Chapter 2: Northern Expedition

The concentration of magic in this world is very low, and the extraordinary is not obvious.

This is also one of the reasons why most of Rhodes' experiments failed.

He looked at the high-quality black wolfberry in the flowerpot in distress. The poor magical environment required him to spend a lot of time every day to care for the magical plants he grew, making it difficult to grow them on a large scale.

Without his magical care, it would be difficult to grow the seeds even if there were any.

But as the number of demonic plants increased, he couldn't waste all his time on them.

“Not only the seeds, but also the land for farming needs to be transformed on a large scale.”

This area of ​​wizard knowledge was exactly the focus of Rhodes's study during this period, but it would make too much noise and was difficult to implement in Jianling Castle.

He had been considering asking his father, Duke Bert, to live in an estate outside the city for a while.

After organizing and packaging the materials and props, Rhodes walked out of the room and headed towards the medal awarding hall at the front.

As we passed the garden, accompanied by the summer breeze, the lavender was in full bloom, and the swaying sea of ​​flowers formed a purple ribbon, decorating the white castle.

The fresh scent of lavender makes people feel happy both physically and mentally.

This sea of ​​flowers was planted by Rhodes himself.

The Middle Ages was an era of ignorance and barbarism, and people there had not yet clearly realized the direct relationship between disease and filth.

Discarded viscera, rotten fish and shrimp, and feces soaked in urine can be seen everywhere on the city streets.

The filth flows down the road into the river, polluting the water source of the entire body of water.

Beer was popular among the common people in this era because fermentation killed a large number of bacteria.

People are not clear about the relationship, but that doesn't stop them from knowing that drinking alcohol is safer than drinking water.

Rhodes didn't want to collapse to the ground and die in frustration just because he drank a sip of water one day.

Health and safety were the first things he tried, and the final result was this sea of ​​flowers.

Lavender contains volatile oils and monoterpenes, which have certain antibacterial and disinfectant effects and can be used for medicinal treatment.

And under Rhodes' transformation, its effect was greatly enhanced.

[High-grade lavender/first-level low-grade magic plant]

[Growth period is one month, life cycle is five years]

[The aroma emitted can dispel the spread of airborne germs within the range, and can be used as medicine to effectively kill bacteria and treat intestinal diseases]

Compared with high-quality black wolfberry, its effect is much weaker, but being weak also has its advantages.

High-grade lavender only needs to be maintained by magic power during planting, so Rhodes does not need to worry too much about its subsequent growth.

Therefore, a sea of ​​flowers of a certain scale can be formed, which can carry out large-scale environmental purification.

It was because he was busy planting the sea of ​​flowers surrounding the castle that the guests and servants saw it and spread the news, which led to his current title of Gardener Knight.

Rhodes himself didn't care about the title. He didn't discriminate against gardeners and was indeed a knight.

But it looked like Duke Bert was unhappy.

Rhodes could understand it. After all, when the Duke introduced his eldest son, he proudly displayed a wall of medals.

When we got to Rhodes, there were a bunch of flower pots.
Of course, this wasn't really a big deal, he was just the second son in the family, and his fame wouldn't affect the family's reputation.

He spent his time at home, his mother was happy, his sister was happy, and his brother Anthony was happy too.

On the contrary, if he has too good a reputation outside, his father may not be very happy, and then the whole family will be unhappy.

Rhodes crossed the long corridor carved from pure white marble and entered the medal awarding hall.

The first thing that comes into view is a huge oil painting framed with nanmu wood, which is facing the gate and occupies half of the wall.

The blond man in the painting holds a long sword and wears a nine-star crown on his head. He has a resolute face and a heroic appearance.

That was his grandfather in this life, the previous king of the Kingdom of Rosa, William the King.

Its greatest achievement was the occupation of the Northern Frost Plateau belonging to the northern barbarians and the Ironforge of the dwarves during the Northern Expedition War thirty years ago, expanding the country's territory by a quarter.

Unfortunately, he had passed away ten years ago, and Rhodes had attended his funeral with his father. In front of the painting hung the family's coat of arms, and in the center of the white shield was a griffin with bared fangs and claws, which was the symbol of the royal family of the Kingdom of Rosa.

As a duke who broke away from the royal family, there is an additional ribbon and a golden sword above the griffin to distinguish between master and servant, indicating the identity of the Duke of Jianling.

The family motto is written on the golden sword - "Swing estoc forward"

Duke Bert was standing under the family emblem. When he saw Rhodes coming, he motioned for him to come forward.

Rhodes bowed to the painting and looked at his father.
"The king is preparing to launch another war of expansion to the north."

Duke Bert looked down at him, staring at this good-for-nothing child, and spoke slowly.

Only then did Rhodes understand the reason why his father and brother were summoned to the royal capital, Renaissance City, a month ago.

He was not surprised by this. After thirty years of recuperation, the kingdom had prospered and its army was strong.

The king is now in his prime, and is obviously determined to achieve great things and compete with his ancestors.

The Kingdom of Rosa is adjacent to the East China Sea. To the east is the turbulent ocean and groups of pirates, so there is little benefit from conquering them.

To the south is the land of the Church, sacred and inviolable.

To the west are friendly countries with which the kingdom has deep trade relations via the Wheat River, and war would not be worth the cost.

Naturally, they could only expand northwards. The northern border was vast and rich in resources, and the territory occupied by the Kingdom of Rosa was just a drop in the bucket.

But why did he discuss this topic with him in the Hall of Honor? Rhodes was a little confused.

"Embark on your journey to the north. War will teach you, and the baptism of blood and fire will give every warrior new life." Duke Bert pointed to the north with a sonorous tone.

After hearing what his father said, Rhodes finally understood and fell silent.

According to the normal trajectory, he should go to the royal capital, Fuxing City, after he becomes an adult and deal with the royal nobles.

After his father's death, his brother Anthony succeeded as Duke of Jianling, and Rhodes would be given the title of court earl, serving as a bond between Anthony and the king in the court.

But when he learned that the king was going to follow the example of his predecessor and expand the northern border again, Duke Bert changed his mind.

It looked like he was going to throw himself directly to the North and retrace his old path.

The price of rebirth is endless bones under your feet. Rhodes, who has just started to learn wizard knowledge, does not want to go, and he is still vulnerable.

But he knew that when his father made a decision, he had no choice.

"I will follow your orders." Rhodes clenched his fists against his chest and knelt on one knee.

A slender sword blade gleaming with a cold luster was pressed against his shoulder.

That was the sword that accompanied Duke Bert in his initial conquest of the North.

Now it has been pulled out again by the Duke.

"The king has issued royal expansion orders to all places in the north. You can join the royal knights, or you can form your own team. I will not interfere."

Duke Bert tapped Rhodes' shoulder with his sword and said, "Death is not terrible. Face it, kill it or be killed by it. This is the honor of a warrior!"

Rhodes responded by reciting the family motto aloud.

After the ceremony, Duke Bert sheathed his sword and handed over the sword and a scroll.

Rhodes stood up, took it, and read the contents.

A real war does not happen overnight, but is a long process lasting several years or even more than ten years.

The same is true for the king's expansion to the north today. Before the main force of the army really sets out, it is necessary to establish certain strongholds in the north.

This is exactly the mission of these pioneering knights, to lead their troops across the northern fortress, establish outposts of the kingdom, and collect intelligence on the barbarian kings.

The North was full of dangers, and Duke Bert did not want to throw his second son in to die.

It seems that they hope he will join a pioneering knight group and grow through training in the military camp.

It's just that Rhodes has his own ideas.

Since I have to go to the North, maybe this is an opportunity.

He decided to form an army on his own and establish his own territory!
(End of this chapter)