Mortal Epic of Douluo

Winter dusk always comes very early, smoke rises from the chimneys of rural houses, and from time to time there are the sounds of chickens and dogs barking in the distance.

Sofia was busy humming unknown country songs by the fireplace. Fragrant bread was baking in the stove, which would be ready soon. Porridge was cooked in the earthen pot by the stove, which was made from the chestnuts and chestnuts she collected from the woods today. Pine nuts, and many other nuts are boiled together with millet.

She was very lucky today. Sophia found five squirrel storage spots and found nearly three kilograms of chestnuts, pine nuts and other fruits.

Atreus was still sleeping, but he seemed to have gotten up during the day and cleared the snow in front of the house. He was such a good boy.Although the family's expenses have increased since Omero brought him back, this is all as it should be, and everything is to repay brother Atreus's life-saving kindness.

Atreus's brother is named Kratos, who is quite famous in the Borno area. He is a very "strange" person. Like most civilians, he is born with zero soul power, but he has not given up on cultivation.

He has tempered his body to be extremely strong. It is said that he has defeated countless soul masters at his hands. He has even defeated five great soul masters. It is said that someone has seen him kill a hundred-year-old tiger-like soul beast with his own eyes.

Kratos is a brave warrior who is philanthropic and often lends a helping hand to help poor people. Whenever a large beast or even a spirit beast appears in the Bolton area and attacks the village, he will always be the first to appear.

Omero's hunting skills were taught by Kratos. Although he only learned the fur and could only hunt little guys like forest deer and porcupines at most, it at least allowed the family to have meat to eat.

It is a pity that Kratos, who is famous for his bravery, was killed on January [-] last year by a century-old spirit beast that ended hibernation early and came down from the mountain to harass the village. In other words, he was killed in order to protect the villagers. Die with that damn bear.

His funeral was attended by thousands of people, and his ashes were buried under his family's wheat fields by Atreus himself. His weapons, spears and shields, were missing.This incident was unusual, because the villagers saw him thrust his spear into the throat of the Rakkor bear, but when the villagers went to collect his body, the spear and shield disappeared.

But no matter what, his heroic soul has been laid to rest under the wheat fields. As Kratos's "apprentice", Omero adopted his younger brother Atreus, and Atreus became a new member of the family.

The multigrain porridge was ready, and Sophia laughed happily. Although the family's savings were almost depleted because she and Oscar got sick, fortunately, the family had enough food to last until the slack season.

Last year, she and several old aunts learned to weave. The money weavers earn is much more than picking cotton in the bright sun. I believe she and Omero will be able to save money this year.

Every year when spring arrives, the patrolling deacons of the Wuhun Palace will come out of Bolton City to hold a Wuhun Awakening Ceremony for civilian children.

Atreus's brother helped many people during his lifetime. A restaurant owner in Bolton City promised in front of everyone at Kratos's funeral: If Atreus can awaken his soul power, he will Support Atreus until he reaches adulthood. If he has not awakened his soul power, Atreus can also work as an apprentice in a restaurant from the age of eight.

Atreus will be six years old in three months, and Oscar is more than ten days younger than Atreus. In late June, they can participate in the martial arts awakening ceremony.

Sofia didn't have much hope compared with Omero, but she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart. Children from common people rarely awakened their soul power. Even if they could, in most cases it was half or first level, but there was always a better chance. No good.

Even if he really hadn't awakened his soul power, Atreus still had a good place to go. Sofia remembered that Omero had mentioned to her that he hoped to save more money and give Oscar to Atreus when he was eight years old and became an apprentice. Go and be an apprentice in Bolton City is better than guarding these two acres of thin farmland.

Sofia stood up, looked at the door, and murmured: "The sun has set, why haven't they come back yet..."

"Perhaps Uncle Omero is touching the rabbit nest and trying to find a way to catch the rabbit."

A slightly hoarse child's voice answered her.

Sofia turned around and saw that Atreus was standing up from the bed. She smiled and said, "It would be great if he could really catch the rabbit. It could just replenish your body. You and Oscar are still young and need it." Eat more meat.”

"Aunt Sofia, I am very strong! I withstood the blizzard!"

"Yes, yes, you are the strong and brave Atreus." Sophia walked back to the fireplace and made a bowl of porridge. "They don't know how long it will take to come back. Let's drink some porridge first. The bread will be baked soon." Okay, after eating the multigrain porridge and black bread, you will have the strength to catch rabbits with Oscar tomorrow."

Sofia was originally going to feed Atreus porridge, but Atreus insisted that he had the strength, so she obeyed Atreus's wishes and continued to take care of her bread.

The sunset in winter comes early and goes away early. Before you know it, the sunset completely sinks and darkness begins to cover the earth.

"Squeak—"

The door was finally pushed open, and Sophia stood up happily, ready to give her lover a hug, but her smiling face froze in the next moment.

"What's going on? Why are you hurt?"

Sofia stepped forward eagerly and turned Omero's body in one direction. A medium-sized gash was opened on his right shoulder, but fortunately the blood had scabbed and the shape of the wound was very familiar, because she Often seen while picking cotton on the estate.

"Whip? How could you be whipped? And who can tear all the clothes with a whip?" Sofia stared at Omero's eyes and asked a series of questions, "Is it... Tris? "

Omero did not dare to look into his wife's eyes. He threw the firewood basket on the ground and walked to the fireplace silently to sit down.He buried his face in his arms, did not speak, did not cry, and remained motionless in that position. Only the occasional blowing of his nose due to rhinitis could prove that he was still alive.

Sofia closed the door gently, pulled Oscar to the fireplace, and gently arranged his messy hair.

"Oscar, tell me what happened today."

"Mom, we..." Oscar looked up at his father Omero, and seeing that he still didn't respond, he had to tell what happened today word by word.

"Today, my father took me to collect firewood, but the surrounding woods were all picked up. So my father took me into Count Ogunode's forest farm, and then..."

......

"What? Two hundred copper soul coins? Where can I get two hundred copper soul coins at home now?!"

Hearing that she had to pay a fine of two hundred copper soul coins, Sophia was also desperate. The family could get twenty copper soul coins, but that was two hundred.

But if they don't pay the fine, their family will not have a good life. In the Bolton area, outside of Borno City, Count Ogunode is God. It is easy for him to destroy a family.

It would be better if the fine could be delayed. Sofia believed that with her and Omero's hard work, they could still save two hundred copper soul coins, but they ran out of time.

Count Ogunode's rules are strict. The fine must be paid within three days. If it exceeds three days, five points of interest will be added every day. With compound interest, no one dares to delay.

But it is absolutely impossible for them to come up with two hundred copper soul coins in three days. Most of the surrounding villagers are not rich, and no one can easily lend a huge sum of two hundred copper soul coins. Those who can afford to borrow money, Usually very high interest rates are charged.

"Alas," Sofia sighed desperately, "then there is only one way left... sell our land."

Omero finally raised his head, but still covered his face with his hands. He spoke, his voice was very hoarse, as if his throat had been worn out, "We can't sell it. Land is the basis of our survival. Without land, we Sooner or later, sooner or later..."

Atreus leaned on the bedside and pondered. He knew what Omero wanted to say. His brother often taught him how to read and told him stories when he was alive. He knew many things that ordinary people did not know.

It is said that the first Earl Ogunode's fiefdom was 1 acres, and there were 3 households in the fiefdom with more than [-] people. In recent years, the actual land owned by the Earl Ogunode family has exceeded [-] acres. However, the number of taxpayers under its jurisdiction is only [-] households, less than [-].

In the Kingdom of Haagen-Dazs, the nobles have the obligation to protect the citizens in the fiefdom. However, the taxes paid by these citizens every year are collected by tax collectors sent by the king. These taxes are divided between the nobles and the king.

Count Ogunode has been passed down to the current Femi Ogunode for the third generation, but the "population" of the people in the fiefdom has declined instead of rising. The reason behind this is not due to war or natural disasters, let alone Attacked by spirit beasts.

But because of land annexation.

Count Ogunode instructed his knights to use various means to seize land from the free people, so that the free people who originally owned the land could only be forced to become tenant farmers. Once the tenant farmers had major changes in their families, they had to sell themselves. Reduced to Earl Ogunode's private serf.

The king lost the free people who paid taxes, and the free people lost their land and let others slaughter it, but the family of Earl Ogunode became more and more prosperous.

Although Atreus knew little about what his brother said at best, he knew that if they lost the only two acres of land, Uncle Omero, Aunt Sophia and Oscar, they would probably have nowhere to go in the end. Eventually he sold himself and became a serf who lost his freedom.

Serfs were the private property of the nobility, and the nobility could kill, beat, or buy and sell them at any time.

Atreus had seen how serfs were treated in the cotton fields of Ogunode Manor. If a hired day laborer was lazy or made any mistakes, the manor steward would fire him.

The serfs were different. When the stewards were in a good mood, they just scolded them and punished them by not eating.If you are in a bad mood, you may be injured or disabled at least, or...

It was just a slave. For the Ogunode family, losing a slave was not a big deal. Atreus remembered that one night the serfs in the cotton fields sang loudly, praising the kindness of Count Ogunode.

Not a single slave was killed that day.

Atreus wants to do something. Oscar is his best partner. Uncle Omero and Aunt Sofia treat him very well. He has regarded them as family members. Since they are family members, they should face difficulties together.

The next morning, Ogunode Manor.

Tris looked at Atreus in front of him playfully. He knew this kid. His brother was very famous in the entire Bolton area. He fought against Kratos two years ago. That man without any soul power could actually do it. He could withstand hundreds of rounds of attacks as a level 25 great soul master at that time.

This is a "shame" for the proud Tris. How can a waste without soul power have power comparable to that of a noble soul master?

"Interesting, are you going to take the initiative to pay the fine for Omero?"

Atreus stared directly at Tris. There was no cowardice in these children's eyes, just like his bug-like brother who would never give in, which was disgusting!

"Yes."

Tris' face darkened and he said viciously: "Baby, I am a noble knight and I have no time to fool around with you. If you fool me, even if you are just a child, I will never be stingy with my riding crop!"

He didn't believe that a five- or six-year-old child could get away with nine hundred copper soul coins. As long as Kratos had some extra money, he would always give it to the poor and even slaves. His relics were just a pile of broken copper and iron. Worthless fur.

To his surprise, the wolf cub was not frightened, and even took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to him: "This is the wheat field my brother left me. Use this wheat field to offset Uncle Omero's fine."

"Wheat field?" Tris took the field deed and took a look at it, handed it to the steward beside him, and asked: "Two cents per acre, this piece of land costs more than two hundred copper soul coins, right?"

The steward took a look and said with a smile: "Of course it's not just that. His land is Zhongtian, and the price per acre is about [-] copper soul coins. Two cents per acre, which is a little less, and there is no adjacent land nearby. , if sold normally...[-]."

"Nine hundred, haha." Tris laughed again, "Baby, come here with a land deed worth nine hundred copper soul coins in your hand, aren't you afraid that I won't be trustworthy?"

Atreus smiled, as brightly and innocently as any other child. He complimented: "You are a noble knight and a respected great soul master. You will soon break through to the nobility of the soul master." How could you break your promise to a child like me? Right, the noble Knight Tris Ogunode?"

Tris was stunned for a moment, turned his head and asked the steward next to him: "Is he trying to flatter me?"

The steward bowed slightly and replied with a smile: "How can you be flattering? Master Tris is only 19 years old this year, and he has already exceeded level [-] and became a soul master. He is the most outstanding young hero in the Borno region. This is true. ah!"

"Hahahahahahaha -" Tris laughed heartily a few times and pointed at Atreus: "You little brat is not like that reckless man Kratos. When he competed with me, he was beaten to death. He refused to admit defeat even when he couldn't get up, and said something like "I will not give in even if I am not defeated". Bah, he is just a waste with zero soul power! I didn't expect that his brother turned out to be a flatterer, hahaha Ha ha!"

Atreus heard Tris call him Kratos a waste, but did not retaliate, and still kept smiling, allowing Tris to use various rude words to describe his dead brother.

After scolding Tris enough, he looked down at Atreus, who only reached his waist, and said with a smile: "Nine hundred copper soul coins, very good, little boy, what you did really moved me, as if I saw you. A touching scene of these untouchables coming together to help each other.”

Atreus listened to what Tris said and smiled even more happily. It seemed that he could really help Uncle Omero's family, but then Tris said lightly:

"However, I refuse."

"Hahahaha!" Seeing Atreus' smiling face instantly collapse, Tris laughed wildly, "You--ahem, you don't really think that my Ogunode family will be short of land, do you?"

An attendant knight brought a big chestnut horse. Tris smiled as he mounted the horse and pointed the horsewhip: "From the foot of Lakor Mountain to ten miles outside Borno, I am Oguno." The land of the De family! There are four thousand hectares of farmland alone, not to mention mountains, forests or orchards. Do you think I would value that mere one and a half acres? Huh, what a joke!"

"Huh~" Tris drove the horse straight up to Atreus, crumpled the field deed into a crumpled ball, and hit Atreus in the face: "Two hundred The interest rate for copper soul coins will start to increase in three days, so you can get as much as you want, not a penny less!"

Tris led his attendants on a tall horse and left. The steward of the manor threw him out like a chicken and closed the door.

Inside the door, the naturally noble Earl's children began their luxurious life in the face of the sunrise. In the restaurant, they exchanged glasses of wine, exchanged cups, and delicacies were served in turn, with endless laughter.

Outside the door, the lost Atreus clutched the crumpled field deed tightly. After a long time, he came to his senses, carefully unfolded it, and put it back in his arms.

"Huh, ha~" Atreus took a deep breath and held back the tears in his eyes to prevent them from flowing out, because his brother taught him that men can bleed, but they must not shed tears!