For most of the northerners, winter was a time of no harvest, especially in the towns and cities near the Hermes Plateau. The Months of the Demons brought not only continuous rain and snow, but also cold, hunger and death. But "Fake Leg" White was different. Every winter, the Church's emissary would come to his door and ask him to drive a few times to the border of the Kingdom of Wolfsheart, pick up the suffering orphans in the carriage and send them to the old Holy City.
This was a good deal, he could earn almost twenty silver royals in one trip, and it was also a good deed. This year's Months of the Demons was coming to an end, so this carriage should be the last one.
"My Lord, why don't you go to the carriage and stay there? It's snowing outside for a while. Unlike us, you don't have to eat the wind and drink the snow every day, so don't get cold."
"This is nothing," the emissary took out a bottle of wine and took a sip. "The New Holy City is much colder than here. On the plateau, leather clothes and armor can't keep out the cold. They are like pervasive devils, drilling into every part of your body.Without the Cold Expelling Pill, that place is really not a place for ordinary people. "
"You're right," White nodded. He had never been to the New Holy City, and he didn't want to go. There was only ice and demonic beasts, why would he want to go there? But as an experienced coachman, he could always find a new topic, and this emissary was much easier to talk to than the previous one. "Your gloves are made from the special wolf skin from the Western Region of Graycastle, right?"
"Oh? You know this? "
"Hey, my Lord, I've been doing this for almost thirty years," White said proudly. "First I drove for the Baron, then for the Countess, and even for the Wolfsheart Princess. If I hadn't had an accident and broken my leg, maybe I would still be in the Count's Mansion. They don't have anything else, but they have a lot of Golden Dragon, fur and silver from Graycastle, jewelry from the Kingdom of Eternal Winter, handicrafts from the Fjords, and so on. "
"So that's how it is," the ambassador nodded. "Is this the origin of your nickname? What kind of accident happened? "
"Well, it was a refugee riot. Those scoundrels will do anything for some food. "White spat. "At that time, they surrounded the carriage. In order to protect the countess, I had to urge the horse to run wildly. As a result, the horse was startled, and I fell off. The carriage also turned over."
"So you broke your leg?" asked the ambassador curiously. "And the countess?"
"She's better than me. There were cushions and thick quilts in the carriage. I was just badly bruised," White said indignantly. "She climbed out and ran away, leaving me on the road. I dragged my broken leg home and spent all my savings to buy myself a prosthetic leg. "He knocked on the copper rod that was sticking out of his trousers." But the Earl's mansion chased me out on the pretext that I could no longer drive. Those damned nobles! "
"It is a pity," the ambassador paused, "but God has not abandoned you, you are now driving for the Church. Heaven is merciful. "
"Yes, my lord. Heaven is merciful. " No, if Heaven had been kind, he would not have let this happen to me, White thought. He did not save me when I needed him most.
At this moment, the sound of a girl crying came from the carriage.
"Stop."
White pulled the reins, gradually bringing the two horses to a stop. The ambassador jumped off and went around to the back of the carriage. Soon, there was the sound of a whip cracking inside the carriage.
Poor children, he sighed. Bear with it, this is your savior. Without the Lord Emissary, you would not have survived this winter. You would have become a corpse on the street.
After a while, the ambassador came back and climbed onto the shaft of the carriage. "Let's go."
"Sit tight. Go! "White shook the reins, and the carriage started to move again. "Do they all come from all over the Kingdom of Wolfheart?"
"Almost. The churches in every town in the kingdom will take in some orphans. Especially in the winter, when there is a shortage of food and clothing, we will take in several times more people. It is impossible to rely on the monks of the Church alone, so we will hire some reputable drivers to help us transport them.You have performed very well, White. My predecessor praised you very much. "
"It is my honor to participate in such a good deed," White grinned. "My lord, will they all be sent to a monastery? Forgive me for talking too much, but although they are all orphans, their character is different. Some of them may be young, but they have done everything. Will such people pollute the holy land? "
"God will judge. Even if they are guilty, they will have a chance to be redeemed."
"Is that so? That is really a good thing. "White raised his head and looked at the sky. "It's getting late, my lord. Should we spend the night in the next town? If the weather is good tomorrow, we should be able to reach the old Holy City by noon. "
The ambassador sighed. "Let's find an inn with a courtyard. As long as the carriage can be parked, it will be fine. You go and prepare food for them. "
"Yes!" White replied.
This town was the only way to the old Holy City from the Kingdom of Wolfheart. It was not his first time here, so he was familiar with the road and soon found the inn he usually stayed in. After driving the carriage into the courtyard, he took the money from the emissary and went to buy food for the orphans. As usual, sweet potato porridge was the most suitable choice. It was cheap and tasted good. After watching them distribute the porridge, White limped back to the inn, asked for bread and butter, and sat in front of the bar to eat. As for the emissary, he must have a better place to go.
If it was ten years ago, before he broke his leg, he would definitely go to the tavern and order a glass of wine, then find someone to throw a few dice – his luck was always good at that time. But now … White touched the money bag in his arms. It was better to go back to his room and rest early.
In the evening, he heard some noise in the courtyard. White got up and lifted the curtain. He saw the drunken emissary unlock the carriage door and get in. After a while, he dragged out two orphans. There were two people standing behind him, and they were dressed like nobles.
White put down the curtain and returned to the warm bed.
This was not the first time he saw this kind of thing. The previous ambassador often did this. Being alive is the greatest luck, he thought. Compared to temporary pain, it is better to endure. When you arrive at the Holy City, you will be able to usher in a new life. At least in the monastery, you don't have to worry about starvation and cold.White yawned and fell into a deep sleep.
At dawn, he took the emissary and continued to move forward. The journey was very smooth. They arrived at the old Holy City an hour earlier than expected.There was already a carriage of the church waiting for them. It seemed that this group of poor people still had a long way to go, but it had nothing to do with him.
"This is your reward." The emissary threw over a cloth bag.
White took it and counted it twice in his palm. It was indeed twenty silver royals. He nodded and bowed: "I hope to see you again next year."
The emissary did not answer, but waved his hand to signal him to leave.
White noticed that in addition to him, there were several other carriages doing the same work. Perhaps they were sent from another kingdom? He thought, but there was one thing that was very strange. All the carriages seemed to be little girls. When the church adopted orphans, did they only adopt girls?