When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 785 - 738: Conscription and Stone Bridge
"Crack—"
Old Laver's leather military boots crushed a clump of wet thistle grass, the purple corollas emitting a faint popping sound underfoot.
He removed his tricorn hat, sweat formed from the rising heat and humid air on his balding head, trickling down along his white-flecked temples into the collar of his linen shirt.
The May rains on the Shattered Stone Plain scattered over the yellow-brown pastures, where a slight misstep could land one in a puddle of mud.
Standing on the hillside, Old Laver could see black dots moving slowly within the waist-high golden grass.
Those were the Shepherds and their sheep, chewing the yellow-brown grass with expressionless faces.
Due to a recent shearing, most of the sheep were covered with only a short layer of wool, which, coupled with the relatively cool weather, was the most comfortable time for them.
The Shattered Stone Plain was different from the Thousand River Valley, with a much cooler climate.
Except for winter, during the spring, summer, and autumn, the temperature differences were just enough to put on or take off a Shepherd's vest.
The Kush people initially planned to migrate here to continue their herding life.
Unfortunately, the El Empire at that time upheld the principle that since you, as foreigners, were adept at herding and horseback riding, you were not allowed to engage in these activities, leaving the Kush people in the Thousand River Valley.
On the other hand, the Norn people, who were adept at farming and forging, were driven by the El Empire to herd sheep in the Shattered Stone Plain.
A sticky, wet sound of footsteps came from behind. Old Laver turned his head to see Algernon, the secretary dispatched by Captain Bether, walking slowly towards him.
This young man from a family of accountants in Hotam County had pale skin, as if he had never seen the sun, with ink stains on his cuffs.
He was poking a small booklet with an oiled paper cover with a quill pen, "Are you sure this is the place?"
Old Laver replied with certainty, "This is it."
"How can you be sure this is the place? Do you understand astrology?"
Old Laver watched the serious secretary, momentarily at a loss for words.
Why does it matter if it's that village? Just bring back nine strong men to fill the conscription quota, isn't that enough?
Old Laver grabbed Kaler, who was passing by, "Look, this is the Knight's son, he understands astrology."
Algernon scrutinized the young man from head to toe, frowning, as he didn't seem like someone who understood astrology.
Before Algernon could question further, an agile elderly man leapt from among the shepherds.
This skinny old man scrambled up the rocky hillside in no time, almost bending his waist to ninety degrees.
"What are you gentlemen here for?" he asked, all the while his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so men with military knives at their waists and iron armor on their bodies.
To travel so far in armor, these soldiers were mostly of an extraordinary kind!
The old man's heart immediately sank.
Old Laver stepped forward, "By the command of His Highness the Autocratic Duke Moliat, we are here to recruit nine laborers. How many able-bodied men are there in your village… be honest, don't make me go down there and count myself."
The old man trembled all over, his face still bitter, "Eighteen, seven who can draw a bow, the rest are mostly of the age unable to carry a lamb."
"Oh, that's just right." Old Laver pointed with his military knife at the distant village, "Lead the way. What's your name?"
"No name, everyone calls me Old Yang Head."
The group circled around the back of the hillside covered with wormwood, yet could see, three hundred paces away, a shepherd boy using a sling to herd the sheep, his coarse wool cloak billowing in the wind.
The shepherd's village was even more dilapidated than Old Laver had imagined.
The rammed earth walls were eroded by rainwater into deep grooves, a rusted bronze bell hung on a rotten wooden frame, barely audible.
Old Yang Head vigorously struck the bronze bell with a sheep bone, and soon the villagers gathered in the central drying yard.
"We are the forces of His Highness the Despot, here because of the Duke of Wing Nest's illegal seizure of the title. You are all subjects of the Duke of Wing Nest, you should fight for the true Duke of Wing Nest."
Algernon's passionate declaration did not sway this group of shepherds; they watched the soldiers before them either numbly or watchfully.
Old Laver approached Algernon's side, raising high the money bag in his hand, "One Dinar per day, three Dinars as a settling-in fee, paid immediately."
Just as Old Laver finished speaking, a young man with a bow on his back turned up, spurning his screaming wife with a kick and stepping up to Old Laver.
Two Silver Coins fell into the mud-covered wife's hands, and one Silver Coin fell into Old Yang Head's hand.
The young man silently went up to the secretary, beginning to register his name.
After about three people, no one else came forward voluntarily, forcing Old Yang Head to start calling out names, each call resulting in a burst of tears.
"No, you can't do this, my husband went to repair the dam last year and hasn't returned, and now you want to take my child too!"
"Master, please have mercy."
"Don't run, you're not allowed to run, Master Knight is watching!"
His arms numb, Old Laver stuffed one warmed Silver Coin after another into cold palms. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
When he saw the mud-faced child clinging to his father's leg, his fingers trembled as he handed over the Silver Coin.
For some reason, the image of Little Laver suddenly flashed across his mind.
This world indeed wasn't as beautiful as Eden, but the Saint's Grandson wanted to create an Eden on earth, was it really possible?
The conscription lasted for over an hour until the names on the register bloomed into ink blots in the humid air.
Old Laver turned around, looking back in the direction they came from, catching sight of smoke signals rising by the Iron River.
