Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 630 - 402: Gwent Card (2)

"Yes, this must be the will of the Heavenly Father, otherwise how could such a coincidence happen in this world?"

"The Duke can even command the Wild Hunt... but isn't that the Army of the Dead?"

"Foolish!"

A Crusader from Northern Europe mocked loudly, "The Wild Hunt is an army composed of the Heroic Spirits under Odin, specially dealing with evil! Only the bravest warriors are qualified to be taken to the Hall of Heroic Spirits by the Valkyries."

"What Odin, the Duke is the Holy Son, the son of the Heavenly Father, what does he have to do with the Pagan Gods?"

"You know nothing!"

"You're the one who knows nothing!"

"You Viking scum, who converted to Christianity yet still cling to the old gods, dare to come to this holy land with your dirty soul?"

For a moment, the two parties started cursing each other, almost coming to blows on the street.

In the Frankish people's understanding, Vikings were even more barbaric than the Normans. Even after converting to Christianity, their old gods' beliefs were still pervasive, and they occasionally raided on their longships, becoming a bedtime horror story for many parents to scare their kids.

In fact, by the end of the twelfth century, as the population, economy, and military power of European countries continued to grow, the Vikings had already declined.

"Stop!"

"This is Damietta, the domain of Duke Losa, and the Duke has strictly prohibited private fights!"

The city militia maintaining order quickly arrived and separated the two sides.

Neither side continued the dispute.

Not that the city militia, hastily assembled by Lavinia with little training, truly had the ability. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

It was because of the reputation of Losa; even the Crusaders on Richard's side had great respect for Losa.

In their view, Losa was undeniably the heroic figure who saved them, and post-war, he generously gave most of the spoils to them. If they had not already pledged loyalty to Richard, they would have switched sides on the spot.

…

Meanwhile, Richard, oblivious to the near-conflict between his men and the Crusaders from Viking lands, was eagerly flipping through the book in front of him named "Demon Hunter."

The quality of its pages was excellent, white as snow. The cover depicted a white-haired middle-aged man in chain armor, carrying two swords. The details were very precise, even down to the chain mail links and the man's facial hair.

This style, so different from that era and extremely realistic, was a breath of fresh air to Richard.

"The artwork is really impressive."

Opening the first page, the title was "Monster Atlas," featuring a creature called a "Water Demon." Every detail was vivid, with its habits and weaknesses annotated in small letters below.

"I think I understand why this book is so popular. Even if the content is average, the illustrations alone make it a must-have for the nobles on pilgrimage."

"It's just a pity that, just from the title, it's clear this isn't a knight novel."

Knight novels of this era could broadly be divided into three categories: stories of Alexander's time, tales of the Gaul region under Charlemagne, and those centered on King Arthur and his Round Table Knights.

Moralists criticized such novels for their heretical deviations, claiming they were filled with absurdities. However, if knights in reality could be as described in knight novels, the whole of Europe would be much more peaceful.

Count's Guard Captain Fuller explained blankly, "This book mainly tells the story of Van Helsing hunting demons. Miss Martha mentioned that although there's a lot of fiction in it, it accurately describes certain demon habits in many places."

Richard continued to browse, asking without looking up, "I heard this book has been popular in the Holy Land for quite some time, and the currently trending Gwent Card game was created based on this book?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Fuller, go buy a few decks of cards, let's try playing it as well."

"Your Majesty, I must remind you, these cards are a product of Marquis Losa's enterprise, every gold coin we spend becomes his capital for recruiting troops."

Richard couldn't help but chuckle, "Fuller, you really are a meticulous fellow. Though this Marquis and I are rivals, our goals align — to reclaim the Holy Land of Christ and drive out the Heretics."

"Our competition is aboveboard. His temporary lead doesn't mean he will seize the greatest results of the Eastern Expedition. Do you, you old dog, think I would lose to that rustic noble-born Losa?"

Fuller sighed.

Their monarch was hardly competent.

He was both irascible and straightforward, authoritarian and cruel, yet generous and fair. Fuller always felt their lord would someday suffer a loss due to his transparent honesty.

"Fine, go ahead and buy it. I heard it's a challenging and refreshing pastime. Anyway, we'll be in Damietta for quite a while, so we can't just sit around waiting."

Richard remained in Damietta for recruitment, a task clearly not achievable in a short period.

Fuller helplessly said, "Your Majesty, you must only want to purchase it due to Lord Randall's invitation today, right?"

To him, their Majesty was already negligent enough, now appearing to be taking up a new bad habit, which left him with a deep sense of powerlessness.

Richard's expression soured for a moment.

"Alright, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. That fellow who only knows how to chase women and mingle with fireflies dared to show me that look because I couldn't play this thing — he actually mocked me as old-fashioned!"

Fuller said, "Lord Randall didn't say that."

"Right, of course, he didn't dare say that, but his expression clearly said it!"

Richard slammed the table, his temper flaring, "He said that playing cards on a board is a more civilized duel for knights, and those barbarians he hired from Northern Europe couldn't even learn it — utter nonsense, I must show him, that even in just an evening, I can play better than he does!"

(Note: Richard is a Norman, whose ancestors were also a branch of the Vikings)

Fuller sighed again, "Alright, as you wish, Your Majesty. But I must remind you, to collect a deck of sufficient strength requires spending quite a few gold coins. Given our current poor financial state, even if you request it, I cannot allow more than a budget of three hundred Suludes gold coins for this."

"Three hundred... should be quite a bit."

Fuller hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Indeed, it's quite a lot."

Fuller was well aware of Gwent Card, for now almost every tavern had a dedicated Gwent battle zone. Every new Crusader to the Holy Land was easily exposed to it, and even without playing, just by watching, they could grasp the game's logic and intricacies.

"You hesitated!"

Richard raised his voice, "Which means that three hundred Suludes gold coins are not a lot. My goodness, I didn't expect this toy that Losa came up with has become a lucrative source of income for him!"

Fuller smiled wryly.

"Actually, it's not only popular in the Holy Land, Your Majesty. Even in the European countryside, this is becoming fashionable in many places, though most of the cards they use are homemade."