vstars Chapter 1 The Land of the Extreme North
Chapter 1 The Land of the Extreme North
Rumors about Baiwanling, like the rare minerals from Baiwanling, always carry some mythical, unimaginable and unreasonable meaning.For example, Neverwinter, the capital of a territory built in a plain area, is like a huge stone coffin filled with braziers. For example, the residents there are poor hunters with rough temperaments. For example, sea monsters in the ice sea will sneak into the forest at high tide. , Predatory beasts, such as the barbaric and cruel conspiracy history written by the lord family with blood and swords.
Ever since, Baiwanling, a long and narrow area in the extreme north, covered with ice and snow and stretching by the sea, is like an unfathomable black mirror, as if all the weird stories are born from it.
Of course, many rumors do have historical records or are partly true, and the rest are the works of bards passing through the place after adding oil and vinegar.
Regarding these rumors, the young lord of the giant lake, Norlins, has always held a subtle attitude: Unlike other lords of noble origin, his ancestor was essentially a businessman, and even his entire family was known for being terrifyingly shrewd.The centuries of operation of the huge business brigade have accumulated not only wealth, but also knowledge. The exquisite map covering the entire empire is the testimony of these gains.Even if he has never been to Baiwanling in person, Norlins can at least know more reliable news from his elders and other businessmen.After all, these news often mean business opportunities, wealth, and the long-term dominance of the Chijiu family in Juhu.
In addition to the obsession with profit inherited from the blood, Norlins, the lord who wears the red vulture family emblem, is also well-known for another not-so-nice notoriety: vagabond.
Compared with his father who died drunk on the couch in his early forties while holding a scepter, Norlins was exposed to carnal love even earlier.In a few years, there might be a group of babbling half-sisters in the genealogy of the Red Eagle family, and I am afraid that there will be a few children who have no blood relationship with Norlins. But they are even happy to see the results - the Red Vulture family never cares about the purity of blood, just like the customs of this territory almost never include chastity and loyalty.
Like his ancestors, Norlins has extraordinary judgment and action, and the resource base accumulated from generation to generation is the premise for his further expansion. The desire to be different from ordinary people seems to be an unavoidable shortcoming that echoes his advantages.He loves the soft body of a woman, and admires the toughness of a man's body—"I'm not here to bloom, but to enjoy the joy of life," he once said frankly.
Just half a month after the birth of his third unnamed child, Wangxing Tower welcomed another batch of visitors.
The leader was an old acquaintance of Norlins - as early as when the old lord was still alive, he and the group of brothers and sisters followed his father to this kind of banquet to welcome the return of the caravan.A few years later, the liqueur produced in Wild Deer Town at the west end of Juhu Lake is still so sweet and mellow. It is especially suitable for tasting in winter when paired with properly roasted venison and pickled dried wild fruits.
The living room in the Observation Tower is brightly lit, and the five-armed iron candlesticks reflect blurred figures under the dancing firelight. Plates of barbecue, dried fruit, butter scones, and liqueur in copper cups are full of banquets. At the long table, the cooks, maids and guards are all busily busy.The fashion of Juhuling is casual and unrestrained. Except for the main seat and the three or four upper-class seats, the arrangement of the rest of the seats and even the banquet etiquette are not so particular.
The brown-haired beauty dressed in the fashionable style of the capital of the empire leaned beside Norlins, humming in his sweet voice the little tunes of late-night love in the market, like a cat pawing at silk; The returned businessman hadn't changed his heavy attire in the extreme north, and laughed freely about an ambiguous topic, sweating profusely from the lights and rum.
Among the dinner guests, Norlins saw another familiar face.So, with one arm around the beautiful woman's slender waist, he raised his glass to the other end of the long table, and greeted lazily with a three-pointed drunkenness: "Isn't that our great painter Brahe! I remember you Painted a portrait of my mother and it was a perfect painting."
The middle-aged painter who was named put down the half-eaten roasted deer leg in his hand, stood up respectfully, and saluted the young lord of the Juhu collar.
Norlins gently pushed away the woman beside him, picked up a few dried wild fruits on the plate with his free hand, and threw them into his wine glass, so that the mellow and sweet wine could arouse the picky taste buds.He asked with great interest: "Brahe, what inspiration did this trip to Baiwan bring you?"
Brahe bowed slightly, as if he had already prepared for this.He nodded to the young apprentice standing behind him, and the freckled young man would take it easy and find out the works of his mentor from the huge luggage piled by the wall with ease—they went to I didn't even have time to store my luggage at the commercial station before the banquet.
It was a new-style oil painting four feet high and three feet wide, covered with a dark curtain.Braher carefully handed it to the attendant beside Norlins, with a look of confidence and anxiety on his face.
The attendant presented the painting to Norlins and put it on the newly lifted pine easel.The beautiful woman who was leaning on the side to accompany the drink just wanted to habitually lift the curtain for the lord, but Norlins gently held her slender wrist. "Let me lift its 'veil' with my own hands, my dear." Norlins stopped her with a low smile.
He put down the wine glass in his hand, and his gaze paused for a moment as he passed the iron skewer on which the barbecue was skewered. Finally, he was unwilling to take the risk of getting the painting stained with oil, and gave up the idea of gently lifting the curtain with the iron skewer.Norlins pulled a corner of the curtain and pulled it away from the painting, and the new masterpiece that he and his guests had been waiting for came into view.
The red fire, the cold battle axes and iron swords on the stone brick wall, the complicated northern dress, the calm and dignified demeanor, the rigorous and orderly seating arrangement, and the indifferent face that was meticulously depicted.
With the representative family coat of arms and appearance, Norlins immediately recognized the person in the painting: White Bay Lord Sdar sitting in the center with a heavy iron sword, surrounded by his relatives of the Snow Lion family.
With just one painting, this terrible and sad iron-blooded family brought a brief silence to the banquet - it is hard to say whether it was fear, or instinctive disgust, or Brahe's superb drawing skills made the audience We can't help but think of the fierce and ruthless Baiwan soldiers during the 15 Years' War, and the gunpowder smoke on the edge of the town after the looting.
Norlins quietly gestured to the conductor in the corner of the drawing room.The bard-born conductor reacted quickly enough—the musicians immediately changed to a cheerful market tune, taking away the indescribable embarrassment just now with melodious music.The guests came to their senses and expressed their appreciation to Brahe and his exquisite works.
"This time I tried to use local mineral pigments from Baiwanling. The effect is very close to the past, but the technology may not be mature enough." The painter said modestly. "My lord, this work has not really been completed - you see, the background of the picture still has some details that have not been modified. I came back this time because my employer in Baiwanling hopes to complete it in a studio with complete materials a replica of it."
The young clerk Mo La, who appeared at the banquet as a confidant of the lord, expressed his opinion in a timely manner: "It is not difficult to see that Sdar respects you and your paintbrush. For example, the patterns on his sword are the ones that Baiwan collar believes in." I wonder if he let you observe or even directly touch this precious family token?"
Immediately, Brahe's face lit up with enthusiasm as if he had met a bosom friend.He didn't care about Mora's flattery, but was delighted that the other party discovered the painstaking efforts he had poured into this sword.He immediately raised his voice, his face flushed slightly with excitement, and he chatted unreservedly with Mo La and others about the rumors he had heard about Starr and his sword.
"I heard that Star puts this iron sword next to his pillow when he goes to bed, so maybe even his own blood relatives have to be wary?" One of the courtiers jokingly said.
Brahe thought about it seriously, nodded, and said, "I've heard that too. But the affairs of the Snow Lion family are really complicated, and we outsiders may not be able to understand their relationship."
The secrets of exotic families, together with those dark and bloody murders, are the best talk after drinking and eating.The guests chatted freely, and the topic had long been far away from Brahe's paintings.Although still shaking the wine glass in his hand slightly, and occasionally twitching the corners of his mouth with the laughter, Norlins' attention has already been attracted by another person standing behind Star in the picture.
The man had a youthful, delicate, but strangely cold face that reminded Norlins of cedars clad in silver in winter in the forests north of the Great Lakes.