you doing these past year or so?"

The 'knight' replied: "Thanks to Master Tollives and Master George, they have always taken good care of their subordinates."

"How's my Uncle Brown doing? Are you used to staying here?"

The 'knight' replied smoothly: "Lord Brown likes it here very much...ah!"

Roger turned to look at him and said with a smile: "Fuck you, you have something to hide from me, right? It seems you know who I am."

When the 'knight' heard this, his expression turned from respectful to arrogant, and he snorted and said: "Master Rogge, we have been following Master Brown! Although Mr. George accidentally fell from his horse this time, you must have also I know that his brother, Mr. Blanc, is even more skilled in martial arts! I advise you to ask your subordinates to be more careful!"

Roger was extremely angry, and the smile on his face became more and more cheerful.

Robosky behind him heard the conversation between the two, and made up his mind that if there was a conflict, he would be the first one to rush forward. Hehe, where is this opportunity to beat the country dog ​​and show his loyalty? Anyhow? Although Robosky is timid, the quality of these guards is actually inferior to those of the bandits he used to have. Thinking of this, Roboski couldn't help but regret. If he had known this, he would have lived a good life as a guardian for some big nobles.

"This is the big brother!" Rogge immediately changed his title, and the 'knight' snorted and actually took advantage of it. "I'm a little fatter. This ax is a bit heavy. Please help me carry it, big brother." He said. , handed the 'Bound Soul' flatly in front of the 'knight'.

The 'knight' carelessly stretched out one hand to catch the bound soul, and said: "Master Rogge, knights must undergo long-term and rigorous training to be competent! For example, I... Ouch!"

Roger has let go of his hand!

The 'Bound Soul' weighing more than 300 kilograms suddenly fell. The pressure was so heavy that it immediately dislocated the left elbow of the 'Knight'. The 'Bound Soul' fell without slowing down at all, and then hit the horse's back hard. What kind of good horses can there be in such a small place? The horse let out a mournful cry, its legs went weak, and it fell to the ground, pinning the 'knight' beneath it. 'Soul Binding' still didn't give up, and then landed on one of the 'Knight's' thighs. There was a crisp 'click' sound, and the 'Knight's' thigh bone had been crushed. The 'knight' just had time to scream, rolled his eyes, and fainted.

Robosky's face was extremely pale. He hurriedly jumped off the horse, trotted a few steps, and rushed to pick up the 'Bound Soul'. He was not known for his strength. Although the weight of more than three hundred kilograms was not unbearable for a seventh-level warrior, carrying the Soul Binding made him blush and thicken his neck. He tried his best to lift the Soul Binding above his head. Rogge lifted it and hung it behind the horse. Only then did Roboski let out a deep breath. This battle ax is quite delicate and delicate. Why is it so heavy on magic? Thinking about Rogge's usual way of swaying around, as if he had no weight at all, the more Roboski thought about it, the more chilled he became.

At this moment, Rogge glanced over with a profound look. Roboski immediately felt that this glance seemed to have penetrated into his own soul. His teeth chattered and he sat down on the ground.

Roger smiled, turned around and drove his horse forward. Roboski hurriedly mounted his horse and followed. The two ignored the unconscious knight on the ground and walked away.

Further forward, we reach the only small town within the territory of the Rivers family. The Rivers family is located on a hill outside the town. The Rivers family home is a white two-story Georgian-style building that has a history of more than 300 years. The white lattice windows, the quaint and spacious foyer, and the neatly manicured lawn in front of the building have always been Roger's favorites as a child.

The two of them walked slowly into the town on horseback.

The vibrant town in Rogge's memory has long since disappeared.

The whole town is dark, dirty, and dilapidated. The townspeople, dressed in blue, stared at Rogge and Robosky expressionlessly. Rogge's hands were tightly grasping the reins, his knuckles turning white from too much force. The fine leather reins groaned and twisted under his hands, and cracks spread quietly. Rogge didn't realize it, he just wanted to find some familiar places in his memory.

Roger silently stopped in front of a two-story red brick building. The small building already looked dilapidated. The oak door was tightly closed, and the red paint on it had been peeled off. There was a copper metal bracket nailed next to the door, which had been rusted with green stains in the wind and rain. The cold wind blew by, and the few copper rings still hanging on them made a jingling sound, but the signboard that was supposed to be hung on the copper rings had disappeared. Rogge turned over and dismounted, gently touched the oak door, and whispered to Robosky: "This turned out to be the only tavern in the town. I fell in love with it when I was five years old, and I didn't leave home until I was fifteen. , This has always been the place I most want to come to." Being as smart as Robosky, he naturally knew that it was not appropriate to talk at this time, so he just let out a long sigh.

Roger raised his hand and was about to knock on the door when a commotion suddenly came from the other side of the town, mixed with a few girls' screams. Rogge got on his horse and galloped in that direction, with Robosky following closely.

Next to the small central square, there is a two-story building that is quite old. Several guard knights were lifting a young girl with her hands bound onto a horse. The leader shouted to an old man: "I've given you three days! You can't collect taxes yet, you are so old and confused!" If Mr. Blanc hadn't fallen in love with your granddaughter, he would have hanged you in the square long ago! Mr. Blanc, stop talking, when the town pays the taxes, when will you come to take your granddaughter home!"

The usual smile on Rogge's face disappeared. He stopped his horse fifteen meters away and waved to Roboski. Robosky had been waiting for this opportunity to pledge his allegiance. He immediately drew his sword and rushed forward on his horse, shouting: "Stop it! If you want to arrest someone, you must first ask our Lord Rogge!" The guarding 'knights' He was stunned for a moment and saw that Robosky was wearing ordinary clothes (he hadn't had time to change into the "Dragon and Beauty" knight standard equipment), but Rogge beside him had bright armor and a handsome mount. He looked like a big shot, so he became a little more careful. If they don't come up, start fighting.

Robosky shouted to stop, but the sword was not idle. He struck two swords in a flash, and the two guard knights were hit by swords in their wrists, and the weapons fell to the ground. Robosky took advantage of the situation and wiped the throat of the knight who had grabbed the girl with his sword. The man was so frightened that he peeed and fell off his horse. Roboski tapped the horse's **** lightly with his sword, and the horse carried the girl and trotted all the way to Rogge. The girl is seventeen or eighteen years old. Her blond hair is hanging down like a golden waterfall on her shoulders. The shabby clothes on her body cannot hide her youthful atmosphere. The girl's skin was crystal clear, her pretty little nose was constantly twitching, and her pair of blue eyes were full of tears, like a helpless lamb in the wind and rain.

Rogg looked at the girl carefully and suddenly shouted: "You are Lilith!" The girl tried hard to identify her for a long time through her hazy tearful eyes, but she still didn't recognize her. Rogge casually tore off the hemp rope that bound the girl and said with a smile, "I am brother Rogge. Have you forgotten?"

"Ah!" the girl shouted, obviously remembering it, and looked at Rogge in confusion: "Why do you dress like this and look like a good person?" With Rogge's thick skin, he couldn't help but blush. One red. Lilith was only ten years old when Rogge left home. Ever since she was a child, Rogge had often done things like pull her pigtails and lift her skirt.

At this time, Robosky was attacking the leading knight, and the other guard knights had fallen to the ground, unable to groan. Rogge had a sharp eye and had already seen that none of these people were seriously injured and were just pretending to be dead. Speaking of pretending to be dead, this is also a common tactic used by the Knights of the Dragon and Beauty. However, the knights of 'Dragon and Beauty' pretended to be dead in order to attack from behind. These 'knights' pretended to be dead just to avoid trouble. Although they are all pretending to be dead, their realms must not be confused with each other. The leading knight still had a few moments, but he actually managed to hold on for a while, even after fighting seven or eight swords, he still didn't fall.

Roger became impatient and raised his hand to draw a magic symbol in the air. The symbol then flashed, and a bolt of lightning suddenly shot out and struck the 'knight'. This is just an ordinary low-level lightning magic, but Rogge, who has more and more understanding of the use of mental power, uses it, but the accuracy is completely different, hitting the knight's head right on the head. The knight originally wore a leather helmet, but for the sake of prestige, he nailed a few shining rivets himself. At this moment, a line of black smoke slowly emerged from under the helmet. The knight sat upright on the horse and fainted.

Roger thought of the old man who fell to the ground, dismounted and helped him up, and saw that it was indeed the old mayor he knew well. The old man also recognized Rogge, and was trembling and speechless for a moment. We haven't seen him for five years, but the old man seems to have aged more than ten years. Rogge and Lilith helped the old man into the house and fed him some water. Only then did the old man calm down and slowly told the whole story.

It turns out that a year and a half ago, Rivers Sr.'s brother Brown suddenly came here with his two sons, Blanc and George. Brown was also knighted and barely crossed the threshold of the nobility. For some reason, Old Rivers obeyed the words of his brother Brown, and a year ago he handed over all the power of territorial management to the Browns and his sons. After that, the Browns and their sons brought over thirty more followers on the grounds of protecting safety. In order to support these 'knights' and 'warriors', the Rivers family's expenses increased sharply. Later, Brown first announced an increase in the income tax rate in the territory, and then levied a "safety tax." Later, various types of taxes emerged in an endless stream. In the end, every household paid almost nine out of ten taxes, which still could not satisfy the greed of the Browns and his sons. The townspeople once petitioned Old Rivers, but Old Rivers ignored them and left everything to Brown. The result was that the first few townspeople were flogged and then hung in the square for public display. If not for their lives, Brown would have kept them hanging.

Speaking of sadness, Lilith kept sobbing on the side, and blue veins appeared faintly on Rogge's face. Seeing that the old man was getting weak, Rogge told Lilith to just take care of his grandfather and not worry about other things. Seeing that the old man's house was bare, he ordered Robosky to keep all the bacon and bread he had brought for dry food before walking out of the house.

Roboski followed Rogge, and when he saw his brows furrowed, he couldn't help but said: "Sir, in fact, you are not alone in the situation in this territory. This is almost the case in the entire southeastern area of ​​the alliance now. The subjects only need to be hungry for a few more days and a few days less. Otherwise, the villain would not be able to gather two hundred brothers in a short period of time."

"Oh?" Rogge's eyebrows twitched and said, "Tell me, why is this happening?"

"Sir, according to the laws of the alliance, it is easy to inherit noble titles. After the death of a duke, in addition to the hereditary title of duke, there are often several more hereditary earls. By analogy, the nobles who need territory also need More and more. The alliance has been stable for decades, and there has never been a major turmoil in the south. There are only a lot more nobles. ~IndoMTL.com~ It is a common practice for nobles to compare themselves with each other, and their living standards will never be lowered. The extra If these expenses are not levied from the subjects, who should they ask for them from? However, with the increase of nobles, the number of land subjects has not increased, so it is not accidental that the lives of these subjects have become increasingly difficult. My lord, your territory has never starved to death. People are no longer the worst."

Rogge was silent for a long time before saying: "Prosperity of the territory is the source of wealth. If these territorial citizens don't have overnight food surplus, what's the use of setting the tax rate higher? For example, the entry tax is certain, and the first two God can extort money, but who will come to do business in the future? If the last cow is killed, what will these nobles eat in the future? Aren't they going to starve to death? What's more, if the people have no way to survive, they will Are you really not going to rebel?"

Robosky sighed: "I'm sorry to be blunt. Among the nobles, there are only a few people in the entire alliance who are as far-sighted as your Excellency. In the eyes of the nobles, the status of the people is about the same as that of pigs and cows." Too many. As long as the wine continues in front of them, how can most nobles care about the life and death of the people? Who will worry that some domestic animals will rebel?"

"Hey! If you eat all the deer on the grassland, the lion will starve to death in the end. I remember this truth has been recorded in many books. Isn't reading a fashion for nobles? Why don't many people seem to understand it?"

"With all due respect, I mean, the aristocrats read popular poems and comment on literature and art. This is the first time I have seen an adult reading "The Biography of Powerful Ministers" like this."