Chapter 143 No one knows the laws of Redania better than me
. At high tide, the tide in the Delta will flow through the Novigrad Canal, and by then there will not be even a drop of normal water left here. Just a foul-smelling liquid filled with excrement, soap scum, oil and dead rats.
The decent people on the boat began to cover their noses in disgust. Lann glanced at Shani and found that her tolerance for pungent smells seemed to be very high.
"I have also heard rumors about 'big bugs'." Lann said, "You know that we demon hunters are always interested in studying abnormal creatures. According to rumors, the appearance of these animals is more consistent with a kind of animal called 'Dragonfly monster' creature."
"Dragonfly monster? You have done research, so this is a monster?" Shani's knowledge and knowledge were obviously extraordinary, and she immediately began to draw inferences, "Listen to the name, it is an 'insect-like creature' A large category of monsters? Does it come from the intersection of the heaven and earth, or is it the product of a warlock's magic experiment?" The
medical student showed great enthusiasm for biological knowledge, and Lan was not shy about answering his questions.
Jeroen prepared a lot of books for Lan before he left, including popular magic books written by Keldamer such as "Natural Magic" and "Brother Adelbert's Bestiary". Monster hunting science and other monster illustrated books.
These days, Lan En has been seizing the trivial breaks to read and never put the book down.
"The dragonfly monster was not produced by the intersection of the celestial spheres, nor was it created by warlocks. Its first sighting was not that far away from now." Lann explained, "We believe that it is the product of some kind of environmental pollution, such as water in the water. Chemical waste, or experimental residues discarded by alchemists at will."
This explanation was obviously not as mysterious and romantic as the intersection of the celestial sphere and the warlock's experiment, which made Shani feel a little disappointed, but then she became interested in academic discussions again. .
At this time, she completely forgot about the legend of the Lion Knight and the nobles and commoners, and her whole person became pure, rigorous, and very scientific.
"Your description of it reminds me of a giant water bug." Shani deduced, "But monsters of this size should live in swamps or lakes. How can they survive in the delta?" Lann thought about the book
. It explains: "Humanity rebuilt its food chain, replacing swamp prey with other warm-blooded animals. Sheep, cattle, pigs, and even humans themselves. I reckon the dragonfly monster thought every barge, raft, or three in the delta waters Any sailing ship can be used as a delicious meal.
It is not difficult for the dragonfly monster to drag large animals off the deck, especially for large transport ships with deep drafts like ours."
Lan stepped on the deck under his feet, Xia Ni cooperated with a hint of fear and took a half step back.
Compared with science, Shani obviously believes that life is more important realistically.
The girl said nervously: "I seemed to hear the sound of water. Something big was swimming in the water, and it was getting closer..."
Lann's eyes narrowed, and he heard it too.
The demon hunter's lion eyes shrank, and he seemed to be able to pass through the fog.
With his ears perked up, besides the sound of the water, he could hear the creaking of the oars on the oar stand. That was the boat that the customs officers took, and there were more than one. That's not the dragonfly monster they just talked about.
"Shani, go back to the room. If you are really scared, go find the Cintra soldiers. They can protect you."
After that, Lann pulled House and Levin up from the card table, suddenly losing their entertainment time and There was no regret on their faces, but they were eager to try.
"I'm going to gather the soldiers right away." House began to clean his sword.
Levin hesitated and admonished: "We should have entered Redania. Maybe this is a normal customs inspection? Wouldn't it be bad for us to have such a tense posture with the other party on the ship?"
Hao Si shook his head and pointed out Levin's mistake: "The ship has not yet docked. It is illegal in any country to board the ship for inspection at this time. Either there are robbers disguised as soldiers, or the soldiers have taken on private jobs—— It's a private matter of using swords."
Milva looked left and right and felt that both of them were right.
Lann made a decision: "Let the soldiers stand by and don't let them come out together yet. If it is a normal customs inspection, it has nothing to do with us; if it is a robber pretending to be a robber, we will lure the enemy deep and then catch them all; if it happens to be for We are here, so we can show the enemy a weak trick to get some information."
The earl made the decision, and the attendants no longer needed to discuss it, and obediently asked the soldiers of Cintra to stay in the cabin, leaving the three attendants to accompany them. On the edge of Lann.
After a while, a large ship docked with the transport ship, and seven or eight angry, noisy and energetic guys jumped on the deck. They surrounded the captain, yelling viciously, trying to make him take their status seriously. Then they eagerly pounced on the passengers' belongings and luggage.
"What's in the box?" the leader of the Redanian team, who had a pair of disgusting triangular eyes, shouted, "Hey, unpack! Whose carriage does this belong to? Is there any currency in circulation? I said, yes Is it a currency in circulation? Temerian currency or Nilfgaardian currency?"
Zoltan and the dwarves also ran to Lann and the others. Seeing this situation, he took the initiative to explain to Lann and the others what the customs officials did. Behavior.
"This is because of the tariff war," commented the dwarf who has been doing business abroad all year round. "King Vizmir forced Novigrad to activate the right of first sale. King Foltest of Temeria counterattacked, in Vizima Horgos Velen fully opened the right of first sale. This was a heavy blow to Redanian traders, so King Vizmir began to impose tariffs on Temerian goods. Temeria was flooded with Nilfgaardian artifacts The cheap goods produced by the workshops are why these customs officials are so excited. If too many Nilfgaardian goods enter the country, Redania's economy will collapse. Redania has almost no workshops, and their craftsmen are also There's no way to compete with foreign counterparts."
"Businessmen only care about profits, they don't care about politics." Lane commented.
"Nilfgaard is slowly taking over with goods and gold the lands he failed to take by force. The kings of Temeria and Redania are powerless to resist, and if they seal the borders, the merchants will protest , even the interests of the domestic nobles will be damaged."
The dwarf praised: "I thought the nobles would not pay attention to these things, your knowledge surprised me, Lann." "
No." Lann shook his head, "The most surprising thing is The one who should be surprised is the Emperor of Nilfgaard. His war fighting style transcends the traditions of the entire continent. And I am destined to share life and death with such a person." The captain of the ship was dealing with several disputes, and there were businessmen
. They lied to the customs that the silver fox skin they brought was an astonishingly large cat skin, so that they could pay less customs duties; some family members of the nobles had a bad attitude and tried to exercise their privileges to avoid inspection.
The large ship slowly passed through the shrub-covered islands along the wide strait. The bumblebees among the reeds made a scary buzzing sound, and the turtles also made sharp whistles from time to time; the cranes standing on one foot stared calmly at the water. , knowing that you don’t need to expend too much effort - the fish will swim over by itself sooner or later.
Finally, these soldiers gathered in front of Lan En. They looked at the exquisite armors and noble coats of arms of Lan En, and then looked at Lan En's lion eyes.
Lan was keenly aware of the hesitation of the soldiers on the opposite side. Their men gradually gathered around and seemed to have found the target, but their leader was hesitant.
House, who was also a soldier, turned cold. He was familiar with this feeling. Sure enough, these people were coming for them.
As for the reason for the hesitation, it was probably because there was a problem with the intelligence or something. These soldiers were all serious soldiers from Redania, and they should have taken on private jobs, but it was obvious that the person who paid them was hiding something, which made him afraid to take decisive action against Lann and his group.
"Are there any currency in circulation?" Perhaps their number gave him courage. The triangular-eyed team leader looked at them with bloodshot eyes, "Is there anything you want to declare?" "No." House said coldly, "You
should It can be seen that we are not businessmen, we have no goods, so we do not need to pay taxes."
Although the soldier was talking to House, Lan could feel his eyes drifting towards him from time to time.
"I wonder what your lord is called, but he is dressed as a knight?" "He
is an earl." House corrected, "The earl of Cintra, Lann Lannister Lealan. The hero of Cintra Lion, Lord of Brochlon, Gryphon Knight of the Lady of the Lake."
This long list of titles seemed to make the leading soldier faint. He muttered a few words, and Lann faintly heard those behind him. There was a commotion from the soldiers.
"You are all wearing armor, full armor." The triangular-eyed Redanian team leader said with a straight face, pretending to be serious, "If you only bring axes or something, I can turn a blind eye to you as mercenaries. Close one eye, but you are wearing full armor. You are all dangerous elements. We are sorry to offend the Earl, but this is our duty. We may have to trouble you to come with us to the Cowburg. "
One, two, three, four, there are only four of you, right? Don't worry, this is a routine check, it will be over soon." The
captain of the triangle-eyed team said skillfully, obviously he was not familiar with this process. Too familiar.
"Cowburg and Novigrad are both free city-states. You don't seem to know the laws of your country very well." Lann, who had been behind, finally spoke, "And I am here to visit you. King, do you want to stop the king's distinguished guests?"
Lann slowly stood up from the chair. House and Levin, who were originally blocking the front to help the count cut off the enemy, stepped aside to make way for Lann. Confront the Redanian soldiers.
The triangular-eyed team leader only looked at Lann for two seconds before he couldn't hold it any longer. He took two steps back, and then he felt that he was offended, and his face immediately turned red.
(End of chapter)