bookandnovel Chapter 198 Teasing My Wolf
Chapter 198 Teasing My Wolf
Summer June 23th.
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The gates of Frost City were heavily guarded, with a small group of people gathered and many soldiers patrolling the area.
Several gallows stood on the right side of the city gate, and dozens of free men were forced to kneel on the ground, their clothes embroidered with crooked holy light patterns on the chest.
The reservists put ropes around their necks, but their mouths were stuffed with burlap, so they could only let out mournful whimpers.
In the center of the crowd, Lucy stood calmly, clad in a shimmering silver-white light armor and with her long hair tied in a high ponytail.
Standing to her left was a middle-aged man dressed in dark red heavy iron armor, with a white deer treading on snow emblem inlaid on his shoulder armor. He was none other than Paul, the first heir of the Snow Deer.
The woman on the right is a 30-year-old advanced superhuman, whose close-fitting pinkish-purple soft armor outlines her graceful and alluring curves. This person is Melanie, the Snow Fox Lord.
Her eyes and brows exuded a mature and alluring charm. She tossed the helmet to the attendant behind her, turned her head and smiled at Lucy, but her tone carried a hint of surprise.
"There are so many believers of light in Frost City. No wonder Lord Brad dared to scheme against them. It seems he's making quite a bit of money off them."
Paul sighed, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling crowd, his tone full of disdain.
"The North is already barren, and it's not easy for free people to earn a living. Instead of thinking about how to support their families, they donate to the church. It's incredibly foolish, and they wouldn't be wronged to die like this."
Lucy simply smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, clearly unwilling to discuss the topic further.
Just then, a loud rumbling sound came from the direction of the black pine forest, and the ground trembled slightly. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and their expressions changed instantly.
A colossal creature clad in steel armor was seen charging toward the city gate, its massive body resembling a mobile metal fortress, its imposing presence awe-inspiring.
The soldiers at the city gate instantly erupted in chaos, raising their weapons to aim at the rock-armored earth dragon. Some even instinctively took a few steps back, fearing that the giant beast would charge at them.
Paul slammed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, his superior and extraordinary aura unconsciously emanating from him. Melanie also covered her red lips, her eyes filled with surprise.
Lucy was taken aback at first, but then recognized it as Richard's mount. A joyful smile immediately spread across her face, and she quickly raised her hand to quell the soldiers' commotion.
"Put down your weapons! It is Baron Chiffon who has come to visit; do not be rude!"
Although the soldiers were still shaken, they obediently put away their spears, but their eyes were still full of awe as they looked at the Rock Armored Earth Dragon.
...
The Grand Tour stopped obediently in front of Lucy, and Richard flipped and jumped down, his posture upright. Nicole and Im landed right behind him, protecting him on either side.
Lucy walked up to Richard, her voice filled with barely suppressed surprise.
"Richard! Wasn't your Rock Armored Earth Dragon supposed to be Star-level? How did it advance to Moon-level already?"
Richard raised his hand and patted Dayun's rough face. Dayun let out a low, gentle whimper, showing his affection.
"It was already stuck at the critical point of breakthrough. A few days ago, I fed it some life crops, and it advanced in the process. It was an unexpected surprise."
He didn't want to dwell too much on the topic of the Universiade, so he turned his gaze to the two people beside Lucy. Judging from their demeanor and bearing, it was clear that they were people of extraordinary origin.
"Who are these two?"
Lucy then remembered to make the introductions, introducing Paul the snow deer and Melanie the snow fox, and then explained:
"They came to assist in the defense by order of the Frostfox King, to prevent the believers of light from escaping into the Black Pine Forest."
Paul was merely the heir, and his status was lower than Richard's. He stepped forward first and bowed slightly in greeting.
"Your Excellency Baron Chiffon, I have long admired your name. Your farming techniques are renowned in the North, and Earl of the Wolf personally promoted them. It is an honor to meet you today, and you are indeed young and promising."
Melanie approached gracefully, her eyes lingering on Richard with seductive allure, her gaze shifting between him and Dayun, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness.
"I've heard Lucy praise you a lot, and I've been looking forward to meeting you during the summer hunt. I was disappointed that you were absent. Now that I see you, not only are you exceptionally handsome, but your mount is also so majestic. No wonder even the summer hunt didn't catch your eye."
Richard nodded in return, his demeanor composed and his tone humble:
"Your Excellency Paul, Baron Melanie, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm very sorry that I was delayed in attending the summer hunting festival due to the many affairs of the territory. I will definitely visit you in person to apologize at the next time."
After exchanging pleasantries, Richard's gaze involuntarily fell on the gallows below the city wall.
The dozens of free men trembled, the holy light patterns on their robes indicating that they were classified as believers in the light and were about to be hanged.
He frowned slightly, turned to look at Lucy, and lowered his voice, with a hint of hesitation.
"Lucy, these people...?"
Lucy seemed to have anticipated his question and gestured for him to speak privately.
After the two had walked some distance apart, Lucy tilted her head slightly, her icy blue eyes scrutinizing him with a hint of inquiry.
After the two had walked some distance apart, Lucy tilted her head slightly, her icy blue eyes scrutinizing him with a hint of inquiry.
"Richard, you wouldn't... also believe in the light, would you?"
Her tone was slightly joking, but her eyes were serious, because Richard had said that the Snow Rabbit tribe, who had caused trouble in Frostbite, had entered the Northern Territory from his territory.
Richard immediately shook his head, his tone resolute:
"How could that be? Have you forgotten what happened to my sister? I just think they were foolish and were misled into donating some money and supplies. They didn't deserve to die."
He doesn't care about or bother with innocent killings happening elsewhere, even if it results in rivers of blood and nine out of ten houses being empty.
But now that they've met, and Lucy is personally presiding over the meeting, he hopes his beloved can always remain clean and pure, untainted by innocent bloodshed.
Looking at his serious expression, Lucy seemed to have heard something particularly interesting and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Heh, I never expected you to be such a kind-hearted person. But unfortunately, these people must be hanged."
Richard's heart sank. He thought she was forced to carry out the killing because of the Duke of Shuangmo's decree of investiture, and he couldn't help but sigh silently.
Unexpectedly, Lucy, having finished laughing, tiptoed closer and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"My wolf, you really think they're believers of the light? You've misjudged them! These are just refugees who fled here after the massacre of Black Raven Territory and committed crimes, as well as criminals from Frost City who committed serious offenses. I'm just using them as a substitute to make up the numbers."
Richard was stunned; he never expected the truth to be like this!
Seeing Richard's slightly stunned expression, Lucy raised her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smiling mischievously:
"The Grand Duke previously instructed his vassals to secretly investigate the list of believers. Only my father knew the details of this matter, and he didn't tell me to keep it a secret. Now that the decree of the Grand Duke has suddenly been issued, where am I supposed to conjure up so many real believers?"
She glanced sideways at the figure being shoved by soldiers and put into a noose at the city gate, a disdainful smirk playing on her lips.
"The northern border is quite poor. Even if some of the people believe in the Light, they don't have enough money to donate to the church. I can't just arrest everyone who has heard the sermons, so I have to use these vagrants and criminals instead. Look, those holy light patterns on their clothes were sewn on by me overnight. Don't they look real?"