The Shadow of the Crown of Snow [Western Fantasy]

The further south you travel, the more suitable the climate is for human survival, at least in the Nord Kingdom.

It was winter right now, and there was still a layer of snow on the ground, but Selene had already taken off her heavy fur cloak and coat and put it on the horse's back.The only trace left by the heavy snow last night was the pure whiteness of the ground. After the snow, the sky was cloudless, and the warm sunshine made Selene drowsy. Can the Hecate adapt to the climate of the Nord Kingdom?

The imperial capital of Nagrand, Joda, is located in the south of their territory. Selene has never been there, but she can imagine it is a place where spring is like spring all the year round. The city in the south of the country, the streets are full of bazaars and crowds, and it is a prosperous capital that is incomparable to the Frost-covered city.

If Hecate was not a proton, but an ordinary person with nothing to worry about, she would probably be able to live a very happy life in Yoda—as long as it is daytime, the windows can be opened to let the sun shine in, how much Let people in the Northland yearn for a life.

Knowing that she would be able to reach the border before tonight, Selene slowed down and let the white horse, who had been in a state of fatigue for the past few days, relax.She looked back at the clear horseshoe prints on the snow, and thought of the stalker who had been peeping out the window of the hotel a few days ago.However, Selene believes that those who can avoid the detection of divine arts will be followed no matter how she tries to cover up.

As the sun was setting, Selene saw her temporary destination for this trip, an ordinary border town, Youfeng Town.Compared with the awe-inspiring chill emanating from the names of several big cities in the Nord Kingdom, Youfeng Town has a kind of gentleness that makes people breathe a sigh of relief. Selene has to admit that the kingdom and life she rules The nation among them, while enduring the extreme cold, also inevitably yearns for warmth.

There are no people farming in the fields in the winter town, but more hunters carrying prey with longbows on their backs, and fur traders who are processing the trophies.Selene and her white horse are very conspicuous in this border town that few outsiders visit. Busy people on the side of the road stopped their work to look at her, and a few enthusiastic townspeople greeted her loudly: "Hey ! People over there, there is no hotel for you in our town!"

In other places, such a greeting would probably be regarded as an order to evict guests.Selene laughed inwardly.Even though she is the royal family of Nord, she sometimes can't understand the overly straightforward way of speaking of the Northlanders.

Although she didn't understand it, she liked it very much.

Selene reined in the reins to stop the white horse. She didn't even get off the horse—anyway, the Northlanders don't care much about it—and asked the person closest to her: "So, where can I go?" Can I stay overnight?"

The cloak and coat on the horse's back, as well as her blond hair and blue eyes undoubtedly proved her identity as a Northlander. The townspeople immediately showed their enthusiasm for their compatriots and came together to invite her.

"...Can you live with me?"

A moderate voice sounded at the right time, just enough for Selene and the people around her to hear.It stands to reason that there is no honorific, and it is completely normal for Nord civilians to ask questions that sound a bit rude to outsiders, but after seeing the person who asked the question, the smiles on their faces froze slightly.

She followed the source of the voice and looked at the girl with everyone.

After seeing the flour on the girl's hands, clothes, and even cheeks, Selene immediately understood what was going on.This girl named Rita is probably the miller of this small town.

Miller is a hard job. Every day, he has to work diligently in the hut to push the stone mill. There is no chance to be lazy. No matter how hard he works, he can only get a fixed salary without any extra income.

If this is the case, it is nothing to the Northlanders. As long as they put in physical labor, they can get a fixed salary, which is not too harsh for them.However, the size of wheat is astonishingly reduced after husking and grinding. The wheat piled up in a small hill on the ground can be easily picked up with both hands.Wheat needs to be ground carefully so that it can expand smoothly when it is baked into bread, but the more carefully it is ground, the less flour will be produced.

The wheat harvested after hard work for a whole year has been greatly reduced after being milled. No matter where the townspeople can't accept this huge gap, it's not surprising that they would blame the miller.

This kind of anger is not too much, at least most of the time it will not affect the normal life of the miller, but because of this, Rita has developed a very cautious habit of words and deeds, and it is conceivable that she would never be on such occasions To speak, not to mention the presumptuous invitation to an outsider like Selene.

The Miller wouldn't risk his already fragile relationships.

Selene stared at Rita standing in front of her for a moment, her eyes full of expectation and apprehension.She turned over and got off the horse, took a step forward, nodded lightly, and accepted Rita's invitation.

The townspeople in Youfeng Town didn't show much dissatisfaction, they still treated Selene like a distinguished guest from afar, welcoming the passing traveler with their barbecue and mead.

There was no one to organize and command, it was completely spontaneous, and the square in Youfeng Town was full of people in just half an hour, either with mead in their hands, or with bread and prepared food. Meat, a few teenagers with woodcutters pinned to their backs staggered and piled the chopped firewood on the ground in the center of the square, and skillfully lit a bonfire.

Selene shook her head helplessly. Before she entered the town, she deliberately polished off the royal coat of arms on the saddle to avoid such special treatment. How could she know that the enthusiasm of the Northlanders could indeed melt the ice of Snow Snow Mountain? It has nothing to do with whether she is a royal or not.

After drinking a few cups of mead, her body has completely warmed up, but the people around her still tried their best to give Selene the best position closest to the bonfire. Full of barbecue and wine.

When it comes to the Nord Kingdom, mead is always the first thing that comes to mind, and this is admitted by the Northlanders themselves.Mead is a liquor brewed by people in the Northland thousands of years ago. It is completely different from its name. In the eyes of most Northlanders, this is probably like a drink like honey water, and you can have a drink at any time to satisfy your hunger.

So as the bonfire party progressed, the square was filled with wooden barrels that were originally used to hold mead. Even Selene, who had been sipping sips, unknowingly drank several bottles. Looking for Rita in the square, he was pulled up and joined the ranks of people dancing around the bonfire.

Only then did Selene react in a trance. The news of Nagrand declaring war on Nord had not yet reached this border town, and they did not know that their hometown would face attacks from neighboring countries at any time. For any garrisoned town, it is equivalent to a disaster.

And Selene, the only one who could save them, has no certainty that she can block the cavalry troops that the Nagrand Empire is proud of from outside the border.

The Nord Kingdom is sparsely populated, and the quality of its armaments has only improved after signing a trade agreement with the Republic of Fek. Today, it is only an army supported by strong individual combat capabilities.The Nord Kingdom is still defended by the blood and brute force of the northerners, and such a straggling army can't get the slightest advantage in front of Nagrand's well-equipped and well-formed cavalry.

Hussein will try his best at the beginning of the war like a lion fighting a rabbit. In the elite cavalry unit, there are also priests from the Church of Illuminati. Time to become a huge war machine.It may be necessary to wait for this machine to capture a city, and the soldiers can no longer bear the side effects of excessive use of magic, so that Selene can use her command ability to cooperate with the fearless soldiers of the North to hold them back. Don't let them continue to trample on Nord's land.

People in Youfeng Town still don't know anything about such a future.

Selene knew in her heart that this was the nation she wanted to protect.As the queen of Nord, this is the bottom line she does not allow anyone to touch, and it is also the dignity of the entire country.

After the lively bonfire party was over, Rita, who had been missing just now, suddenly appeared in the square, took the reins of the white horse from Selene, and motioned her to come with him.Rita was staring at the saddle of the white horse along the way, and Selene was sure that she saw the royal coat of arms, but she didn't know what her purpose was, was it just the simplest and purest reason, to use Selene's identity to give Get some small benefits by yourself?

The small mill at the entrance of the town has three rooms, one is the room where the stone mill is placed, the other is Rita’s own bedroom. The crib with new sheets should be for Selene.

Rita, who had gone to tie the white horse to the stable, finally came back, still covered in flour, looking somewhat embarrassed and somewhat funny.

"Someone...someone wants to see you." In the flickering candlelight, Rita said nervously, "She said that if anyone with the royal coat of arms came here, she would bring them to her."

Selene froze.When Rita went to tie the horse just now, she used the life detector to survey the house habitually, and there was no potential danger, not even a mouse that might disturb her sleep in the middle of the night.It is possible that the person Rita mentioned is not here, but Selene, who just experienced a life detection failure, couldn't help but think of another possibility.

As Rita walked into the courtyard, she was almost convinced of the possibility.

If it wasn't for Selene's confidence in her drinking capacity, she would definitely think she was drunk.There were rustling sounds from the thin snow in the yard, and under the moonlight, she clearly saw a person standing up from the snow—it seemed as if he appeared out of thin air.

But soon she realized that this person had been lying close to the ground and lying under the snow before she arrived, and almost suppressed all his breath to hide.

The most similar thing between the two is the pair of blue eyes. Apart from that, there are many differences that can be noticed without looking closely.The same blond hair as Selene was hastily tied up, and the outline of muscles could be seen under the close-fitting unlined clothing. She was shorter than Selene, thanks to the abundance of sunlight in Yoda City, and her complexion was slightly darker.

"Any life detection should be ineffective for me." Hecate's Common Tongue of Sindre had the accent of the Nagrand Empire, "Why did you notice my existence that night?"