The Shadow of the Crown of Snow [Western Fantasy]

There are always crowded streets with people coming and going, buildings built almost as high as the city walls, shops and merchants everywhere, people are in a hurry, but they all look full of energy.Tallis Union, a country with a history of only 300 years, is like a newborn baby, full of vitality.

"...I always feel like I'm in Nagrand again."

This was the first sentence Hecate said after setting foot on the territory of the Talis Alliance.The residents of the Talis Alliance are indeed not much different from those of the Nagrand Empire in appearance, but the streets and clothing styles, as well as the way of speaking are completely different-although they are all the lingua franca of the Hindley Continent, but There is a big difference in grammar and tone. If you don't listen carefully, you will think you are listening to another language.

Selene just wanted to introduce the customs of the Talis Alliance to Hecate, but was blocked by Hecate's next sentence.

"When I was in Nord, I always felt that I was too short. Only here did I realize that the Nagrand and Talis are too short, and it's none of my business."

"Keep your voice down so that no one can hear you." Selene patted her wrist, motioning for her to take her hand off the crescent blade, "Don't keep your hands on the knife, Talis is not the same as Nord. "

The ruler of Talis, that is, the Alliance Council, Selene has seen it a long time ago, and she thinks that she has not turned against them from the beginning to the end because she can bear it. If Hecate or any ordinary Northland People, I'm afraid they will be chopped down with an axe.

The Talis League is a country without a royal family but with nobles.The first speaker of Tallis, who initially founded the Tallis Alliance and wanted to use parliament to rule the country, wanted to create a land of freedom and equality without discrimination and no distinction between civilians and nobles. During the change of generations, factions gradually formed.

The largest number are "old nobles". The country they live in was an ordinary small monarchy before being annexed by the Talis Union. These people cannot accept that they have changed from a king of a small country to a member of the Talis Union Desperately wanting to let the word noble come back to him, he can continue to be superior to others logically.

Followed by the "new aristocracy".The way their motherland merged into the Talis Alliance was very gentle, there was no major festival, and there was no great resentment. They felt that the old aristocracy did not care about their aristocratic status-but they were very indifferent to the parliament. Most of the views were also adopted in such a vague manner that the old aristocrats gradually took control of most of the decision-making power of the Parliament.

It is said to be "Parliament", but in fact it just used a nice name and created a few more thrones.Whether it is a new aristocrat or an old aristocrat, the positions of members of parliament are passed on within the family, and the results of the parliament are controlled by the old aristocratic family. How does it fit their loudest slogan - freedom and equality?

This is also one of the things that Selene finds strange. A country with such a corrupt parliament has risen rapidly in just 300 years. It can compete with the Holy Church of Wilton in terms of economy and military. It can even be said that It is slightly better; and in a country where the parliament discriminates against foreigners so much, the people maintain a friendly attitude towards people of any race.

When walking on the street, it was obvious that Selene and Hecate, who were from the Northland, did not receive too many strange looks. Most of the people's eyes were friendly and curious, if it weren't for their tall stature and With the weapon on his waist, I am afraid that someone will come up to strike up a conversation.

Selene didn't have time to listen to their whispered discussions, but was suddenly grabbed by Hecate before entering the hotel, stopped and followed Hecate's smiling gaze, and heard a little girl saying to her mother: " Mom, people from Beidi are really tall and beautiful."

The backlash from Hecate's body hasn't completely disappeared, and it will happen from time to time. Selene still doesn't dare to take her to the parliament like this, so she finds a hotel for her to stay in first, so that she can take a rest.

After closing the door, the hustle and bustle of Talis outside the window suddenly seemed like a world away, and even the war that just ended seemed a long, long time ago.

Selene suddenly realized that a certain corner of her heart was actually yearning for such a life, yearning for the feeling that there were no responsibilities on her shoulders.She fantasizes that she can drop everything and run away, but this is just a fleeting fantasy, and she will never have the chance to escape from the weight of fate in this life.

And in her life, there are only ten short years left.

"Forget it, no matter how stupid those bastard members of the parliament are, at least there is no slave market in this country." Selene took off her sword and took out a small bag of gold coins from her bag, "You wait here first, I Gotta go buy a suit."

The Talis Alliance does not exist as a trading country like the Republic of Fek, but it cannot be denied that it is developed in terms of trade and economy. This can be seen from the fact that any shop on the street will directly accept gold coins from the Kingdom of Nord come out.

The proprietress raised her head from behind the counter, picked up the small bag of gold coins that Selene put on the table, and weighed them in her hand: "Are you from the Northland?"

She seemed to slow down her tone on purpose, for fear that Selene might not understand.Selene nodded: "Yes, I just came from the Kingdom of Nord."

"You spend a lot of money on clothes." The proprietress stood up from behind the counter with a smile, and rummaged through the cabinet for a long time before finding a suit that was one size larger than the others. "Come and try this one." .”

When Selene walked into the hotel room wearing the clothes of the Talis League, Hecate was leaning on the big chaise longue in the corner, sipping the last bit of mead left in the bottle.

Selene put down the Northland clothes she had brought back on her arm, revealed the wine bottle she had been holding in her hand, and held it up in front of Hecate: "Don't worry about it, there is also mead here, and the taste is quite authentic."

"Yeah." Hecate replied in a daze, "I'll drink it later. But isn't the Nord Kingdom not rich?"

"Pay attention to your wording, we are poor, not without money." Selene saw a plate of berries on the table, and grabbed one in her hand, "I, the king of subjugation, do not have money in other places." The country spends the money from Nuo Germany Curry, I am really a little embarrassed when you say that."

Hecate drank the last sip of mead, put the bottle aside casually, took a berry from the table, threw it into his mouth and chewed while telling Selene: "The one you took is not yet ripe."

"Thank you." Selene put down the somewhat green fruit in her hand, followed Hecate's example and picked a small red berry, "I haven't eaten fresh fruit much."

Under the conditions of the Nord Kingdom, fresh fruits and seafood are very luxurious things, and even a noble person like Selene cannot easily enjoy them, not to mention that she would not ask for these things on her own initiative.

"This one is ripe too." Hecate grabbed one from the fruit plate and threw it into her hand, "Let's go after eating."

When Selene stood in front of the gate of the council hall, the sweetness of the fruit was still in her mouth, and the people standing at the gate of the council hall seemed to have been waiting for a long time. Seeing Selene walking towards the council hall, she couldn't wait to meet her Introduction: "I am a member of the Nagrand Alliance Council, Gu Yinuo."

"Gu...Yinuo?" Selene tried several times before she could pronounce it accurately. She looked at the young congresswoman with black hair and dark eyes in front of her, and asked her in surprise, "Are you from Penglai?"

"Yes." Gu Yinuo nodded, turned his head to see that there was no one around, leaned his head and whispered beside Selene, "That's why they sent me to receive you."

Selene shook her head with a wry smile.In the eyes of the old aristocratic members of the Tallis Alliance, there is probably no difference between Penglai people and Beidi people.And the new aristocrats are not much better in their eyes. This is the so-called free and equal land of the Tallis Alliance, where there is real discrimination that is only carefully concealed.

"Then let's go in?" Selene pointed to the gate of the council hall, "while it's still early."

"Don't be busy." Gu Yinuo waved his hand and stopped Selene, "Didn't you see that I am here in casual clothes? The parliament is closed today, there is no routine meeting, there may be a few new nobles, but there are not even a single figure of the old nobles I can’t even see you, I’m waiting here just to tell you, and I’ll come back when the parliament has a regular meeting tomorrow.”

Hearing what she said, Selene became somewhat alert. She took a step back and looked suspiciously at the Penglai man in front of her.There are also many Penglai residents in the Talis Alliance, and the Talis people have no prejudice against the Penglai people, but the corrupt parliament, which is monopolized by the old nobles, and even the new nobles have little say, can accommodate a Penglai person as a member?

Gu Yinuo obviously knew what she was suspicious of, took out a golden medal from his pocket, and winked at Selene: "You should be able to judge the authenticity, right?"

Selene took it over and took a closer look in her hand. She was sure that it was the Member of Parliament Medal of the Talis Alliance, but it was the first time she had seen such a strangely patterned Tallis Member of Parliament Medal. There was no cross representing the old nobility, and no The vines representing the new nobility were replaced by simple and beautiful rose patterns engraved on the medal.

"Are you a commoner?" After confirming the other party's identity, Selene was even more surprised. "Penglai commoner? A member of the Tallis Council?"