When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#662 - Long Causeway City and Witch Solan

Long Dyke City was built on an ancient long dike, but due to the diversion of the river, this dike became the city wall.

Lourles, along with hundreds of high-ranking Roan Party members, waited early at the city gate.

Escorted by hundreds of soldiers in black, Horn disembarked from the boat smoothly after arriving at the city gate from the dock, and people around immediately scattered petals.

The honor guard on the boat followed by blowing trumpets and lutes, and a row of tall honor guards stood in two rows, attracting frequent glances from the Black Serpent Bay citizens wearing robes and gowns.

After getting off the boat, Horn followed Lourles to his residence, looking around all the way.

He had basically stayed on the boat all the way here, and didn't have a detailed understanding of what Black Serpent Bay was like. Today was a good opportunity to take a look.

Long Dyke City has a different pattern from Jeanne Fort. Its ground is paved with handmade colored bricks, and colorful cloth curtains and flags are hung on both sides of the road.

Similar to the colored bricks, the houses in Long Dyke City are also colorful.

They are mainly based on red, orange, yellow, and white, with terraced or domed roofs, topped with spires or flags, and some roofs are also hung with wind chimes, making a pleasant tinkling sound as the wind blows.

Horn couldn't help but sigh, 'Are the paints or dyes here free? They're just using them so much?'

Jeanne, who was beside him, covered her nose as soon as she stepped onto the street. The air was filled with a mixture of horse manure, sheep manure, and the smell of smoked meat, which was really uncomfortable.

However, when her eyes swept over the melons, fruits, and vegetables sold in the market, she couldn't help but be curious, holding the plant manual given by the Dragon Language Alchemy Society, comparing them and muttering, "Purple Egg, Brown Orange, Pearl Rice, Sweet Bean..."

Seeing the novel melons, fruits, and vegetables on the shelves and stalls, Horn's heart moved, and he said to the entourage beside him, "Buy some of these melons, fruits, and vegetables and their seeds later, and send them directly to the Holy Mechanical Court for Catherine to take a closer look."

"Are those toads in the grass cages?" Looking at the citizens coming and going in the smoky market carrying toad cages, Jeanne couldn't help but turn her head and ask Lourles, "What are they doing with toads?"

Lourles glanced at the toad vendors squatting on the side of the road and shook her head: "These toads are for licking."

"For licking? Why?" Jeanne frowned with a look of disgust.

Lourles glanced at her: "The skin of these toads can secrete a mucus with a hallucinatory effect. The Witch's familiars need it to relieve nerve pain. This is a business in Black Serpent Bay, and many people will actively breed this poisonous frog."

"This is really..." After holding back for a long time, looking at the Black Serpent Bay citizens stretching out their light blue tongues to lick the backs of the toads, Horn said the second half of the sentence, "Unique."

Compared to Thousand River Valley, Black Serpent Bay is completely like another country.

Everywhere here is filled with curling incense, and people wear open-chested shirts and straw sandals even in winter, and leave various tattoos on their bodies.

The most peculiar thing is the decoration. Perhaps the long-term secret society life and the precarious life that had to be kept secret have left the people of Black Serpent Bay with a mask and hood culture engraved in their bones.

Walking on the bluestone streets, five out of ten people wear various masks and hoods. Many hoods even wrap the entire head, regardless of whether the neck can support such weight.

In the short distance from the dock to the Roan Party's Moonlight Palace, Horn saw spiral bull horn hoods, red-faced devil hoods, green-haired rat hoods...

Of course, the most common are still the most ordinary black cloth hoods and white wooden masks.

"But, in that case, if someone commits a crime and can't even see their face, how can they be arrested?" Looking around, Duvaron, who was traveling with him, couldn't help but ask, "For example, if I wear a hood to rob apples from a stall."

With a wry smile, Robert explained: "Either catch him before he leaves your sight, or just admit you're unlucky, or you can grab something from him and find a diviner to help you divine."

Duvaron quickly said to the accompanying staff behind him: "Then we have to take good care of our luggage."

"No need." Lourles laughed, "They are not stupid, they dare not mess with you, our Long Dyke City is not like other places."

"You mean, Long Dyke City is considered to have good security even in Black Serpent Bay?" Horn looked around, asking with a hint of hesitation.

"Unfortunately, you are absolutely right." Looking at the thief running and eating breadfruit on the side of the road, Lourles was both sympathetic and helpless.

Horn fell into deep thought. If Black Serpent Bay has quite an open and free custom, then the national model he built in Thousand River Valley may not be suitable for Black Serpent Bay.

After learning about the history of Black Serpent Bay along the way, Horn gradually understood why the people of Black Serpent Bay always produce demigods and have a rich rebellious culture.

From 1,000 years before the Imperial Calendar, the Empire began to exile criminals, demon-possessed people (mentally ill patients), wizards, cultists, etc. to Black Serpent Bay on a large scale.

With the emergence of the first witch to use this place as a base, a large number of witch familiars were gathered.

This led to a big problem, that is, various deformities and mental illnesses caused by the pressure of magic on the nerves.

Under such fermentation and breeding, it would be strange if idlers could be raised.

"Okay, we're here, this is Moonlight Palace, the Roan Party's base."

Moonlight Palace is actually an ancient evil god's altar, but the Roan Party spent twenty years rebuilding and restoring it, which is why the building in front of them is here.

It has snow-white walls and multi-sectioned golden roofs, and a marble spherical dome covers the vertical palace. The only drawback is that it is covered with moss and climbing plants, and a patch of overgrown ruins can be seen in the palace.

Walking in from the main entrance, stepping on the steps, and walking dozens of steps, Horn walked onto the pedestal of Moonlight Palace.

When he walked into Moonlight Palace, a wheat-skinned woman with her navel exposed bowed to him and saluted: "Greetings, Lord Horn, I am the assassin master of the Shadow Society, 'Shadow' Solan Hoftarn."

According to the previous information, this should be the first witch in the Witch Council to stand with Horn.

She looked only about twenty years old, but her actual age was unfathomable. She wore a pure white breastplate on her upper body and wide trousers on her lower body, revealing her slender ankles.

"Nice to meet you." Horn stepped forward and shook her hand. After exchanging greetings, they sat down, "I thought that the student of Bishop Killer Toruya would not support me, this 'Pope'."

"On the contrary." Sitting cross-legged on the rattan cushion, Solan picked up a pottery pot and stiffly poured a glass of orange juice fruit wine for Horn, "Master Toruya killed bishops not because they were bishops, but because they were sinners... This fruit wine is homemade and has no alcohol content."

"You don't resent the Messiah Church?" Horn smiled and took a sip of the sweet and sour fruit wine. It was indeed delicious and had no alcohol content.

"The predecessor of the Shadow Society was actually a group of Robin Hoods who specialized in robbing the rich and helping the poor." Solan put the wine glass under her veil and took a sip, "As for our current life of assassination and smuggling, it is just to survive."

"You don't have to smuggle now." Horn said with a smile, "Black Serpent Bay has many things we need, such as the previous pearl rice, sweet beans, purple eggs, brown oranges, and other melons, fruits, and vegetables."

"I can also use these to exchange cheap fabrics and daily necessities from you." Solan raised her glass, "Cheers to you."

Horn drank the fruit wine in his glass: "Are you from Black Serpent Bay?"

"I am from Norn, I was born in Cod Fort in the Kingdom of Norn, and I am the daughter of a fisherman." Solan stroked the wine glass, "The damn witch hunters burned my family's fishing boat, so I fled to Black Serpent Bay."

Although Solan said this lightly, Horn still felt a deep sense of hatred.

"Let's get back to the topic." Horn quickly pulled the topic back, "What do you think of my plan for the Black Serpent Bay Union?"