Lin Ze When we returned to the small courtyard in the east of the city, it was just getting dark.
The aroma of burning scones floated in the yard. Sirius was sitting on a stone bench holding a wine bag in his hand, taking a sip from time to time.
Saira squatted next to the pony and trimmed its hooves, while Arthur was chopping firewood at the door of the kitchen. The ax fell and the wood pieces split neatly.
Lin Ze stepped out of the crack and patted the moss on his shoulders.
"You're back just in time." Sirius raised the wine bag.
"Sela and Arthur met two veterans again today. Things went more smoothly than we thought."
"How to say?"
Saira put down his horse's hooves, stood up and patted the mud on his hands. "One is in the city defense camp, and the other is in charge of the armory. They are both left behind by the previous king. They have long been dissatisfied with Constantine's arbitrary style in recent years."
"They agreed?"
"I didn't say it clearly, but I didn't refuse either." Saira wiped his hands with a rag.
"Griffin... The old man in charge of the arsenal told me that he still has three hundred pairs of newly made leather armors in his inventory, because the transfer order requires the signatures of three veterans, and one of the veterans was just dismissed from his post by Constantine last month, so the signatures cannot be collected."
Lin Ze understood. "You mean, if Constantine wants to mobilize troops, it has to go through the hands of these veterans first?"
"That's pretty much what it means."
Arthur drove the ax into the wooden pillar and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Boqin said he would take me with him on the day of the Spring Festival preparations, so he said he was a new handyman."
"Okay, I can ask Sirius to go with you then."
"But he..."
"Don't worry, this guy won't show up directly. Just treat it like... there's a dog with you."
Arthur:"???"
Sirius chuckled beside him, and Arthur continued to blink in confusion.
Lin Ze sat down on the stone bench and briefly told what he heard from Morgana about Shedding Gods.
When talking about "fake sloughing may be the medium leading to the temple", Sirius screamed, "You mean, we are likely to face the legendary Shedding Gods?"
"Is that a real god?" Sela asked from the side.
"Maybe." Lin Ze nodded and said.
"Before that, should we attack that little statue first?" Sirius suggested.
"We still don't know the details of the other party, so don't act rashly. Just be prepared for it. Maybe that thing can't leave the temple. Constantine is now very troubled by the fact that his time is running out. This means that Shedding Gods cannot directly increase his lifespan, or is unwilling to increase his lifespan."
Early the next morning, Lin Ze went to the blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith took the sword out from behind the stove. The sword body still needed the last step of quenching.
Lin Ze picked it up and took a look. It was three feet long, the sword was straight, the sword grid was narrow, the blood groove was very shallow, the hilt was wrapped with a leather rope, and it was moderately heavy in the hand.
"Okay, that's it. I'm in a hurry to use it. I'll complete the last step myself." Lin Ze said.
When the blacksmith handed over the sword, Lin Ze took it in his hand and weighed it.
The blade of the sword still lacks the final step of quenching. It is dusty and has no luster. The edge of the blade has not been fully opened yet, and it does not prick your fingers.
"Thank you." Lin Ze put the silver coins on the counter.
The blacksmith took the money, lowered his head and continued to sharpen his old sickle, muttering "I'll get it in ten days", apparently forgetting that he had handed over the sword yesterday.
Lin Ze didn't remind him and walked out the door with his sword in hand.
When he returned to the small courtyard, Sirius was squatting in the yard and teasing the pony horse with a branch. The horse ignored him, so he poked the horse's nose with the branch, and the horse flicked its tail.
"Stop teasing it." Lin Ze put the sword on the stone table.
Sirius came over and picked up the sword and looked at it. He flipped his wrist and the sword tip drew a half arc in the air, closing the movement cleanly.
"It's quite handy." He put the sword back on the table.
"Have you ever wielded a sword before?"
"Black family It's not like you don't know who our ancestors are. There are many swords in the old antique collection at home. When I was young, I would pick them up and make random gestures." Sirius patted the rust on his hands.
"Later, I used it with James when Hogwarts was making trouble. When we were in the sixth grade, we dug out a complete set of knight armor from Room of Requirement and wore it in the corridor to scare the younger students. We were caught by McGonagall and deducted fifty points from Gryffindor."
Lin Ze glanced at him and said nothing.
In the next two days, Saira and Arthur continued to run around the city, while Lin Ze and Sirius were bored in the yard, pondering over the sword.
In the end, the two agreed that only one simple line of ancient Britain sayings should be engraved on the sword - "Whoever pulls out this sword will be the king of Britain". It doesn't need to be many words. People who recognize it will naturally recognize it, and people who don't recognize it will listen to others reading it.
On the evening of the third day, Saira came back from outside with a strange look on his face.
"Something happened." She closed the door and kept her voice low.
"Arthur and I met Boqin at a tea shop in the west of the city this afternoon. As soon as we sat down for less than a stick of incense, a group of Imperial Guards came outside the tea shop, saying it was a routine search."
"Have you been discovered?"
"No, Boqin reacted quickly and left through the back door first. Arthur and I mingled among the tea guests and didn't move. The Imperial Guard came in and walked around for a while before going out."
"Then what are you worried about?"
"The Imperial Guard never paid attention to the area west of the city before, where craftsmen gathered, and they rarely even patrolled there." Saira sat down at the table.
Sirius leaned against the wall, playing with a grass stem in his hand. "Constantine That old guy is about to die. He is most suspicious at this time. He must be keeping an eye on those old ministers."
"It should be more than just that. I heard that Constantine has been looking for the whereabouts of the Witch King and the man named Merlin." Saira stared at Sirius and said.
"..."
"And their description of Merlin is very accurate. He has black hair, dark eyes, a thin figure, and excellent physical skills. He can break Magic-Suppressing Stone's cuffs with his bare hands."
"Tsk, that's really accurate." Sirius glanced at Lin Ze jokingly.
"In this case, some things need to be moved forward. How about Sword in the Stone's matter be scheduled on the day when Arthur enters the palace? We have already contacted some ministers, plus Arthur's identity, and Sword in the Stone's blessing..."
"How to make Sword in the Stone appear in the palace is a difficult problem."
"This is easy to do," Lin Ze smiled, "I will pretend to be the king's treasure presenter and dedicate Sword in the Stone to Constantine. The king and his sons will definitely try. When they can't draw the sword, Arthur can come on stage."
"Arthur's appearance heralds the break with Constantine. Once Arthur pulls out his sword, Constantine will definitely kill Arthur."
"At this time, it's time for the great Merlin Archmage to come on stage." Sirius snorted twice and raised his eyebrows proudly.
"Yes, I am quite confident in dealing with ordinary people, even if they have Magic-Suppressing Stone. But we must pay attention to one variable." Lin Ze and Sirius looked at each other.
"Little idol!"